"Three of a Kind" and "The Pearlkillers" by Rachel Ingalls

I love Rachel Ingalls so, so much—I read MRS. CALIBAN in a swirl of fascinated delight, proceeded to gobble down the delectable BINSTEAD’S SAFARI, then found these titles (sadly out of print, I think) online at The Second Shelf. These are two collections of shortish stories, and there is something in Ingalls’ ruthless, wry, laconically gonzo tales that reminds me a little of Paul Bowles; Ingalls is funnier by far, but there is a similarly bracing bite of cruelty. Strange and terrible things happen—there’s lots of death and the occasional miracle—and fantastic hairpin swerves that bend the story into a very different shape than you might expect, all prickled with needle-sharp insights into women’s lives. Each one could be the basis for a hit movie for A24.