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Cost of Living
Overworked but struggling, Jess takes a job as a caregiver for John, a brusque but bright graduate student who has cerebral palsy. Eddie is an unemployed truck driver who reaches a fragile détente with his estranged wife Ani after a devastating car accident requires her to go through a double above-the-knee amputation. With an unsentimental but keen eye, Majok deftly challenges the typical perceptions of those living with disabilities and delves deep into the ways class, race, nationality, and wealth or lack thereof can create gulfs between people, even as they long for the ability to connect.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
December 8, 2019
The planning has been done and I am all set for my 2020 reading year with the overarching theme of catching up on Pulitzer Prize winners across six categories. It might become seven categories now that the Prize committee announced a new category: audio reporting. Needless to say I am excited about the reading year ahead, so excited that I jumpstarted my Pulitzer challenge by reading the 2018 winner for drama, Cost of Living by Martyna Majok. While not a huge fan of non musical theater, I found this script to be powerful in written form and can only envision the interactions between actors on stage.
Majok’s concept takes place in northern suburban New Jersey over a four month span. Eddie Torres is a truck driver who is in between loads. He is pouring out his sorrows at a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Eddie had been about to divorce his wife of twenty years Ania Lujca after she had been in a devastating accident that left her a quadriplegic. From the script it appeared that Eddie could not fathom life being married to a paralyzed person, even one as independent as Ania, and drifted from her after the accident; however, he could not bring himself to go through with the divorce so she could stay on his insurance plan. It seemed that Eddie had realized all the positives about Ania and was ready to reconcile with her over the course of this play, which is told to the audience in flashback; however, it took Ania more convincing than Eddie due to the fact that for the first few months after the accident, he would not talk to her. Half of the storyline involves how the couple would cope with their new reality moving forward.
Jess is a Princeton graduate, the daughter of an immigrant, and the first in her family to attend college. Yet, she came from poverty and graduated the same way, with no money. Ambitious, Jess took on any employment that she could find and ended up tending bars during the graveyard shift most nights of the week. Being a barrista does not pay off student loans, so, when PhD candidate John seeks a caregiver in the mornings, Jess is the first person to answer his ad. John and Jess’ relationship is even more awkward than Eddie and Ania’s as Jess was not acquainted with John prior to her employment. And that was what John was to her- a job, even if that job entailed shaving and washing him. Having a severe case of cerebral palsy with a brilliant mind, John needed an aide in order to get through his academic day. Jess needed the money so it was a perfect match, albeit a tricky one to navigate for both parties involved, this, the root of what Majok refers to as the cost of living in the 21st century.
Martyna Majok is a new playwright for me, and now I have to track down more of her work. Cost of Living is her take on ableism in the 21st century, both for people with (dis)abilities and the ones closest to them. Even with most of American society being accessible to all, one does not closely examine all that entails until someone close to them is disabled, as in the case of Eddie and Ania. In John and Jess’ relationship, one does not realize the lengths one has to go to in order to live as independently as possible, even if it means employing an aide who makes them feel awkward. The Cost of Living is thus double meaning- both financial and emotional for all parties involved. The work was a worthy read away from the theater and merits all of its accolades.
4+ stars
Majok’s concept takes place in northern suburban New Jersey over a four month span. Eddie Torres is a truck driver who is in between loads. He is pouring out his sorrows at a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Eddie had been about to divorce his wife of twenty years Ania Lujca after she had been in a devastating accident that left her a quadriplegic. From the script it appeared that Eddie could not fathom life being married to a paralyzed person, even one as independent as Ania, and drifted from her after the accident; however, he could not bring himself to go through with the divorce so she could stay on his insurance plan. It seemed that Eddie had realized all the positives about Ania and was ready to reconcile with her over the course of this play, which is told to the audience in flashback; however, it took Ania more convincing than Eddie due to the fact that for the first few months after the accident, he would not talk to her. Half of the storyline involves how the couple would cope with their new reality moving forward.
