Name: The Strange Case of Rachel K
ISBN: 9780811224215

Rachel Kushner

A collection of three stories describes the origins of the universe featured in the author's previous novel, Telex From Cuba and includes tales of the illegal broadcasts of a faith healer and a president who offers ice cream to a prostitute.

The Strange Case of Rachel K

Three early stories of myth, regime, and harlotry by the acclaimed author of The Flamethrowers. An explorer’s whereabouts keeps a queen in waiting; a faith healer’s illegal radio broadcasts give hope to an oppressed people; a president’s offer of ice cream surprises a prostitute expecting to cooperate fully — the three short fictions gathered in The Great Exception build into a vision of Cuba that is black-humored, brutal, and beautiful. Written prior to the publication of Rachel Kushner’s first acclaimed novel Telex From Cuba, these stories, like Roberto Bolano’s Antwerp, burst forth with the genesis of her fictional universe as though fired from a cannon. From the mythical title story, to the ominous “Debouchment” — originally published in her too short-lived journal Soft Targets — to the sexy and noirish “Strange Case of Rachel K,” this is Kushner saddling up for a journey into the wilds of the modern novel.

Really good starting point to look at how Kushner got to Creation Lake, what I like to call the start of Hot Girl Literature. Rachel K was the best of the three obvi, it was the one that was nearest to her heart and it shows. Kushner is great at exploring the heads of who she writes, going into their nooks and crannies and giving us a fun view at some fucked up people. This collection also made me think that Telex is a thing and not a name? Guess I have to read the book.

The Strange Case of Rachel K

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