I really enjoyed large parts of this, particularly the more tender moments between Theo and Robin. The emotional heart of Bewilderment is a story abouI really enjoyed large parts of this, particularly the more tender moments between Theo and Robin. The emotional heart of Bewilderment is a story about a recently widowed father and his young son coming to terms with the death of their wife and mother. At that level, I thought this was excellent. The story faltered when the science babble took over, as it often did, which led to some pretty silly dialogue. The eco-activism was also a bit on the nose....more
Great Circle is the worst kind of modern fiction, a 600-page brick of a novel brimming with unearned self-importance and tediously overwritten prose. Great Circle is the worst kind of modern fiction, a 600-page brick of a novel brimming with unearned self-importance and tediously overwritten prose. Popular fiction usually isn’t my thing, but I could have gotten on board if this didn’t take itself so seriously. Male characters have long been featured in this kind of puffed up epic, so I suppose it’s refreshing to see a female lead. I won’t begrudge anyone who enjoyed this, but it’s not, you know, good....more
I really enjoyed this. Historical fiction works best when it humanizes people who have been lost to memory, and Nadifa Mohamed does excellent work on I really enjoyed this. Historical fiction works best when it humanizes people who have been lost to memory, and Nadifa Mohamed does excellent work on that front. The prose is clunky in places and the pacing sometimes uneven, but the humanity and dignity this brings to Mahmood Mattan transcends those nits. The fictionalized backstory in Chapter 7 was particularly compelling....more
An Island is a tense, focused drama that follows Samuel, an aging lighthouse keeper, after a refugee washes ashore on the island Samuel tends off the An Island is a tense, focused drama that follows Samuel, an aging lighthouse keeper, after a refugee washes ashore on the island Samuel tends off the coast of an unnamed African country. There are many layers to this short novel as we weave between the present and Samuel’s past life. Karen Jennings’s prose is unadorned and workmanlike. The treatment of refugees and xenophobia are explored, as well as solitude and trauma....more
This is a fabulous debut novel from Nathan Harris. With sparkling prose, Harris tells a compelling story set in the early days of Reconstruction in GeThis is a fabulous debut novel from Nathan Harris. With sparkling prose, Harris tells a compelling story set in the early days of Reconstruction in Georgia. The Walker family is front and center - a white family, descended from northerners, who are sympathetic to the newly freed slaves. Prentiss and Landry, brothers and freedmen, work with the Walkers after Emancipation. This is a story about good people doing their best in the face of a systemically racist and corrupt society - undoubtedly on point and relevant today....more
China Room tracks two parallel narratives - one set in 1929, following Punjabi child bride Mehar, and the other set in 1999, which follows her great-gChina Room tracks two parallel narratives - one set in 1929, following Punjabi child bride Mehar, and the other set in 1999, which follows her great-grandson. This setup had a lot of potential, and Sahota is a decently good writer, but this was just too unbalanced of a narrative. It read like an early manuscript that needed a good editor....more
A Town Called Solace is a bittersweet book, set in a small town in Northern Ontario in 1972. We follow three alternating narrators as they share complA Town Called Solace is a bittersweet book, set in a small town in Northern Ontario in 1972. We follow three alternating narrators as they share complementary perspectives on a tale that involves a missing sister and a childless couples who fell in love with a boy they could not adopt as a son. The plot itself does not have a payoff that matches the building drama, but the emotional notes are spot on....more
This is just phenomenal. A Passage North follows Krishan, a young man, as he travels from Colombo to a village in Sri Lanka’s northern province to attThis is just phenomenal. A Passage North follows Krishan, a young man, as he travels from Colombo to a village in Sri Lanka’s northern province to attend the funeral of his grandmother’s caretaker. There is no dialogue. The entire novel consists of Krishan’s thoughts and recollections, told through magnificently complex yet lyrical sentences. The experience of reading this is almost meditative. We see the effects of the country’s civil war on its survivors as the work explores trauma, memory, aging, family, culture, and death....more
Usually historical fiction isn’t my thing, but I read this after it was longlisted for the Booker prize. I found it problematic. The novel follows theUsually historical fiction isn’t my thing, but I read this after it was longlisted for the Booker prize. I found it problematic. The novel follows the lives of five (white) people from South London, with chapters spaced 15 years apart, so that we check in with the characters at roughly ages 10, 25, 40, 55, and 70. Various domestic themes are addressed as well as societal issues - racism, classism, Thatcherism, etc. Whatever the merits this might otherwise have, I can’t get over framing a historical narrative of post-WWII Britain told solely from the perspective of a bunch of white people. Longlisting this for the Booker seems particularly tone-deaf at best....more
The Promise chronicles the demise over several decades of the Swart family, white South Africans who are descendants of the Voortrekkers. The youngestThe Promise chronicles the demise over several decades of the Swart family, white South Africans who are descendants of the Voortrekkers. The youngest daughter, Amor, witnesses her father’s promise to bequeath a small homestead to the Black family who lives on the Swarts’ land. The promise goes unfulfilled for decades and by the end it is worthless. Although this is a book almost entirely voiced by white characters, the final scenes reveal the narrowness of their view. Lukas’s powerful words at the end correctly reframe the narrative to show the lie on which the promise is made in the first place....more
Klara is one of the buzziest books of the year and I was expecting to be disappointed. I wasn’t. Ishiguro is masterful as always. The story is set in Klara is one of the buzziest books of the year and I was expecting to be disappointed. I wasn’t. Ishiguro is masterful as always. The story is set in the near future and narrated by Klara, an Artificial Friend. Klara is long on observational detail, but often misguided in her interpretation of events. This is not an omniscient narrator and the reader is constantly aware that the story presented may be factually correct but key details for piecing together the plot may be omitted. The disconnect between what I want to know as a reader and what Klara relays is sometimes funny, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately insightful. This may not be Ishiguro’s best novel, but it’s still top tier and probably his best work in over a decade....more
This is one of the standout works of the year. On the surface, Second Place takes the form of a letter written by a woman called M to an unknown charaThis is one of the standout works of the year. On the surface, Second Place takes the form of a letter written by a woman called M to an unknown character, Jeffers, about an artist called L who stays in M’s guest cottage. The story is reminiscent of Mabel Lujan’s Lorenzo in Taos, which Cusk acknowledges in a postscript. Through this form, Cusk deftly explores gender roles, aging, family dynamics, art, what it means to be an artist, and other themes. I thought this was excellent....more
The obvious quip is that everyone is in fact talking about this. I first read this several months ago and recently re-read it again. The first half isThe obvious quip is that everyone is in fact talking about this. I first read this several months ago and recently re-read it again. The first half is clever and I’ll give Lockwood credit for being modern and interesting even if I didn’t like it. The second half is set up to pack an emotional punch, but it just fell flat for me. The autofiction and genre-bending make this worthy of the attention this is getting. I just personally didn’t enjoy it....more