Jess is a Princeton graduate, the daughter of an immigrant, and the first in her family to attend college. Yet, she came from poverty and graduated the same way, with no money. Ambitious, Jess took on any employment that she could find and ended up tending bars during the graveyard shift most nights of the week. Being a barrista does not pay off student loans, so, when PhD candidate John seeks a caregiver in the mornings, Jess is the first person to answer his ad. John and Jess’ relationship is even more awkward than Eddie and Ania’s as Jess was not acquainted with John prior to her employment. And that was what John was to her- a job, even if that job entailed shaving and washing him. Having a severe case of cerebral palsy with a brilliant mind, John needed an aide in order to get through his academic day. Jess needed the money so it was a perfect match, albeit a tricky one to navigate for both parties involved, this, the root of what Majok refers to as the cost of living in the 21st century.
Martyna Majok is a new playwright for me, and now I have to track down more of her work. Cost of Living is her take on ableism in the 21st century, both for people with (dis)abilities and the ones closest to them. Even with most of American society being accessible to all, one does not closely examine all that entails until someone close to them is disabled, as in the case of Eddie and Ania. In John and Jess’ relationship, one does not realize the lengths one has to go to in order to live as independently as possible, even if it means employing an aide who makes them feel awkward. The Cost of Living is thus double meaning- both financial and emotional for all parties involved. The work was a worthy read away from the theater and merits all of its accolades.
4+ stars
October 14, 2022
Update, 10/'22: I read this when it first came out after winning the Pulitzer, and though that was only 4 years ago, I didn't have much memory of it (mind like a sieve), but wanted to revisit it now that the Broadway production has opened to universal raves. It still holds up and aside from giving two multi-dimensional roles for PWD actors, the other two characters are well-defined also. Wish I could get to NYC to see it.
Original review, Sept./'18: Winner of the Pulitzer for Drama this year, Majok's play takes many risks, including the inclusion of two characters with disabilities (and specifying that they MUST be cast as such)- a man with CP and a woman with quadriplegia, which are essential to what the play is about. Having worked for a dozen years for an organization fostering the inclusion of PWDs in the performing arts (in fact, a colleague helped cast the initial productions) I am heartened not only to see the strides made by this particular play, but that it is also such a fully realized work of art.
Original review, Sept./'18: Winner of the Pulitzer for Drama this year, Majok's play takes many risks, including the inclusion of two characters with disabilities (and specifying that they MUST be cast as such)- a man with CP and a woman with quadriplegia, which are essential to what the play is about. Having worked for a dozen years for an organization fostering the inclusion of PWDs in the performing arts (in fact, a colleague helped cast the initial productions) I am heartened not only to see the strides made by this particular play, but that it is also such a fully realized work of art.
May 29, 2019
It's work like this that made me fall for theatre.
I heard about this play while browsing through the Pulitzer list on Goodreads. The non-pretentious title makes you hope for a hardcore work on pragmatism. But for the 91 pages of this book, I surely forgot everything else. This was the longest I think I have meditated.
The thing that this book achieves in in detailing something that can easily be happening around you but you would never notice much. It narrates the daily lives of differentially abled people in a way that only reminds me of Requiem of a Dream but without the background music. How living with a disabled self can change the small things in daily lives is a revelation this book punched my face with. I ended up asking myself - how much bitter would I be if my spine gave up? That's not a brain space that can be easily handled by even the strongest of minds.
Cost of living is what the title suggests - to live is a decision we make. Camus knew this ages ago when he said that the only philosophical question in existence is should one commit suicide. Because our decision to live bears weight on us. The happy parts are easy, the sad parts also, but what about the ones that cannot be classified, the one's that are not written about, the one's that is just holding you accountable to watch time pass by trying to grab onto things. These are the kind of questions that got voice in this book.
For the size of the book, this is a small work. But it makes you think about things most of us have never ever thought about. Martyna Majok fractures reality in a way it has never been before. Now that's pure art.
In short, this book deserves your time and attention.
I heard about this play while browsing through the Pulitzer list on Goodreads. The non-pretentious title makes you hope for a hardcore work on pragmatism. But for the 91 pages of this book, I surely forgot everything else. This was the longest I think I have meditated.
