Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood in “Meet the Benedettos” – Chicago Review of Books

Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood in “Meet the Benedettos” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] There is no shortage of literary mashups in contemporary publishing, at least in how books are marketed. Books are described as X meets Y to give readers an idea of what to expect. Katie Cotugno’s latest novel, Meet the Benedettos, is billed as Pride and Prejudice meets the Kardashians, and the characterization is dead … Read more

61 Notable Debuts by Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Non-conforming Authors – Chicago Review of Books

61 Notable Debuts by Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Non-conforming Authors – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Every year this list gets longer and my heart grows right along with it. I’m ending 2023 filled to the brim with gratitude for the books that made me feel seen; for who I’ve been, who I am, and who I dream of being. I’m also blown away by the talent exhibited by this … Read more

Our Favorite Short Story Collections of 2023 – Chicago Review of Books

Our Favorite Short Story Collections of 2023 – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Many articles have been written about our culture’s shrinking attention spans, largely blaming the rise of smartphones for our dwindling attentiveness. So one might reason the short story should be rising in popularity, but there seems to be no such effect. Maybe because short stories often require more from readers. If you miss something … Read more

10 Books to Read When You Want To Feel Better About Your Dysfunctional Family – Chicago Review of Books

10 Books to Read When You Want To Feel Better About Your Dysfunctional Family – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] If your fondest holiday memories also involve hiding in the bathroom (or closet, or floorboard, or passenger seat of your cool older cousin’s car) to get a moment’s peace from your [insert adjective] family, you’re probably already sold on a distraction. Books can’t yell at you! Or guilt you! Or punish you! Unless they … Read more

Our Favorite Debuts of 2023 – Chicago Review of Books

Our Favorite Debuts of 2023 – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] I both love and hate end of the year book lists—love because they’re fun roundups full of great titles. But they also make me cringe, even silently rage, because without fail, they leave out amazing books that deserve the spotlight, arguably more than the mega bestsellers often dominating the lists. But the cold mechanics … Read more

An interview with Sunisa Manning, author of A Good True Thai – Chicago Review of Books

An interview with Sunisa Manning, author of A Good True Thai – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Censorship is something Thai American author Sunisa Manning is all too familiar with. Her thrilling and heartfelt debut novel A Good True Thai follows three young people whose paths converge at university leading up to the 1970s pro-democracy student movement in Thailand, their lives upended after a massacre of student demonstrators—a historical event that … Read more

An interview with Sunisa Manning, author of A Good True Thai – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Censorship is something Thai American author Sunisa Manning is all too familiar with. Her thrilling and heartfelt debut novel A Good True Thai follows three young people whose paths converge at university leading up to the 1970s pro-democracy student movement in Thailand, their lives upended after a massacre of student demonstrators—a historical event that … Read more

In Solidarity with the Shattering in “The White Mosque” – Chicago Review of Books

In Solidarity with the Shattering in “The White Mosque” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In the winter of 2016, in a classroom on the ground floor of the English department where I teach, my colleagues and I gathered to hear Sofia Samatar give a job talk for a tenure-track teaching position. The classroom had once been part of a large indoor pool, specifically the shallow end, whose only … Read more

Neurodiversity and Exhaustion in “All the Little Bird-Hearts” – Chicago Review of Books

Neurodiversity and Exhaustion in “All the Little Bird-Hearts” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] This year’s Booker prize longlist has featured numerous introspective, hyperfocused character studies, and Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow’s All the Little Bird-Hearts is no exception. Centering Sunday Forrester, an eccentric woman who lives her life according to a highly structured, self-made routine, the novel takes an intriguing and slightly sinister turn as new neighbors move in: the … Read more