To Indulge in Prose in “Land of Milk and Honey” – Chicago Review of Books

To Indulge in Prose in “Land of Milk and Honey” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In 2019, C. Pam Zhang enchanted readers with her vision of the American Gold Rush in How Much Of These Hills is Gold, her words rendering that dusty, bleak landscape with the fresh perspective of children. This narrative of children transporting their father’s body recalls Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, but Zhang’s story is … Read more

Violent Crime’s Multi-Edged Truths in “Penance” – Chicago Review of Books

Violent Crime’s Multi-Edged Truths in “Penance” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Eliza Clark’s thoughtful follow-up to her debut novel Boy Parts gives readers the opportunity to examine true crime from unexpected angles. Once-celebrated (fictional) journalist Alec Z. Carelli takes a shot at redemption after penning two commercial flops and being implicated in a scandal that hurls him out of public favor. While scouring the internet … Read more

An Interview with Elle Nash – Chicago Review of Books

An Interview with Elle Nash – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] My first encounter with Elle Nash’s work was Animals Eat Each Other, and since then I’ve been hooked. Her short story collection, Nudes, broke my heart in the best way, and Gag Reflex (written in the style of a LiveJournal from 2005) delivers measured doses of eating disorder vulnerability amid tenuous teenage social structures. … Read more

Desiring the Divine in “The Pole” – Chicago Review of Books

Desiring the Divine in “The Pole” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] “Go back to Beatrice, the real Beatrice,” urges Beatriz, a graceful yet unassuming forty-something patron of the Sala Mampou concert hall who lives with her husband and son in Barcelona. “What was it that made Dante choose her over all other women? Or go back to Mary. What was it about Mary full of … Read more

How to Get By in “The Vaster Wilds” – Chicago Review of Books

How to Get By in “The Vaster Wilds” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Lauren Groff’s new novel, The Vaster Wilds, is supposed to make you feel cold, hungry, thirsty, nauseated, sore, febrile, scared, awed, appalled, relieved, confused, hopeful, and tired of it all. The sensations are better effected than the emotions, which is the other way round from Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, a novel cited by Lauren Groff … Read more

Capturing the Invisible in “Sister Golden Calf” – Chicago Review of Books

Capturing the Invisible in “Sister Golden Calf” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] It’s fittingly difficult to pin down Colleen Burner’s debut novel, or novella, Sister Golden Calf. At once fragmented and expansive, set in the recognizable territory of New Mexico’s highways but also infused with magical realism, the book resists categorization. The protagonists, sisters Kit and Gloria, know a thing or two about capturing the ineffable: … Read more

A Conversation between Giada Scodellaro and Amina Cain on Marie NDiaye’s “Self-Portrait in Green” (translated by Jordan Stump)

A Conversation between Giada Scodellaro and Amina Cain on Marie NDiaye’s “Self-Portrait in Green” (translated by Jordan Stump)

[ad_1] French novelist, screenwriter, and playwright Marie NDiaye had already published eight works and won the Prix Femina, a prestigious literary award chosen by an exclusively female jury, when she penned her novella Self-Portrait in Green, or Autoportrait en vert, in 2005. Four years and only two books later, NDiaye became the first Black woman … Read more

The Fear of Change in “We’re Safe When We’re Alone” – Chicago Review of Books

The Fear of Change in “We’re Safe When We’re Alone” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] We’re Safe When We’re Alone, Nghiem Tran’s new novella, is dreamlike and imaginative, thrusting us into the world of ghosts and memories. Every character is given a familial label instead of a name, such as Son, the young protagonist, who is forced to adjust outside of his isolation and out into this ominous world. … Read more

A Conversation with Elyssa Maxx Goodman – Chicago Review of Books

A Conversation with Elyssa Maxx Goodman – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City examines drag performance from the 19th Century through the contemporary era, from broad cultural trends to the individual experiences of performers. Elyssa Maxx Goodman dives into language, legalities, and the ebb and flow of perceptions. I first met Goodman a year ago … Read more