Insightful, and often wickedly funny, Marina Rubin's Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions is an award-nominated collection of stories - - of desire, damage, and human meandering.
The profound, "Man in a Fedora," examines the depths and reality of friendship; In "Smorgas," a woman's relentless quest to have it all hurls her into a passionate and intricate relationship with two men who happen to be best friends; "Who to Call in Case of Emergency" is a unique take on the #MeToo movement, and "You Can Live with This Nose" is a conversation about plastic surgery overheard at an LGBTQ synagogue. Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions is filled with drama, irony, humor, and unforgettable characters.
Affairs, addictions, loss, and loneliness come alive on these pages, as well as hope, redemption, and the search for beauty.
About the Author: Marina Rubin was born in the small town of Vinnitsa, Ukraine, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1989. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Flash fiction collection Stealing Cherries, an associate editor of Mudfish, Tribeca's literary and art magazine, and a 2013 recipient of COJECO Blueprint Fellowship. Her work has appeared in over eighty magazines and anthologies.
One of centerpiece stories of this collection, "Man in a Fedora," was recorded as an-hour long podcast, reminiscent of classic radio productions, that involved eleven voice actors of the Nightshift Radio Storyteller Series. The present collection has received an Honorable Mention for the 2020 Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fellowship.
In addition to writing, Marina is an avid mountaineer, having summited Kilimanjaro, made it to Everest Base Camp, and completed Tour du Mont Blanc and Camino de Santiago. She lives in Brooklyn.
