Author(s): Cookie Mueller; Olivia Laing (introduction)

Literary Fiction | Memoir & Biography | Liam's Favourites

A new edition of the cult classic, with over two dozen additional stories, from the godmother of autofiction.  Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black is the only story collectiion from the legendary writer, actress, ex-biker and columnist Cookie Mueller.

Mueller chronicles her high-risk, high-reward life in glorious technicolour, from becoming a part of John Waters' legendary acting troupe to becoming a mother, from describing the hedonism of 1980s New York to critiquing the government's dire response to the AIDS epidemic.  Cookie's voice is fresh,wise, freewheeling and unafraid of darkness.  Like a lysergic Nora Ephron, she is the candid flipside to the idealistic hippie dream.  Whether good, bad or ugly, her stories are fiercely entertaining and reliably honest.

Featuring a new introduction by Olivia Laing, this edition collects Mueller's stories, columns and writings, and presents a testament to a life lived courageously and well.

'A how-to manual for a life ricocheting joyously off the rails . . . a live corrective to conformity, conservatism and cruelty' - OLIVIA LAING