Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. When it comes to making art, the process is just as important as the product. At least, that's what I got from today's interview. It's with debut novelist Katie Yee about her book, Maggie, or a man and woman walk into a bar. It's about a woman going through a lot,

a breast cancer diagnosis, a divorce, her husband's affair,

and she has to navigate all of this while still being a mother.

And in this interview with Herein Now's Asma Khalid,

Ye talks about writing this book to wrestle with her own questions about having kids,

to visit the everyday life of a parent who has to do the boring everyday parent things, you know?

Because for Yi, the writing process is how she processes the world. More up ahead.

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Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

A man and a woman walk into a restaurant.

That kind of sounds like the beginning of a joke.

But in Katie Yee's novel, it's the end of a marriage.

To make matters worse, the woman finds a lump in her breast.

I know you're thinking this sounds like a downer of a book,

but it is actually incredibly witty and insightful,

kind of ideal if you're looking for a summer read with some substance.

The book is called Maggie, or a man and a woman, walk into a bar.

An author, Katie Ye joins us from the NPR, New York Studios, to talk about it.

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