Book Reviews Archive
Defining Care in Win Me Something
In Kyle Lucia Wu’s debut novel, care looks like many things . . . it’s in this subtle lesson that Wu’s quiet, understated prose builds to a deeply moving coming-of-age novel.
Death, Rebirth, and Selfhood in Dreaming of You
In Melissa Lozada-Oliva’s debut novel, a Latina poet brings Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla back to life through a séance . . . the book brilliantly challenges the limits of one’s selfhood and reveals what’s lost when it’s contorted to fit the beholder’s gaze.
Inheriting Trauma in How to Not Be Afraid of Everything
Jane Wong’s new poetry collection suggests that historical trauma does not evaporate between generations—its traces leak into the bones of the children, and even of the grandchildren . . . A triumph of formal ingenuity.
The Wilderness of Language in Atsuro Riley’s Heard-Hoard
In the collection, language, like nature, is elemental—a way of speaking and being in the world . . . Riley’s inventiveness is an invitation to notice language’s connection to the natural world.
Unending American Horror in The Trees
Percival Everett’s new novel explores our nationwide web of racist violence, and makes us realize there will never be enough deliberation on these horrors.
Sandra Lim’s Rigorous Thinking in The Curious Thing
Sandra Lim is a poet whose straightforward yet daring intelligence demands a reader keep up. The poems in her third book evoke a mind constantly examining itself and the world it occupies.
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.