Book Reviews

Books
Arts

'The Freedom Artist' Is A Perfect Read For A Post-Truth Era

7:00am February 08, 2020

by Ilana Masad

Ben Okri's new novel begins with a prison, which preoccupies his characters — where is it? What is it? Who's in it? It's a deceptively simple read that wrestles with deep questions about humanity.

Books
Arts

The Stories In 'Verge' Are Beautiful, But Don't Quite Satisfy

12:00pm February 06, 2020

by Kamil Ahsan

Lidia Yuknavitch's new story collection is weighed down by strangely predictable structures and obvious metaphors — but in places it's rivetingly insightful, and one story towers above the rest.

Books
Arts

'The Mercies' Is A Spark Of Light On A Bleak Shore

10:00am February 06, 2020

by Caitlyn Paxson

Kiran Millwood Hargrave's new novel takes place in a 17th century Norwegian fishing village devastated by a storm that swallows husbands, brothers and fathers, leaving the women to survive alone.

The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, by Michael Zapata

Books
Arts

Multiple Universes Fill The Pages Of 'The Lost Book Of Adana Moreau'

10:00am February 05, 2020

by Jason Heller

Michael Zapata's debut novel is a straightforward literary mystery on the surface — but his simple tale of a lost sci-fi manuscript goes deep on themes of family, displacement and mythology.

Books
Arts

'The Resisters' Could Use A Little More Resistance

7:00am February 05, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

Gish Jen's new novel takes place in a dystopian future country called AutoAmerica, where the swamp-dwelling underclass — called "Surplus" — are set against the fair-skinned, land-dwelling "Netted."

West Virginia and its counties. From The Third Rainbow Girl, by Emma Copley Eisenberg.

Books
Arts

2 Young Women Were Murdered In 1980, 'Rainbow Girl' Tells Their Story

2:59pm February 04, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Emma Copley Eisenberg's new book, which centers on the murders of Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero, tells a haunting story of two restless women and the un-nameable desire to travel a different path.

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Books
Arts

In Ben Passmore's Latest, 'Sports Is Hell' And The World Is On Fire

10:00am February 04, 2020

by Etelka Lehoczky

Passmore's timely new graphic novel is set in an unnamed city whose football team has just won the Super Bowl, setting off fiery riots. It's a biting satire of political action, race and capitalism.

Books
Arts

In A Dark Future, These 'Upright Women' Bring Hope

7:00am February 04, 2020

by Jason Heller

Sarah Gailey's new novella is set in a dystopian future where the United States resembles the Old West, and bands of women on horseback distribute government-approved media to distant villages.

Books
Arts

For February, 3 Romances That Are Short And Candy-Sweet

7:00am February 02, 2020

by Maya Rodale

February means Valentine's Day — and no one feels the pressure to be romantic like characters in romance novels. This month we've got three short and sweet stories with guaranteed happy endings.

Books

Coincidence Distracts From The Creeps In 'The Other People'

12:19pm February 01, 2020

by Bethanne Patrick

C.J. Tudor's latest follows a man obsessed with proving his young daughter — supposedly killed in an accident — is still alive. It's atmospheric, but slightly shakier than Tudor's past books.