Book Reviews Archive
Time, Sin, and Wonder in Elisa Gabbert’s Normal Distance
In Elisa Gabbert’s new poetry collection, the opening and turning outward to the largest questions we can ask—time, the afterlife—remind us of all we do not know. In our shared ignorance, Gabbert stokes a sense of wonder.
Myths and Mundanity in Jill Bialosky’s The Deceptions
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Jill Bialosky's novel is its captivating depiction of mundane reality.
The Suburban Microcosms of The Hundred Waters
Lauren Acampora’s novel is a fast read that moves ever faster the deeper Louisa and Sylvie head down their suburban rabbit hole.
Sensory Experiences in Nina Mingya Powles’s Magnolia木蘭
Nina Mingya Powles’s newest collection is a sensory feast. Inviting readers into the spaces between language and culture, between country of birth and countries of origin, Powles paints the landscapes and histories that have shaped her.
Midwood’s Elevated Vantages
There’s a special delight in Jana Prikryl’s concentration about what is outside her window, the changes from season to season, the repetitions, and what is rooted and roots us, if we allow it to do so. It’s both a poetic act, and a necessary one, especially in our fragmented
Young Love and Frenzied Obsession in Andrea Abreu’s Dogs of Summer
In her debut novel, translated by Julia Sanches, Andrea Abreu writes a rapturous story about obsessive friendship, in the process providing an authentically complex portrayal of the desire of girls.
Sex and Satire in Wang Xiaobo’s Golden Age
By using the language of the state to highlight the absurdity of their laws, Xiaobo made a satire that is both amusing and effective.
Temporality and Memory in The Man Who Could Move Clouds
Rojas Contreras’s memoir intertwines family relationships and legacies, political conflicts and oppressions, and the expansive realm of healing, identity, and magic into a magnificent, mesmerizing memoir.
A Place to Call Home in Dele Weds Destiny
Dele and Destiny are secondary characters in their own wedding story, and this is the beauty of the novel. The actual wedding is never about the couple. It’s about families coming together, about how love breaks us down, exposes the truth, and leads us to find ourselves.
Art and Autonomy in June Gervais’ Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair
June Gervais’s debut novel is a revealing portrait of making your way professionally and personally into adulthood. Gina realizes that her identity is untethered to an outside force such as her dream vocation—a truth some of us take a whole life to find out.