The thing that this book achieves in in detailing something that can easily be happening around you but you would never notice much. It narrates the daily lives of differentially abled people in a way that only reminds me of Requiem of a Dream but without the background music. How living with a disabled self can change the small things in daily lives is a revelation this book punched my face with. I ended up asking myself - how much bitter would I be if my spine gave up? That's not a brain space that can be easily handled by even the strongest of minds.
Cost of living is what the title suggests - to live is a decision we make. Camus knew this ages ago when he said that the only philosophical question in existence is should one commit suicide. Because our decision to live bears weight on us. The happy parts are easy, the sad parts also, but what about the ones that cannot be classified, the one's that are not written about, the one's that is just holding you accountable to watch time pass by trying to grab onto things. These are the kind of questions that got voice in this book.
For the size of the book, this is a small work. But it makes you think about things most of us have never ever thought about. Martyna Majok fractures reality in a way it has never been before. Now that's pure art.
In short, this book deserves your time and attention.
August 12, 2018
It's not the best play to win a Pulitzer, but it's nice to see a young playwright rewarded for doing all of the right things. Majok's protagonist, Jess, is an important representation of a new American class -- the well-educated working poor -- and I found her struggle and her self-righteousness to be equally compelling. I think the intimacy in both of the bathing scenes could also be powerful live.
June 22, 2019
Upon my initial reading, I wasn’t ready to give this four stars. But after having a thoughtful discussion with some brilliant women, I gave in to four.
The play follows two couples. One couple are a husband and wife going through a separation. The other couple is a young girl caring for a man that hires her on to assistant him with his daily life.
This deals with the intimacy necessary to care for someone with limited mobility and the ability to still hold one another at a distance in spite of that intimacy.
Applaud to Majok’s effort at promoting diversity in casting (it’s in her notes) and for shining a spotlight on class differences.
The play follows two couples. One couple are a husband and wife going through a separation. The other couple is a young girl caring for a man that hires her on to assistant him with his daily life.
This deals with the intimacy necessary to care for someone with limited mobility and the ability to still hold one another at a distance in spite of that intimacy.
Applaud to Majok’s effort at promoting diversity in casting (it’s in her notes) and for shining a spotlight on class differences.
Read
February 26, 2024Been feeling weird about the concept of reviews lately? I love writing them but also sometimes just want to sit with something in an open way for a while without immediately going to a critical place. So that’s what I’ll do with this one. Read for my MFA program!
January 4, 2023
dam n.
August 26, 2022
I enjoyed this Pulitzer Prize winning play, it was thought provoking without being overly dramatic.
4 stars
4 stars
November 18, 2024
Contemporary play about contemporary issues which are not always brought to the forefront of the public eye. Big points for rep in this one.
March 25, 2025
Humans need each other, and it’s okay to need each other. Very very good play. A new favorite probably! I love how all these characters are described in this way: “Self-pity has little currency in these characters’ worlds. Humor, however, has much.”
Love this playwright because there were multiple moments where she was telling you something important has happened or is happening, but she wouldn’t tell you exactly what. She gives you enough of an idea for the director and actors to figure it out.
Love this playwright because there were multiple moments where she was telling you something important has happened or is happening, but she wouldn’t tell you exactly what. She gives you enough of an idea for the director and actors to figure it out.
December 21, 2020
The winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018, and I can see why just reading it. This was an incredibly moving work, and plays with perceptions and assumptions. This is a four-character play, with two storylines that (sort of) come together at the end. Two of the characters have significant and obvious disabilities, but all have incredible struggles, in their past, in their lives and in trying to communicate and connect. Two characters, recently separated, find themselves reconnecting after one has an accident that leaves her a quadriplegic. The other two characters involve a college student facing turmoil taking on the job of caring for a man with cerebral palsy. I admit, I did wonder how a couple of the scenes would be staged because of some difficulties I could see coming up, but since this show has been staged I don't think I'm going out on a limb to assume the challenges were met.
