'The Opposite of Fate' Embraces Life, However Inopportune
In The Opposite of Fate, Alison McGhee humanizes the abortion issue in a way that is unexpected and heartening.
16 Jan 2020
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A Life of False Positives: Jac Jemc's 'False Bingo'
The stories in Jac Jemc's False Bingo are wound tight, propelling the reader to ambiguous and nerve-wracking ends.
15 Jan 2020
They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears
In They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears, Johannes Anyuru puts readers in a state of mind similar to that of his confused characters while offering an engaging challenge.
08 Jan 2020
A Bookish Teenager Finds Herself in Laura Taylor Namey’s 'Library of Lost Things'
In Laura Taylor Namey's Library of Lost Things, teens find security and significance in themselves as works in progress.
11 Dec 2019
Jami Attenberg Explores Patriarchal Fallout in 'All This Could Be Yours'
Through a familial lens, Jami Attenberg offers a thoughtful and often darkly funny exploration of Trumpian patriarchy in All This Could Be Yours.
09 Dec 2019
Nell Zink Points and Jeers in 'Doxology'
It's deflating to find Nell Zink, a master of witty dialogue and pithy description, making so much space in Doxology for her inner cranky white liberal.
04 Nov 2019
On André Aciman's Psychodrama of Flirting with New Beaus While Brooding over Old Flames, 'Find Me'
André Aciman's long-awaited sequel to Call Me By Your Name, Find Me, isn't so much an extension of the previous book's queries about romance and sexuality as it is a work of convenient revisionism.
01 Nov 2019
Debut Novel 'Older Brother' Straddles France, Syria, and Sibling Suspicions
In Mahir Guven's debut novel, Older Brother, a young Frenchman's return to his country from war-torn Syria derails his older brother's life.
22 Oct 2019
Graphic Novella 'Stunt' Seeks Escape from Perpetual Entrapment
Like the title letters, the physical format of Michael DeForge's Stunt creates a kind of cage holding the main character inside rigid panels.
09 Sep 2019
On Helen McClory's Parasocial Love for Jeff Goldblum in 'The Goldblum Variations'
Metatexually dazzling yet absurdly soothing, Helen McClory's The Goldblum Variations will put a dent in your bad vibes.
06 Sep 2019
Cecelia Ahern's 'Roar' Reinforces the Normativity It Attempts to Subvert
Roar's strength is found in its depiction of empowered women, yet Ahern mistakenly centralizes a normative vision of feminism while reiterating the patriarchal control that silences her female characters' voices.
06 Sep 2019
Where He Goes, His Barrio Goes: An Interview with Author Gabino Iglesias
There's a lot to be angry about, these days, and Gabino Iglesias writes a lot about rage.
05 Sep 2019
'Famous People' Splashes in the Puddle of a Shallow Pop Star
When our protagonist is calm and reflective in Justin Kuritzkes' Famous People, there's a sense of potential intelligence beneath the shiny surface.
19 Aug 2019
McGinley's Darkly Comic 'Foggage' Explores Incest in Rural Ireland
As seen in Foggage, Patrick McGinley's fiction reveals a writer whose worth lies in his ability to balance perverse humour and human pathos on the cutting blade of his perfectly turned phrases.
16 Aug 2019
Short Stories: Siblings
Whatever the plot lines of a work of fiction, if it features siblings as important characters, various rich themes are mined. This issue of Short Stories brings forth the sibling-inspired works of Martha Bátiz, K Anis Ahmed, Jenny Zhang, Lidudumalingani, and Kseniya Melnik.
29 Jul 2019
All but One Speak up in Julia Alvarez's ¡Yo!
In a new edition to the sequel to How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, ¡Yo!, Julia Alvarez structures the story of a writer and her voice by allowing everybody but the writer herself to have a voice.
16 Jul 2019
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