The Strange Case of Rachel K

February 9, 2015
Kushner (The Flamethrowers) imagines Cuban history in this small collection of strong prose. In âThe Great Exception," a Portuguese admiral reminiscent of Christopher Columbus in 1492 discovers Cuba. Hundreds of years later, a woman named Aloha moves from Colorado to Havana where she discovers a new life with Ferdinand K, a Frenchman who sells fake war footage of naval battles between American and Spanish fleets. In âDebouchment," a conversation among patrons at a nightclub, and an illegal radio broadcast by a man known as âthe faith healer" delve into violent political conflicts that shaped Cuba in the 20th century. And, in the title story, Christian de la Mazière, the fictionalized French Nazi from Kushner's novel, Telex from Cuba, shares an intimate talk with cabaret dancer Rachel K about her origins and her relationships with both President Carlos Prío Socarrás and the dictator Fulgencio Batista. These narratives are bridged by characters, place, and resurfacing imagery. Kushner's writing is fluid and clear and possesses a rhythm as determined as an ocean current. She navigates the limits of language, seeking new or uncommon words like âbatiking" and âflumed" to fit the descriptions of the world she maps. In this slim book, readers will encounter three stories of terrific depth.

December 15, 2014
Three offbeat tales that border on the surreal yet are curiously (and paradoxically) anchored in a version of historical reality.In the first story, "The Great Exception," an unnamed admiral tells a queen he believes the Earth is pear-shaped rather than round and requests money to allow him to fulfill his vision of exploration. This she grants him, though his voyage concludes with the natives of "Kuba" cooking and eating him. (First, however, they sever his toes so he can't "tromp inland and subjugate the island.") While awaiting word of the disposition of the admiral's voyage, the queen pines for him with an intensity bordering on the sexual. In "Debouchment," despite a woman's disclaimer that life on an island (also reminiscent of Cuba) is not especially violent, a faith healer provides hope to the people in his illegal radio broadcasts-all this in a landscape where there are "humans hanging in the trees beyond the security fence." The final story is the most complex and subtle, and it gives the collection its title. The action unfolds explicitly in Havana in 1952 against a backdrop of Batista's rise to power; it focuses on the mysterious Rachel K, a "zazou" dancer from Paris who entertains (in all senses) her male audience and particularly gets the attention of Christian de la Maziere, a French Nazi now living on the island after having been sentenced to five years in a rather cushy prison. A short, quirky and sometimes-compelling book from the author of The Flamethrowers (2013).

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