For The Book Obsessed
[ad_1] When I started reading GennaRose Nethercott’s short story collection Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: and Other Stories, I was struck by the evocative description that these stories were about “the abomination that resides within us all.” Nethercott’s characters yearn for something missing in their lives, often love—but also a purpose, an answer, or … Read more
[ad_1] Adriana Riva’s latest novel concerns itself with the mother/daughter question: do we know them? Do they see us? Translated by Denise Kripper and published by Veliz Books, Salt depicts a pregnant Ema as she tries to close the ever-growing gap between herself and her mother. Despite residing in the same home, the two women … Read more
[ad_1] Radioactivity haunts Liliana Colanzi’s short stories. In You Glow in the Dark, translated from the Spanish by Chris Andrews, real-world poisons seep into her characters and their communities, and violence simmers in the air. Despite people’s attempts to reach for better, the world’s sharp edges tend to find them. Colanzi’s landscapes draw from corrupt, … Read more
[ad_1] The Chicago Review of Books is proud to partner with The Chills at Will Podcast to share new audio interviews with today’s brightest literary stars, including Jonathan Escoffery, Morgan Talty, Deesha Philyaw, Luis Alberto Urrea, and more. Hosted by Peter Riehl, The Chills at Will Podcast is a celebration of the visceral beauty of … Read more
[ad_1] I think Shayla Lawson is a literary genius, so their new book, How to Live Free in a Dangerous World, was among my top most anticipated 2024 titles. Shayla is not only whip-smart—agonizingly careful with each word and comma, so every sentence they write packs a punch—but they’re also masterful at making connections. They … Read more
[ad_1] I am obsessed with you. The second-person pronoun you. For ten years, all the poems I wrote were about you. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I can say that now. But for a long time, I kept it secret. And when I finally started talking, I told everyone you were the one with OCD. … Read more
[ad_1] Megan Nolan’s highly-anticipated sophomore novel carries the author’s essential voice into new and familiar territories. As a writer of essays, criticism, and fiction, Nolan is undoubtedly skilled at expounding facets of culture that divide and unite; her previous work, such as her column in The New Statesmen, explores modern anxieties, aesthetics, ideas of place … Read more
[ad_1] On the way home from work, Dunia Ahmed is attacked and nearly flung to her death onto New York City subway tracks. When strangers manage to rescue her, the man who would have been her murderer ends his own life instead. The mystery of why someone Dunia had never met wanted her dead takes … Read more
[ad_1] Dolly Alderton’s central narrative preoccupation across all her books has remained the same: depicting the tumult of seeking romantic love in one’s twenties and thirties, with all the attendant anxieties of false promises and disillusioned hopes. In Alderton’s first novel, Ghosts, a thirtysomething food writer, Nina, embarks on a fling that seems to promise … Read more
[ad_1] February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s certainly full of exciting new releases! Here in Chicago, we’re trying to adjust to a winter that has been notably inconsistent. From frigid temperatures and snow to now relatively balmy temperatures, we’re here to say that things are certainly heating up both outside … Read more