fwriction

I had the pleasure of seeing Benjamin Percy read at McNally Jackson a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve been anxious to share some of his writing on fwriction. His new novel, The Wilding, is making the literary rounds, wowing and delighting readers. (I cannot help but hear Percy’s voice when I read his work.)

Today’s story of the day comes from Esquire, where Percy is a contributor. Enjoy this piece, and if you’re hungry for more Benjamin Percy stories, check out his collection, Refresh, Refresh.

You usually get Möbius from your father if your father was a drug addict or otherwise damaged. But my father didn’t do drugs. He instead surrounded himself with pesticides and fertilizers, which the doctor guessed rooted in his sperm and flowered in my brain. It’s kind of scary, the way one thing leads to another. The way an invisible poison can creep its way inside you and branch out from there without you even knowing about it.

Möbius effects the cranial nerves, resulting in a masklike, expressionless face.

When I was a kid, people called me Dead Face.