The Grey Wig: Stories and Novelettes

"The Grey Wig: Stories and Novelettes" by Israel Zangwill is a gathering of tales from a bygone era that uses the lives of two older women to examine growing old, where one has a noble past. Set in a Parisian hotel, it depicts Madame Valière and Madame Dépine, who are connected through their brown wigs and their complicated feelings towards one another; marked by jealousy and a longing for social acceptance, their connection develops when Madame la Propriétaire appears wearing a grey wig, epitomizing an ideal they both want. Through the day-to-day lives of its characters, the book considers how people form their identities and how society shapes their expectations.