Etgar Keret‘s Crazy Glue may not be lengthy, but that doesn’t mean a thing. The story is powerfully written, as is all of Keret’s work, including short stories, graphic novels, and TV and film writing. But somehow, this one story, stands out in a way that his other work can’t, and that’s saying quite a bit.
In Crazy Glue, readers find themselves reading as a man who’s cheating on his wife. It is vividly clear that they’ve grown jaded, to the point where they don’t even argue anymore. They go through the motions, but there is no real emotion there.
Or so it seems.
He calls his mistress, Abby, and explains he won’t make it that night, claiming his wife suspects something. Now, there was no real indication of this. If anything, it was more the case of her not caring about it at all. Regardless, he cancels the plans and lets Abby go, lying to her, saying someone came into the office.
When he gets home, he finds that everything is glued. Chairs are glued to the floor, the fridge is glued shut. And his wife is on the ceiling, smiling. She laughs too, and suddenly, things change. Perhaps it’s how beautiful she looks, happily hanging from the ceiling, but they share a kiss, and he feels as if he’s floating hanging just from her lips.
The symbolism is plenty:
1. The glue is first introduced in the title, second only to the third line of dialogue. Note it’s not just any glue, it’s crazy glue, known for being strong and resilient. This goes into play with their marriage, needing something crazy strong to make a difference.
2. At one point, the wife says a lot of things need gluing. She doesn’t specify which things, but it’s clear by their interaction that it’s relating to their marriage.
3. He brings up a man hanging down from the ceiling, depicted on the packaging for the glue, and points out that they put a light fixture on the floor, before taking a normal picture. His wife is unimpressed, but then later does it herself, as if to prove him wrong.
4. When speaking to Abby, the man lets her off the phone the minute he realizes that she’s crying and asking why he stays with his wife. This is after he cancels plans with her too. He clearly doesn’t care about this woman, he’s simply using her to meet some needs that his wife isn’t helping him with anymore since they’re so jaded. But underneath it all, the love might be there.
5. Upon arriving home, he finds everything is glued. This is his wife’s attempt at keeping things together, at feeling like things won’t change enough for them to slip away.
6. When he sees his wife on the ceiling, she is playful and pretty, smiling and laughing. This probably reminds them of how things were before, when things were healthy and strong between them, hence the kiss.
Relationships are difficult and often times they lead perfectly dynamic couples into a jaded oblivion. People look for their needs to be met by using other outside factors, whether it be affairs, or something as simple as food. This story serves as a reminder to pay attention to your partner and to keep stoking the flames, otherwise, they’ll go out. There may be an ember on the bottom, even in the darkest of times, but to get there is a tragedy.
