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

The Urgency of Existence in “I Fear My Pain Interests You” – Chicago Review of Books

The Urgency of Existence in “I Fear My Pain Interests You” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Margot Highsmith is 30,000 feet in the air, crammed into the airplane bathroom dabbing at a bloody lip she hadn’t realized was bleeding. Behind in New York: family despair and romantic anguish that might actually just be humiliation. (Sometimes it’s hard to disentangle the two.) But outside of Bozeman, Montana is an empty house … Read more

Pleasure, Pain, and Fear in “Jawbone” – Chicago Review of Books

Pleasure, Pain, and Fear in “Jawbone” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Award-winning Ecuadorian writer Mónica Ojeda makes her English debut with Jawbone, a hair-raising novel about the horrors of adolescence. Ojeda has published short stories, poems, and novels. Jawbone is her third novel, originally published in Spanish in 2018. Sarah Booker, who renders Ojeda’s dense, tightly woven prose into a stunning new English translation, reflects … Read more