The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner Summary

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner follows a young woman known only as Reno who navigates the 1970s New York art scene and Italian political upheaval. Set across Nevada's Bonneville Salt Flats, Manhattan's downtown galleries, and revolutionary Italy, the novel interweaves Reno's story with that of Valera, an Italian motorcycle tycoon whose family empire becomes entangled with terrorism and labor movements. The book explores themes of speed, art, class conflict, and gender dynamics through Reno's relationship with Sandro Valera.

Rachel Kushner is an acclaimed American novelist born in 1968 in Eugene, Oregon, known for her ambitious, historically-grounded fiction. She studied political economy at UC Berkeley and earned her MFA from Columbia University in 2000, studying under Jonathan Franzen. Kushner has been a National Book Award finalist three times—for Telex from Cuba (2008), The Flamethrowers (2013), and Creation Lake (2024). Her work combines meticulous research with vivid prose, often exploring political movements and marginalized perspectives.

The Flamethrowers is worth reading for those seeking literary fiction that combines historical depth with propulsive storytelling. The novel was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award and named a top book by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time, and numerous other publications. James Wood praised it in The New Yorker as "scintillatingly alive," highlighting Kushner's ability to weave multiple narratives together. However, readers preferring straightforward plots may find its dual timeline and art world focus challenging.

The Flamethrowers appeals to readers interested in literary fiction, 1970s counterculture, art history, and political movements. It's ideal for those who appreciate ambitious narratives that blend historical events with character-driven stories, particularly readers fascinated by Italian radical politics, the New York art scene, or motorcycle culture. Fans of Don DeLillo, Rachel Kushner's mentor, and readers who enjoyed her other works like The Mars Room will find similar thematic depth and stylistic precision.

Motorcycles and speed serve as central metaphors for ambition, masculinity, and breaking boundaries in The Flamethrowers. Reno attempts a time trial at the Bonneville Salt Flats to photograph tire tracks as art, connecting her artistic vision to velocity. Valera's obsession with creating the world's fastest motorcycle parallels Reno's desire to make her mark. The novel explores how both characters seek transcendence through speed, though Valera achieves wealth and power while Reno remains an outsider struggling for recognition.

The Red Brigade subplot connects personal relationships to political violence in 1970s Italy. Gianni, the Valera family's groundskeeper, is revealed as a leading Red Brigade member fighting against inequitable family businesses like the Valeras. Reno participates in a labor rights march that becomes a riot, and the novel culminates with Roberto Valera's kidnapping and murder by the Red Brigade. This storyline examines class warfare, revolutionary violence, and how personal lives intersect with historical upheaval in Kushner's narrative.

The Flamethrowers depicts the 1970s New York art scene as increasingly commodified, competitive, and dominated by male power dynamics. Reno discovers that despite her talent and ambition, she's expected to play supporting roles to male artists—competing for attention and relationships rather than recognition. Kushner captures the moment when money and gallery politics began dictating artistic success, showing how Reno's naiveté and gender become "strikes against her" in this vicious environment. The novel critiques how women artists were marginalized despite the era's countercultural pretensions.

The protagonist's nickname "Reno," taken from her Nevada hometown, symbolizes her permanent outsider status throughout The Flamethrowers. Being known only by a place name rather than her real identity suggests she never fully belongs in New York's art world or Italian aristocratic circles. This naming choice emphasizes themes of displacement, anonymity, and how geographic origins can limit social mobility. Reno's inability to transcend her origins mirrors broader critiques of class barriers in both American art culture and Italian industrial dynasties.

Valera's historical narrative parallels and contrasts with Reno's contemporary struggles in The Flamethrowers. Both characters share an obsession with speed and ambition, but Valera transforms his passion into a motorcycle empire through wartime profiteering and exploiting Brazilian workers. His wealth, built on violence and exploitation during WWI and WWII, becomes the foundation for Sandro's privilege—the same privilege that allows him to dabble in art while Reno struggles. Kushner links their stories to show how historical injustices shape contemporary power dynamics.

Critics note that despite The Flamethrowers' ambitious scope and brilliant prose, many plotlines fail to deliver satisfying resolutions. Reno's artistic projects repeatedly "fizzle"—her salt flats photographs never materialize, she crashes her motorcycle, and she loses footage from the Italian protests when her camera breaks. The novel's ending leaves Reno uncertain whether Gianni will appear and stranded without clear direction. Some readers find this pattern of disappointment frustrating, though others argue it authentically captures how women's ambitions were systematically thwarted in male-dominated spaces.

The Flamethrowers shares Rachel Kushner's signature blend of historical research and character psychology found in Telex from Cuba and The Mars Room. Like Telex from Cuba, it examines how personal lives intersect with political upheaval, though it focuses on 1970s radicalism rather than Cuban revolution. The Mars Room similarly explores female marginalization, but through the criminal justice system rather than art world sexism. Susan Golomb, Kushner's agent, notes each novel represents "leaps and bounds" beyond the previous one in complexity and scope.

The Flamethrowers remains relevant for its examination of how power, wealth, and gender shape creative opportunities—issues still central to contemporary art and culture. Kushner's critique of the 1970s art world's commodification mirrors today's discussions about NFTs, celebrity artists, and market-driven creativity. The novel's exploration of political radicalism and class warfare resonates with current movements addressing economic inequality. Additionally, Kushner's portrayal of a woman struggling to be taken seriously in male-dominated spaces speaks directly to ongoing conversations about gender equity in creative industries and beyond.