Book Reviews – Page 51

A Conversation With Elisa Gabbert About “Normal Distance” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 14, 2022 by Mandana Chaffa

[ad_1] Mostly written during the last several years, the poems in Normal Distance, Elisa Gabbert’s highly-anticipated new collection, speak to the disjunctive nature of our times. Yet the juxtaposition of the philosophical and quotidian, often playfully rendered, belies the dexterity involved in crafting these striking poems. Also a well-regarded critic and essayist, Gabbert’s charming, inquisitive mind … Read more

Time as Fetter and Bridge in “Habilis” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 13, 2022 by Gianni Washington

[ad_1] In her insightful and ambitious debut novel, Habilis, Alyssa Quinn takes us on a destabilizing journey through the experiences of several beings by means of a single, muddled existence, illustrating the connectedness of all life and challenging the notion of a discoverable, and inherently meaningful, point of human origin. Through techniques and analyses both … Read more

An Interview with Caroline Macon Fleischer on “The Roommate” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 12, 2022 by Rachel Robbins

[ad_1] On weekends, Caroline Macon Fleischer totes her typewriter to street festivals to write poems on demand. She volunteers for the Chicago collective Poems While You Wait, which delivers poetry in unexpected places. Poetry is often condemned for being unlikeable, but the evidence to the contrary is in her sign-up list. Given topics that range … Read more

Your Favorite Book with Joe Meno – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 9, 2022 by Malavika Praseed

[ad_1] Welcome to another installment of a collaboration between the Chicago Review of Books and the Your Favorite Book podcast. Malavika Praseed, frequent CHIRB contributor and podcast host, seeks to talk to readers and writers about the books that light a fire inside them. What’s your favorite book and why? Our guest is Joe Meno, … Read more

Finding a Serial Killer in “American Demon” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 9, 2022 by Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr.

[ad_1] How many times have you walked on a beach? Generally, the experience is pleasurably common: you feel the sand between your toes, you pick up seashells, you hold hands with a loved one while you watch the sunset, you feel a light ocean breeze on your cheeks. What is uncommon, however, is if you … Read more

Violence and Power in “Toño the Infallible” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 8, 2022 by Samantha Loree

[ad_1] Toño the Infallible, a novel by the Colombian writer Evelio Rosero, translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean and Victor Meadowcroft, is a shockingly twisted character study of one man’s malice towards society. Rosero explores the depths of remorseless hatred and how it grows when there is no balancing opposition to stop it. Set … Read more

Returning to the Spirit in “Sacred Nature” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 7, 2022 by Farooq Chaudhry

[ad_1] As I sit down to write this, approximately one third of Pakistan is underwater due to devastating floods from monsoon rains. Before going on, I must ask you, reader, to sit for a moment and try to ponder what it means for a third of a country to be underwater. Over 1300 people are … Read more

An Interview with Jonathan Escoffery on “If I Survive You” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 6, 2022 by Jen St. Jude

[ad_1] In Jonathan Escoffery’s debut short story collection, If I Survive You, a mother, a father, and their two sons move between Jamaica and Miami together, apart. Alone. At turns cruel and harsh, and tender and loving, this collection is a gut punch. It circles around race, home, family, masculinity, and the elusive, torturous American … Read more

An Interview with Kathleen Rooney on “Where Are the Snows” – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 2, 2022 by Caroline Macon Fleischer

[ad_1] I met Kathleen Rooney soon after moving to Chicago in 2012. Since I grew up in Dallas where women don fresh blond highlights even in their babies’ birth announcements, Kathleen was the most radical person I’d ever met. Who was this intellectual who didn’t want kids, was decidedly going gray, and was a founding … Read more

12 Must-Read Books of September – Chicago Review of Books

Book ReviewsSeptember 1, 2022 by Editorial Staff

[ad_1] School is officially back in session, so what better time to hit the books? September often signals both the end of summer and the start of something new, which makes it the perfect time to try something new. With this month filled with exciting releases from debut authors and literary stars alike, we’re here … Read more