June 18, 2019
a moving and lively work, martyna majok's cost of living was awarded the 2018 pulitzer prize for drama. confronting disability, class, privilege, and the legacy of the past (and, by extension of all of that, also our sociopolitical economic system), majok deftly portrays the hardships and yearnings of four very different people, each forced into difficult and challenging circumstances.
cost of living focuses on the immediacy of its characters and the tolls of their respective hardships. majok doesn't moralize overtly, but instead contends with individual lives, their emotional states, and their desires and (in)abilities to connect with another human being. while the ending feels a little contrived, cost of living is a potent, powerful play.
cost of living focuses on the immediacy of its characters and the tolls of their respective hardships. majok doesn't moralize overtly, but instead contends with individual lives, their emotional states, and their desires and (in)abilities to connect with another human being. while the ending feels a little contrived, cost of living is a potent, powerful play.
August 22, 2021
3.5–love me an opening monologue. Probably the most theatrical and my favorite part of the script. The language in here is a great reminder for myself that dialogue and monologue does not need to be eloquent or ornate to be lyrical.
The play seemed to turn and end very quickly; lacking a little in build and climax for me. Would have especially liked to see more between Jess and John, how they found a rhythm in their relationship, navigated—or failed to navigate, lost their rhythm—internalized classism, ableism, and vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds. Eddie and Ani were great, the rapport and history of their relationship was so present.
The play seemed to turn and end very quickly; lacking a little in build and climax for me. Would have especially liked to see more between Jess and John, how they found a rhythm in their relationship, navigated—or failed to navigate, lost their rhythm—internalized classism, ableism, and vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds. Eddie and Ani were great, the rapport and history of their relationship was so present.
August 14, 2019
Every so often the Pulitzer is awarded to a quiet play such as this. Martyna Majok has wonderful ways of conveying character through her stage direction. She uses questions and metaphor to inspire the actor and director. She doesn't leave a lot to interpretation, but that is okay, because her interpretation is right on the money.
April 25, 2023
2.5 Stars
Yo no sé si las obras de teatro tengan otro criterio de calificación respecto a las novelas, puede que sea el caso. Decidí leer esta obra por ser corta y por haber ganado el premio Pulitzer.
Me gustó el planteamiento de lo que significa el costo de vida, literal. La vida y los problemas cuestan dinero y dependiendo del grado de problemas o dificultades que tengamos ese costo es más o menos elevado. La idea general de la obra la capté PERO la ejecución es la que no me gustó. La mayoría del tiempo no sabemos para dónde va a la historia y dos de los personajes me parecieron exasperantes.
El final es abrupto y poco conclusivo, creo que ese es el deseo de la autora, pero para la extensión de la obra, me parece que merecía algo más contundente.
PD. Es la segunda obra de teatro de leo en el año y creo que no es mi tipo de literatura.
Yo no sé si las obras de teatro tengan otro criterio de calificación respecto a las novelas, puede que sea el caso. Decidí leer esta obra por ser corta y por haber ganado el premio Pulitzer.
Me gustó el planteamiento de lo que significa el costo de vida, literal. La vida y los problemas cuestan dinero y dependiendo del grado de problemas o dificultades que tengamos ese costo es más o menos elevado. La idea general de la obra la capté PERO la ejecución es la que no me gustó. La mayoría del tiempo no sabemos para dónde va a la historia y dos de los personajes me parecieron exasperantes.
El final es abrupto y poco conclusivo, creo que ese es el deseo de la autora, pero para la extensión de la obra, me parece que merecía algo más contundente.
PD. Es la segunda obra de teatro de leo en el año y creo que no es mi tipo de literatura.
February 8, 2024
God this play was devastating. Each character made me build up this stupid hope that they would be okay, that everything would be okay. It’s funny how people’s lives are intertwined. Oh and the scenes! My god they were beautiful. The intimacy that comes from taking care of someone who can’t take care of themselves anymore…heartbreaking and explicit in all the right ways. It’s almost as if I could feel the chill of winter all throughout this play. Wild.
March 30, 2020
It’s great. Devastating character monologues, moments of real vulnerability/tenderness. A play that understands class extremely well. Takes a slight veer for the melodramatic in its epilogue, but the journey with these 4 characters makes it worth it.
November 8, 2021
the complexity of this singular 153 page piece is unbelievable. love and everything that isn’t said and the reality of loss. WOW.
