Nine Perfect Strangers

Masha places a cushion under Yao’s unconscious head. She’s increasingly frustrated with her guests’ refusal to follow her plan. The radical new treatment they’re experiencing was intended to propel Masha into “public recognition” and success. As she thinks about the ungrateful guests, she unlocks a draw in her desk. Inside is a bag of chips and a jar of salsa. Filled with self-loathing, she thinks about her transformation from an overweight, overworked business leader into a health guru. She eats one chip at a time, thinking about her ex-husband and their baby. She remembers her struggles to integrate into Australian culture, while her ex-husband integrated quickly and confidently. One morning, while she worked, her baby accidently strangled himself with the cord of a window blind. The death drove an irreparable wedge between Masha and her husband; they divorced, and he married an Australian woman. She still hopes that he’s well but refuses to read his emails. Masha finishes the chips and checks the camera in the guests’ locked room. They seem too relaxed. Masha, who has given herself a micro-dose of LSD to “improve her decision making and mental clarity” (250), hallucinates her father and baby. She forces herself to recognize what’s real and what isn’t.