Rachel Pastan is the author of three previous novels, most recently Alena, which was named an Editors’ Choice in The New York Times Book Review. The daughter of a molecular genetic...view moreRachel Pastan is the author of three previous novels, most recently Alena, which was named an Editors’ Choice in The New York Times Book Review. The daughter of a molecular geneticist and a poet, she has worked as editor at large at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, and taught fiction writing at the Bennington Writing Seminars, Swarthmore College, and elsewhere.view less