June 13, 2023
This was my MFA residencies book in common. The play is slice of life of two disable people and their struggles. Reading it is not the same as seeing it because the pauses really have to be felt but it is well worth the read.
July 3, 2024
I read a play like that and think, "I'm never gonna write another f*****g word as long as I live."
September 9, 2024
life is too hard right to write about this beautiful thing. but someday, it won’t be, and i will be back.
May 16, 2023
A devastating look at what it costs to live-and not in the monetary sense. Told from four very different perspectives this is a heartbreaking, sometimes funny, hopeful look at what is, or should be important for a life. Stunning!
December 13, 2022
You likely already know: Cost of Living won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. While that doesn’t always translate into a being a great piece of theatre (insert /s here) it absolutely does in this case. It’s a magnificent, haunting play. My preferences when reading scripts are dated to a painful degree. Despite 2 decades of drama being written in broken sentence style, Annie Baker rhythms and // inserted everywhere for (stops speaking, or picks teeth) I still often find the newer accepted/expected dialogue format irritating, still long for full sentences, real stage directions. The 4 characters portrayed in Cost of Living are so beautifully rendered that they can // and break off and … as much as Martyna Majok ascribes to their dialogue and never lose me for a moment.
If all I knew about the play was that 2 of its 4 characters were severely disabled, how quickly would I have dismissed it as slow down, virtue signaling ahead? And how wrong I would have been – I’ve never seen these people on stage; rather than feeling proselytized to, I couldn’t get enough of either John or Ani, both devoid of stereo type, richly layered with quirks, faults and charisma, living lives that do not demand but command the full attention of the audience. For that matter, Eddie and Jess, the 2 able bodied characters, are close to crippled by a daily fight against loneliness so astute that one marvels not only at their consistent ability to be off-the-cuff funny, but at wondering how they get up in the morning. The scene in which Jess believes she’s in for a certain kind of evening with John only to find herself discarded – that’s Jess’s history, one feels, since childhood – is unforgettable. The play is unforgettable. I’m going to stop now before I lose the afternoon to describing moment after moment. I borrowed this script from my friend B and have to give it back this evening… I can’t say I lost it, or dropped it in the bath, can I? OH God, God, the bathtub scene. I’ll have to buy my own copy. You should buy one too.
If all I knew about the play was that 2 of its 4 characters were severely disabled, how quickly would I have dismissed it as slow down, virtue signaling ahead? And how wrong I would have been – I’ve never seen these people on stage; rather than feeling proselytized to, I couldn’t get enough of either John or Ani, both devoid of stereo type, richly layered with quirks, faults and charisma, living lives that do not demand but command the full attention of the audience. For that matter, Eddie and Jess, the 2 able bodied characters, are close to crippled by a daily fight against loneliness so astute that one marvels not only at their consistent ability to be off-the-cuff funny, but at wondering how they get up in the morning. The scene in which Jess believes she’s in for a certain kind of evening with John only to find herself discarded – that’s Jess’s history, one feels, since childhood – is unforgettable. The play is unforgettable. I’m going to stop now before I lose the afternoon to describing moment after moment. I borrowed this script from my friend B and have to give it back this evening… I can’t say I lost it, or dropped it in the bath, can I? OH God, God, the bathtub scene. I’ll have to buy my own copy. You should buy one too.
May 10, 2019
I feel like I
1. Should stop rating everything four stars, or, at least, adjust my scale.
And
2. Stop underestimating the Pulitzer winners.
Also, probably I should read plays in a single sitting if there’s not an intermission. Not that I lost a ton here doing it over two sessions, but there’s an energy, especially in the last few scenes, that relies on reading straight through. Which is indicative of the form, I know. And the way relationships are revealed, built, and examined in such a short space, it’s really tremendous. This ended up resonating with me a good deal. Almost made me tear up, the dialogue so amazingly familiar (for the most part), and the bigger themes themselves. Hard to get over how personal some aspects hit me though, but this play is good and also I feel sad right now.
