Jennifer Egan’s 2012 short story about a woman on a secret mission, posing as a brainless beauty, adrift in hostile waters.

Take pleasure in the surprise on people’s faces when you say, “My name is Mackenzie Altman.” When they ask, explain that yes, your mother adopted you from China; no, you don’t know your birth...

Wait until your brother, your sisters, and your mother leave the apartment. You've already told them that you were feeling too sick to go to Union City…