The Strange Case of Rachel K

Three early stories about myth, power, and sex by the acclaimed author of *The Flamethrowers*.

An explorer’s unknown whereabouts keep a queen in anticipation; 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 turn a trick—the three short fictions gathered in *The Strange Case of Rachel K* build into a vision that is black-humored, brutal, and beautiful. Written prior to the publication of Kushner’s acclaimed debut novel *Telex From Cuba*, these stories, like Roberto Bolaño’s *Antwerp*, burst forth with the genesis of her fictional universe. From the mythical “Great Exception,” to the ominous “Debouchment”—originally published in her too-short-lived journal Soft Targets—to the sexy and noirish title story, Kushner saddles up for a journey into the wilds of modern fiction.