The Subsurface Strangeness of Realism in “The Blade Between” – Chicago Review of Books

The Subsurface Strangeness of Realism in “The Blade Between” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Sam J. Miller’s new book The Blade Between is not a laid-back read for a languid afternoon. No, this is a sit-up-straight book. Full of jarring juxtapositions, this book is as engrossing as it is challenging. While it requires your attention, The Blade Between rewards you with a heady, addictive mix of realism and … Read more

Navigating Power in “The Opium Prince” – Chicago Review of Books

Navigating Power in “The Opium Prince” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In her debut novel, The Opium Prince, Jasmine Aimaq centers a frequently overlooked aspect of tumult in Afghanistan: if opium were not in demand, possessing it wouldn’t translate into power. A hierarchy – a royalty of sorts – exists around the creation and distribution of opiates in the East, in no small part because … Read more

A Love Letter to Adventurous Women in “The Arctic Fury” – Chicago Review of Books

A Love Letter to Adventurous Women in “The Arctic Fury” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Greer Macallister’s thrilling historical fiction novel, The Arctic Fury, is a love letter to adventurous women, unlikely friendships, and finding possibilities in a bleak, unforgiving wilderness. Set in the 1850s, a mysterious, wealthy woman hires guide Virginia Reeve to lead an expedition to find her husband lost in the Arctic North. The novel opens … Read more

Water Scarcity and the Climate Crisis in “Stillicide” – Chicago Review of Books

Water Scarcity and the Climate Crisis in “Stillicide” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Burning Worlds is Amy Brady’s monthly column dedicated to examining how contemporary literature interrogates issues of climate change, in partnership with Yale Climate Connections. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter to get “Burning Worlds” and other writing about art and climate change delivered straight to your inbox. Welsh writer Cynan Jones has long depicted the fraught relationship between humanity … Read more

Love and the Unknown in “To Be a Man” – Chicago Review of Books

Love and the Unknown in “To Be a Man” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In the title story of Nicole Krauss’s fifth book and first collection of stories, To Be a Man, the narrative bends and breaks. Written in three sections with subsections, the narration shifts from first person to third, and then back to first. It’s only twenty-five pages. And it is as brilliant in execution as … Read more

Announcing the Winner of the 2020 Adam Morgan Literary Citizen Award – Chicago Review of Books

Announcing the Winner of the 2020 Adam Morgan Literary Citizen Award – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] For five years in a row the Chicago Review of Books has presented annual awards to the best works of poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and essay or short-story by Chicago-based writers. Last year we announced the first ever Adam Morgan Literary Citizen Award. Named for the site’s founding editor, the Morgan award is given to … Read more

The Tension at the Heart of Pop in “Warhol’s Mother’s Pantry” – Chicago Review of Books

The Tension at the Heart of Pop in “Warhol’s Mother’s Pantry” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] “Acountryisclosingitsborder… (This is not today.)” “Pandemic/persecution/(The country has no conscience)… (This is not today).” In the first pages of M.I. Devine’s debut collection of experimental essays, Warhol’s Mother’s Pantry: Art, America, and the Mom in Pop, he calls back to the political turmoil of the early 1920s, when a pandemic raged and the U.S. … Read more

Working Within Limits in “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” – Chicago Review of Books

Working Within Limits in “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Regret and its effects are no strangers to books. Countless literary works, both fictional and not, explore our innate longing to return to the past, to experience a moment once again, and perhaps find some solace for our aching souls. Yet only time travel fiction allows its characters an opportunity to truly return to … Read more

A Hungry, Hopeful Mind in “The Power of Adrienne Rich” – Chicago Review of Books

A Hungry, Hopeful Mind in “The Power of Adrienne Rich” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Adrienne Rich continues to be widely taught in classrooms and read for her unparalleled ability to master language, syntax, and substance. Through her writing, the iconic feminist poet and essayist explored questions of identity, privilege, and the complex ways in which oppressions intertwine that still resonate today.  Author Hilary Holladay has crafted the first … Read more

In Love and Pajamas Book Review

In Love and Pajamas Book Review

[ad_1] Rating: ★★★★★ Title: In Love and Pajamas Author: Catana Chetwynd Book Review Full Disclosure: I both read the comic and am now writing this review whilst wearing fuzzy pajama pants. If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. My thoughts about “In Love & Pajamas” : THIS IS TOO ADORABLE!!! I definitely … Read more