The Rabbit Hutch

by Tess Gunty

To have a nationality, a lover, a family, a coworker, a neighbor—the mother understands these to be fundamentally absurd connections, as they are accidents, and yet they are the tyrants of every life.

The streets you walk, the food you eat, the job you work, the method of transportation you choose, the beauty products you purchase, the shows you watch, the links you click, the way you sit on a train, the way you speak to waiters, the way you take your coffee—everything affects everyone. Find a way to believe this, even when sober.

Cheated on me with some startup douche. Maybe that’s redundant. Startup douche.”

“I just…I want a life that’s a little more lifelike,” Blandine says. “Don’t you?”