1. Should stop rating everything four stars, or, at least, adjust my scale.
And
2. Stop underestimating the Pulitzer winners.
Also, probably I should read plays in a single sitting if there’s not an intermission. Not that I lost a ton here doing it over two sessions, but there’s an energy, especially in the last few scenes, that relies on reading straight through. Which is indicative of the form, I know. And the way relationships are revealed, built, and examined in such a short space, it’s really tremendous. This ended up resonating with me a good deal. Almost made me tear up, the dialogue so amazingly familiar (for the most part), and the bigger themes themselves. Hard to get over how personal some aspects hit me though, but this play is good and also I feel sad right now.
November 11, 2024
shoutout to my english teacher for making this a mandatory read bc omg 🫠
i need need need to see this played live. the ending is hurting me inside guys aaaaaaaa
this is such great writing?? like i can see everything in my head, and i can imagine the mannerisms of every character and the pause in every dialogue bc the characters are just SO. WELL. CHARACTERIZED. like within the short scenes you're learning so much about their motives, struggles, aspirations, and their identity.
identity-based conflicts and intersectionality are explored flawlessly, just like loneliness and grief are. any motif or theme you pick up in this book, you just know that Majok will explore it through a multi-faceted lens in the most subtle and emotional way.
---
2nd reading was so rushed but god scene 7 kills me every time
i need need need to see this played live. the ending is hurting me inside guys aaaaaaaa
this is such great writing?? like i can see everything in my head, and i can imagine the mannerisms of every character and the pause in every dialogue bc the characters are just SO. WELL. CHARACTERIZED. like within the short scenes you're learning so much about their motives, struggles, aspirations, and their identity.
identity-based conflicts and intersectionality are explored flawlessly, just like loneliness and grief are. any motif or theme you pick up in this book, you just know that Majok will explore it through a multi-faceted lens in the most subtle and emotional way.
---
2nd reading was so rushed but god scene 7 kills me every time
September 14, 2021
Just as good a second time as the first read. The ending was stronger in my eyes this time around as well.
Initial Review (4/7/2020)
A heartbreaking drama focused on two aides helping two people with disabilities: the twenty-something daughter of a first-generation immigrant and a graduate student with cerebral palsy, and a truck driver and his quadriplegic ex-wife. Although initially apprehensive, both pairs build a tender connection that is ultimately shattered by different circumstances. Despite being slightly let down by the ending, Majok crafts a delicate drama packed with earnest and hesitant voices, accurate representation, and empathy in a world that can be unfair to BIPOC and those with disabilities.
Initial Review (4/7/2020)
A heartbreaking drama focused on two aides helping two people with disabilities: the twenty-something daughter of a first-generation immigrant and a graduate student with cerebral palsy, and a truck driver and his quadriplegic ex-wife. Although initially apprehensive, both pairs build a tender connection that is ultimately shattered by different circumstances. Despite being slightly let down by the ending, Majok crafts a delicate drama packed with earnest and hesitant voices, accurate representation, and empathy in a world that can be unfair to BIPOC and those with disabilities.
September 12, 2018
A wonderful thought provoking play of four characters with two being wheel chair bound. They are paired into couples each with a caretaker. This gives a great look into interpersonal relationships and there evolution over time. One is a husband and his ex wife and another is a man and a woman hired to take care of him. I would love to see this play staged but there might be some problems as there are bathing scenes in both stories. Richly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it obtained.
April 7, 2024
A beautiful story told in this episodic, poetic way. In order to stage, the actors playing paralysis and cerebral palsy have their work cut out for them. They need to be as authentic as possible. Ditto the actors playing immigrants. The language has to come naturally.
But, if you stick the landing, you’ll have the opportunity to leave your audience with an emotionally transportive experience.
But, if you stick the landing, you’ll have the opportunity to leave your audience with an emotionally transportive experience.
September 16, 2020
Read this for my playwriting class.
It was a very quick read as a lot of the play is physical action. However, I felt like this play was more focused on the characters who weren’t physically disabled... which was very weird to me.
It was a very quick read as a lot of the play is physical action. However, I felt like this play was more focused on the characters who weren’t physically disabled... which was very weird to me.
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