For The Book Obsessed
[ad_1] The Translator’s Voice is a new monthly column from Ian J. Battaglia here at the Chicago Review of Books, dedicated to global literature and the translators who work tirelessly and too often thanklessly to bring these books to the English-reading audience. Subscribe to his newsletter to get notified of new editions as well as … Read more
[ad_1] Much has been said in recent years about “witness literature,” writing that can feel like a blend of reporting and lyrical prose, bringing poetic attention to headline news topics that are often painful, tragic, and complex. By extension, witness literature can provide healing to the writer and the reader. It may even potentially create … Read more
[ad_1] Kyle Dillon Hertz’s The Lookback Window starts in paradise. Or rather, it starts in a clothing-optional resort in South Florida. I found it apt to open the book here, a space of artificial beauty and peacefulness built directly on a foundation of unspoken terrors, all of which are fated to be erased by the … Read more
[ad_1] In the first chapter of her memoir, Acceptance, Emi Nietfeld reconnects with her estranged mother. Nietfeld, a young software engineer living in New York City, is about to get married, and her mother’s arrival to meet the new in-laws threatens the tenuously peaceful life Nietfeld has built for herself. Her mother, a former crime-scene … Read more
[ad_1] In avery r. young’s words, these are “10 Chicago, books, art, music that I dig. People do what they want to do. Check them out or miss out.” We couldn’t agree more. The Curtis album By Curtis Mayfield Curtom Records, 1970 It’s like the funk of Cottage Grove found its way to The Lyric … Read more
[ad_1] Chicago’s inaugural Poet Laureate avery r. young is as remarkable, and multitudinous, and mesmerizing, as the city itself. His poetry is equally generative and multifaceted, and extends far beyond specific boundaries of language, music, performance, and visual art. At an essential level, young is both a remarkable individual, impassioned creator, and committed collaborator whose … Read more
[ad_1] The debut novel of David Connor, Oh God, The Sun Goes, takes audiences on a cerebral ride—both literally and figuratively—journeying within a story that could sit comfortably on the shelf of multiple genres. From mystery to science fiction, to biological place fiction (if such a thing exists), Connor flexes his creativity and cognitive neuroscience … Read more
[ad_1] It’s been a long, hot summer. Usually by this time of year the pace begins to slow a bit, as the weather prompts us to find solace wherever we can. But the pace of exciting releases continues to speed along! The books we’re sharing in August wade into something a bit more uncanny, from … Read more
[ad_1] The following excerpt is from Rebekah Bergman’s debut novel, The Museum of Human History. Combining elements of speculative fiction, fables, and magical realism, the novel follows a wide cast of characters who find themselves drawn to Maeve Wilhelm, a young girl who has fallen into a strange comatose state that halts her aging. Described … Read more
[ad_1] Reports of the death of Donald “Sully” Sullivan are somewhat exaggerated. In Somebody’s Fool, Richard Russo’s terrific new book in his North Bath, NY series, characters talk to Sully’s grave, look for the dead man to join them at the bar, and, when they are in a bind, they ask—maybe against their better judgment— What … Read more