Book Reviews

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'A Fierce And Subtle Poison' Ventures Into A Strange And Troubled Garden

1:37pm April 13, 2016

by Caitlyn Paxson

Samantha Mabry's novel riffs on authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Isabel Allende to create a story that's both an atmospheric glimpse at a Caribbean island and a self-aware critique of colonialism.

Edna O'Brien's first novel, The Country Girls, was published in 1961.

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Arts

A Clash Of Manners And Monsters In Edna O'Brien's 'Little Red Chairs'

2:25pm April 12, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

A charismatic stranger in a remote Irish village turns out to be a war criminal in O'Brien's new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls the book "one of [O'Brien's] best and most ambitious novels yet."

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The 'Regional Office' Doesn't Quite Deliver

1:26pm April 12, 2016

by Jason Heller

Manuel Gonzales' ambitious debut novel has a great hook — a top secret organization battling aliens, zombies and evil masterminds — but dry humor and spirited dialogue get lost in a convoluted plot.

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Frodo, Bilbo, Kullervo: Tolkien's Finnish Adventure

7:00am April 10, 2016

by Elizabeth Graham

While still at university, J.R.R. Tolkein became fascinated by Finnish mythology, abandoning his Classics degree to adapt the epic Story of Kullervo — work that led to the creation of Middle Earth.

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'Every Heart' Is A Doorway To Winning Fantasy

7:00am April 09, 2016

by Jason Heller

Seanan McGuire's new novella takes the classic portal fantasy — a group of kids who stumble into magical worlds and are forever changed — and gives it poignant new life.

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Arts

Searching For Home, Living For Art In 'All Tomorrow's Parties'

7:35pm April 07, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Tin House editor Rob Spillman's new memoir chronicles his search for a maybe-nonexistent home across decades and continents. He's a winning writer despite occasional lapses into artsy self-importance.

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'The Red Parts' Offers No Easy Answers

3:49pm April 07, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Author Maggie Nelson's aunt was murdered decades ago. Her new book chronicles the trial that ensues when the old, cold case is reopened. It's an uneasy masterpiece that avoids quick catharsis.

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Arts

The Agonizing Collision Of Love And Slavery In 'Thomas Jefferson'

7:00am April 06, 2016

by Jean Zimmerman

The real, historical Thomas Jefferson never wrote anything about Sally Hemings, his slave and companion for decades. But she comes to life in a complex new novel from author Stephen O'Connor.

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Arts

This Novel Doesn't Find Meaning In Cancer, It Gives Its Malevolence Full Due

4:23pm April 05, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Charles Bock could have chosen to write this story as an autobiography. Alice & Oliver is based on a real-life nightmare in which his wife — then a young mother — was diagnosed with leukemia.

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It's Love That's Important In 'The Truth About Death'

7:00am April 05, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Robert Hellenga's new collection contains nine searching, mature stories about grand passions, fleeting romantic adventures, and facing the end of life with few illusions.