55 pages 1 hour read

Atticus Lish

Preparation For The Next Life

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014

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Part 3, Chapters 42-50Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3, Chapter 42 Summary

Jimmy goes to a Chinese business that uses massages as a front for sex work. Jimmy requests a “massage” from a woman he says reminds him of someone, and he follows her upstairs to her room. As she gets towels, he undresses himself, and when she returns, he begins to violently attack her. He rapes her several times and uses violence to keep her from struggling against him. Once he is finished, he informs the sex worker—who readers find out is named Vickie—that he is HIV positive. He steals her belongings, including the money that he used to initially proposition her, and leaves quickly. As he looks back, he sees police officers surrounding a commotion on the street, which is likely the result of his attack.

The next day, Jimmy sees a group of Buddhist human rights protestors with photos of women who are the victims of interracial violence. Jimmy recognizes one of the photos as the woman whom he’d raped and beaten the day prior, learning that she died because of the attack, and he loudly exclaims that it is likely that she was assaulted by a Chinese crime lord. He comments that this violence is why Chinese immigrants should not be allowed in the United States.