A firm grounding in Iranian history, along with the insight and empathy Ellis brings to the pain of those whose love is decreed to be immoral and unnatural, make this a smart, heartbreaking pairing with Sara Farizan’s recent If You Could Be Mine.
This is an unashamedly readable novel, one that goes out of its way to please; indeed it feels occasionally like Hollinghurst is trying to house all the successful elements of his previous books under the roof of one novel. It’s funnier, more warm-hearted, less waspish than any of his books so far, but still undoubtedly the work of a master.
There are signs Iweala knew his long-gestating novel had problems. In the acknowledgments he thanks his editor for her “tolerance of tabletops full of index cards instead of pages of text.”
Neither an after-school special nor gratuitous suicide porn, the survivors' grappling incomprehension, self-blame and blind stabs at an elusive empathy are clear-eyed and delicately evoked. Frustratingly, the long-awaited revelation never arrives, and even the denouement is undone by a bewildering shock-comedy finale.
Not the best mystery by Royal (The Proud Sinner, 2017, etc.), but still a good read for fans of medieval history and anyone interested in problems surprisingly relevant to modern life.
Glamour is a refuge to Angel, Hector, and the kids to whom they give a home. Their stories deserve a bit of glitter. Fierce, tender, and heartbreaking.
A creative and original tale shot through with quirky humor that entertains while encouraging readers to ponder questions of free will and social responsibility.
The Lie as a whole begs to be passed on in the same way. Its themes may appear simple, but its emotions linger — even if we've felt them before.
Authors are, of course, free to use whatever language they like, and Simo is under no obligation to craft a likable protagonist or a comfortable narrative. But it’s hard to imagine anything beyond a very narrow audience for this novel.
Jane's story is for those who like their books brainy and their television trashy. A binge-read with hidden depths.
The author’s avoidance of clear references to Alaska’s Native heritage belies the thematic insistence on the power of storytelling to shape the world. Settlers stole the land, readers are told, but the story of this thievery remains untold. Intriguingly spooky but never quite coheres.
Deep familiarity with Beckett's work isn’t essential to appreciate Coffey’s, but an affinity for Beckett’s worldview and gamesmanship helps; Coffey sustains a dark, contemplative mood but leaves a few cracks for humor and optimism to enter.
There's a lot of heart in this volume, so it's unfortunate that it fails, overall, to live up to DeConnick and De Landro's original tales.
Readers with a memory for the time will appreciate some of Lerner’s dish, which involves other now-well-known radicals. Those too young for it will find inspiration in his latter-day commitment to tiny acts in the face of Armageddon.
It may be the only way to wind up a story that lurches so unpredictably from the ordinary to the ominous. Forsman knows that lots of teenagers imagine themselves to be figures of classic tragedy.
It's hard to be idealistic without giving way to preachiness from time to time. Body Music may be a little too sugary, but its sweetness is craveable for good reason.
True to its subject, The Videofag Book eschews a clear-cut narrative in favour of a pleasing montage approach.
Please beware of the potential line editing issues as often happens with this publisher. As I said many times before I tend to miss a lot of the problems and this is even more true if I loved the book as much as I did this one.
Some readers may be taken aback by the embrace of Jesus as a personal boyfriend, but the physicality adds intensity to the poem’s soulfulness. A lyrical study of passion, both religious and carnal.
In fact as one of my book buddies said, the real strong love connection that we get to *see* was between Isaac and Amalie and do not get me wrong, I enjoyed that relationship, but I wanted much more than I got out of Isaac/Jack relationship. I also thought that the ending was very rushed and the line editing could have been stronger.