In an interview, the avant-garde artist known as X says, "I do not always believe it is morally wrong to act in a cruel manner, so long as you accept the burden of accurately calculating whether the object of one's cruelty could stand to benefit from pain more than from pleasure." The statement seems to encapsulate the modus operandi of this subject of the fictional "biography" written by her fictional widow, CM Lucca.
Lacey is the author of four previous books that often explore identity, such as the wonderful Pew, about a person of no specific race or gender who appears in a small religious community.
This story is from the September 09-15 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the September 09-15 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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