Book Reviews Archives

A Queer Moon In The Heavens in “Uranians” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsJune 5, 2023 by Jake Casella Brookins

Theodore McCombs’s debut collection, Uranians, is a remarkable achievement, a polished and varied set of stories: speculative, queer, and cerebral. The entire set shines on … Read More

On Love, Trauma, and Music in “Notes on Her Color” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsJune 2, 2023 by Aaron Coats

Notes on Her Color is not only a debut novel by Jennifer Neal, but also a musical composition. Each word is a note carefully considered … Read More

12 Must-Read Books of June 2023 – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsJune 1, 2023 by Michael Welch

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already halfway through the year! 2023 has been year for book lovers, and here at the Chicago Review of … Read More

An Interview with Lesley Harrison on “Kitchen Music” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 31, 2023 by Connor Harrison

“My house holds sound / like the sea inside a shell,” writes Lesley Harrison in the poem “Convergence.” And this is the sense one has … Read More

10 Books That Depict Mental Health and Mental Illness – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 31, 2023 by Editorial Staff

This Mental Health Awareness Month, our team sat down to think about some of our favorite books that depict mental health and mental illness in … Read More

A Conversation with Annelyse Gelman about “Vexations” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 30, 2023 by Mandana Chaffa

Annelyse Gelman’s curiosity and passion for language, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and experimentation imbue all her projects. Two of them—her new full-length poem, Vexations, and website Midst—also … Read More

Impression and Expression in “The Lost Journals of Sacajewea” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 30, 2023 by Greer Macallister

Of all the people who ever lived, only a tiny proportion have their names remembered by history. And even when someone’s name is remembered, celebrated, … Read More

The Dignity of Life in “The Late Americans” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 26, 2023 by Ben Lewellyn-Taylor

Brandon Taylor’s new novel, The Late Americans, begins with a character you wouldn’t want to be stuck with in your MFA workshop. Seamus is the … Read More

From Surviving to Thriving in “Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 25, 2023 by Anson Tong

When you get to know someone, you aren’t presented with their life story in a linear narrative with well-timed beats. Instead, anecdotes and feelings bubble … Read More

An Arc of Forgiveness in “Women We Buried, Women We Burned” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsMay 25, 2023 by Brianna Avenia-Tapper

Rachel Louise Snyder’s propulsive new memoir Women We Buried, Women We Burned begins with the death of her mother. Her father then marries another woman, … Read More

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