Bugsy and Other Stories

Each of the five stories in this intriguing collection from Frumkin (The Comedown) revolves around people facing medical crises. The standout title story features a 20-year-old woman nicknamed Bugsy because she “looks like a gritty gangster lesbian.” After dropping out of college, she works on a BDSM porn film, where she begins a tortured relationship with a performer that leads to self-harm. “On the Inside” takes the point of view of a child with autism, conveying his misbehavior and tics after his parents fire his doctor. Two other entries involve doctors and care. In “Fugato,” a psychiatrist is unnerved by the “throaty growl” he starts hearing in his head and he becomes self-destructive. The protagonist of “The Last Show,” having suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage, imagines herself as a guest on a talk show as her children consider a do not resuscitate order. Rounding out the collection is “Like and Subscribe,” in which Garrett Stillwater meets his crush, Dina Valentine, “the hottest girl on the internet” and hopes to woo her with an expensive pair of earrings. Frumkin excels at getting into the distinct and sometimes dissociated mindset of his characters. It’s an impressive depiction of life on the margins. Agent: Barbara Jones, Stuart Krichevsky Literary. (Feb.)