Book Reviews Archive
Soothing Existential Dread in Beautiful World, Where Are You
Sally Rooney’s talent lies in her ability to capture millennial existentialism and dread while almost simultaneously soothing it—the experience of finding one’s own anxieties articulated so precisely on the page feels like a balm.
Finding Oneself in Three Rooms
Jo Hamya’s debut novel is an invitation to reflect not only on where we house our bodies, but also our attention.
Seeking Meaning and Survival in Something Wonderful
Jo Lloyd’s story collection ripples with intelligence and heart . . . she writes brilliantly about both the past and present, locating humanity’s most elemental anxieties in misbegotten characters who want, above all else, to find a way to keep living.
Finding Home in Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint’s Names for Light
Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint’s new memoir is a poetic love letter to the people who make us who we are, and a reminder of the difficulty some face to find one’s way home.
The Illusion of Progress in American Estrangement by Saïd Sayrafiezadeh
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh’s new story collection offers a reality uncanny to ours today.
Matthew Specktor’s Tender Ode to Failure in Always Crashing in the Same Car
Matthew Specktor’s memoir is an intimate investigation of one man’s imperfect life.
Self-Editing in Hermione Hoby’s Virtue
Hermione Hoby’s new novel beautifully explores the temptation to define yourself by other people’s expectations, and the risks of losing yourself in relationships where you don’t belong.
Intergenerational Love and Oppression in Sunjeev Sahota’s China Room
Sunjeev Sahota’s new novel creates a dance between power and powerlessness, showing how one generation seeks to repair the deep wounds and injustices inflicted on preceding generations.
Visualizing Loneliness in Kristen Radtke’s Seek You
Using the strengths of the graphic medium, Kristen Radtke conveys how loneliness feels by portraying what it looks like.
Cruel Compassion in Zülfü Livaneli’s Disquiet
The characters in Zülfü Livaneli’s Disquiet cross borders, enter lives, and make real distant traumas for those whose only knowledge of the Syrian Civil War is from headlines.