“Uh-oh, Woody, Manhattan may be in peril. Pre-Internet, pre-Kardashian, pre ARod
New York is the setting for Susan I. Weinstein’s sneaky funny, ever-seductive,
refreshingly unconventional novel, The Anarchist’s Girlfriend. It’s quite a headspinning
read. And no wonder, for Weinstein is a boldly creative, highly visual
writer whose narrative moves with distinctive rhythms; she has a laser eye for
hypocrisy and detail, and hits you fast with lots of stuff. Best of all, her imagined
parallel universe here is occupied by a Rolodex of indelibly unique characters—
starting with AG herself—unlikely to be found elsewhere. Well, at least not on this
planet; UFOs come to mind. A truly original work.”
HOWARD ROSENBERG, FORMER LA TIMES TV CRITIC
The Anarchist's Girlfriend NEW EDITION
The
Anarchist’s Girlfriend, a novel by Susan Weinstein; Pelekinesis Publishing
Group
Known only as the AG, the anarchist’s girlfriend is
a fey beauty with ESP, and an unlikely Go-Go Dancer in an out-of-the-way
Brooklyn bar. The Anarchist, an Irishman who wants to fix the Irish troubles
through organic food, having founded Food for Vendettas, plasters his subversive
silkscreened posters all over the streets of 1980’s New York City. There is a
sense of déjà vu as Sandy, the meanie of the story, sets in motion a terrorist
act that will cause the country to believe in its eventual downfall, using dust
as the weapon. “There will be a sigh that a catastrophe has finally occurred.
Yet it’s limited in extent and duration.” The key to the anarchistic meme is
effect, not result. It’s all eerily suggestive of 9/11. A deaf mute, Wayne, a
con artist-like Llama, founder of the Denotational Church, and the Anarchist’s
Girlfriend shape the plot in this past tense futuristic novel that taps into
the absurd with sure-handed writing and a voice that does not judge but carries
on quietly through downtown New York before it became real estate fodder, when
artists and anarchists could still afford to roam the streets, with time to
listen, to dream and to plot grandly, if naively. Susan Weinstein’s
freewheeling prose, wry humor and inspired, madcap observations have created a
romp of a good book.
Janyce Stefan-Cole, author of The Detective's Garden
“Having lived in the East Village in the ’80s, I can say from experience that The
Anarchist’s Girlfriend captures the spirit of the time, real and surreal. Like Balzac
and Zola, it’s the novel as social history, and like Don DeLillo, it captures that
weird parallel universe version of a place that’s frighteningly close to home. Fans
of DeLillo in particular should be attracted to this work.”
PETER CHERCHES, AUTHOR OF LIFT YOUR RIGHT ARM
“What a puzzle box of a novel. The writing is very fine-textured and funny, but
mostly beautiful. New York under siege. I guess in a way New York is under siege
every day. I loved the character of the AG and didn’t expect to. After all, there’s
that annoying trend in novels where the title is always someone’s wife or
daughter. The Pilot’s Wife, the Bonesetter’s Daughter, the Pony’s Aunt. But the AG
is like Fitzdare in The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, a beautiful book by JP
Donleavy. New York is the only city where such a story could take place.”
SALLY ECKHOFF, AUTHOR OF F*CK ART (LET’S DANCE)
“A careening and suspenseful trip through not only pre-9/11, pre-cell phone
Manhattan but into the souls of unforgettable characters...and further, into the
world of ideas. Daring to delve into philosophy, metaphysics, politics, psychology,
and even art, the author makes you think, feel, and ponder. Yet she’s never, ever
didactic, it’s all part of the compelling story: a plot to create a horrendous event,
and the love inspired by the title character—the luminous, lovely, and clairvoyant
anarchist’s girlfriend. In a way, this is also a coming of age story as even mature
characters such as the Irishman anarchist; the Llama, a heavy in a church that
will remind you of Scientology; and a deaf-mute writer make new choices for their
lives. Don’t be put off by the long cast of characters in the very beginning, or you’ll
miss the sights and smells of gritty old New York, the wonderful outfits the
anarchist’s girlfriend designs, and her apartment mate Sandy’s bizarre collage.
The writing is modern and hip; the surprises keep coming. The Anarchist’s
Girlfriend is a unique treat.”
ANN SCHWARTZ, FORMER COPY CHIEF AT GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING
Susan I. Weinstein is a writer, playwright, and painter. She is the author of 3 books, THE ANARCHIST'S GIRLFRIEND, PARADISE GARDENS and TALES OF THE MER FAMILY ONYX (Pelekinesis Publishing). Susan’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in literary magazines, including The Metric and The Portable Lower East Side - a literary magazine in NYU’s collection of the lower east side art and literary movement.
Her plays include the Dec 2019 performances of ETHER: The Strange Afterlife of Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at I.R.T. theater. Her play THE WAPSHOT WHATEVER: The Secret Lives of Computer Programs was at Dixon Place Mainstage in 2018. Her play Something About That Face was produced at NY’s Harold Clurman Theater. Susan lives in NYC.
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