In an interview between the author and Lincoln Michel, they discuss a bit of writing advice that Tulathimutte gave to Michel: “Pick your dumbest idea and write it as seriously as possible.” ‘Ahegao’ seems like an extreme example of that, and the result is almost overwhelming.
This story was almost too much for me. It’s so explicit, so boundary-pushing that I nearly tapped out. But the payoff at the end is unforgettable and makes the discomfort of the preceding pages worthwhile. I still get squirmy thinking about this story, but I’ll never forget it.
First published in The Paris Review, Winter 2023, and available to subscribers to read here. Collected in Rejection, William Morrow, 2024
A Personal Anthology 