When Nothing Happens: On David Bezmozgis When Nothing Happens: On David Bezmozgis
The Free World is a novel about lives suspended at a moment when everything is uncertain. It is about frustration. Unfortunately, it too is frustrating.
Mar 30, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier
Possible Humans: On Juan José Saer Possible Humans: On Juan José Saer
The achievement of Juan José Saer’s fiction, next to its sensuousness, is its creation of an all-engulfing present.
Mar 23, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Lorna Scott Fox
Wrinkles in Time: On Joanna Ruocco Wrinkles in Time: On Joanna Ruocco
For Joanna Ruocco, language is a multiplier of worlds, a portal to alternate realities.
Mar 3, 2011 / Books & the Arts / David Carroll Simon
The Ballad of John and J.D.: On John Lennon and J.D. Salinger The Ballad of John and J.D.: On John Lennon and J.D. Salinger
Mark David Chapman was carrying a copy of The Catcher in the Rye when he shot John Lennon. The murder was a collision of cultures.
Jan 27, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Charles Taylor
Perfect-Bound: On Elizabeth Hardwick Perfect-Bound: On Elizabeth Hardwick
Elizabeth Hardwick found New York's jittery impermanence and inchoate density to be an obstacle for the fiction writer.
Jan 19, 2011 / Books & the Arts / James Marcus
Empty Rooms: On Nicole Krauss Empty Rooms: On Nicole Krauss
Nicole Krauss's Great House swings from the evocative to the overcharged.
Jan 12, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Alexandra Schwartz
An Inventory of the Missing: On Frederic Tuten An Inventory of the Missing: On Frederic Tuten
Frederic Tuten's Self Portraits is a backward glance on life that's vital, wistful and filled with sweet ache.
Dec 16, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Ben Ehrenreich
Kilito’s Way: On Abdelfattah Kilito Kilito’s Way: On Abdelfattah Kilito
In The Clash of Images Abdelfattah Kilito creates a touching portrait of a young man coming of age in French-occupied Morocco.
Dec 9, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami
The Maximalist: On Vasily Grossman The Maximalist: On Vasily Grossman
Vasily Grossman's Everything Flows is a searching and humane investigation of the totalitarian condition.
Dec 2, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Jochen Hellbeck
Suitors: On Julia Holmes Suitors: On Julia Holmes
Julia Holmes's Meeks is a novel full of a jittery sadness and an uncontrollable kind of joy.
Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier