The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner

The Flame Throwers

Rachel Kushner

Motorbike enthusiast and aspiring artist Reno immerses herself fully in the 1970s' bohemian art scene. Captivated and influenced by her boyfriend, Sandro Valero, Reno is thrust into a world of class conflict and conceit. My affection for this young woman grew as she finds her own strength whilst exposing the weaknesses of those all around her.

Extract
It was just one night of drinking and chance. I'd known it the moment I met him, which was surely why I was enchanted in the first place. Enchantment means to want something and also to know, somewhere inside yourself, not an obvious place, that you aren't going to get it.
Parallels
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell