Rachel Kushner: The Flamethrowers

I’d been listening to men talk since I arrived in New York City. That’s what men like to do. Talk. Profess like experts. When one finally came along who didn’t say much, I listened.


The desire for love is universal but that has never meant it’s worthy of respect. It’s not admirable to want love, it just is.


Later, Giddle's response when I told her I was in love: "Oh God, I'm so sorry. Love is awful. It ruins every normal thing, everything but itself. It makes you crazy and for nothing, because it's so disappointing. But good luck with that.


“And here I arrive at my point. The point is that everyone has a different dream. The point is that it is a grave mistake to assume your dream is in any way shared, that it’s a common dream. Not only is it not shared, not common, there is no reason to assume that other people don’t find you and your dream utterly revolting.”


A funny thing about women and machines: the combination made men curious. They seemed to think it had something to do with them.


“The VW doesn’t make you think of Hitler and genocide. It’s a breast on wheels, a puffy little dream.”