The Lingering Pain of Grief in Yiyun Li’s “Wednesday’s Child” – Chicago Review of Books

The Lingering Pain of Grief in Yiyun Li’s “Wednesday’s Child” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] “I feel the most ridiculous thing is certainty,” the writer Yiyun Li once told Alexandra Kleeman in a profile for The New York Times. Li’s latest short story collection, Wednesday’s Child, shows once again how strongly she holds this. The collection’s eleven stories, written over the course of fourteen years, cover familiar ground for … Read more

The Haunting Undercurrent of Grief in “Meet Us by the Roaring Sea” – Chicago Review of Books

The Haunting Undercurrent of Grief in “Meet Us by the Roaring Sea” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In her 2018 short story collection Half Gods, Akil Kumarasamy drew upon both the imagined and the real in her intricately crafted tales of the Sri Lankan diaspora, whose characters were haunted by the impact of the Tamil genocide. In Meet Us by the Roaring Sea, her debut novel, we feel the same hauntedness … Read more

Confronting the Grief of Infertility in “Human Blues”  – Chicago Review of Books

Confronting the Grief of Infertility in “Human Blues”  – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Aviva Rosner is many things: punk folk singer, contrarian, potty mouth, feminist, Jew, occasional vegan, fan of Amy Winehouse. She is also a woman approaching her mid-thirties who really wants a baby, but seems unable to have one—at least not without the intervention of assisted reproductive technology, to which she is philosophically and even … Read more

The Anatomy of Grief in “Garden of Earthly Bodies” – Chicago Review of Books

The Anatomy of Grief in “Garden of Earthly Bodies” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Grief wracks us in many ways. Of course, much is made of the mental and emotional toll of grief, as well-wishers encourage those suffering to “take their time” and offer space and a sympathetic ear. But grief, and suffering at large, often manifests itself in physical means as well. Times like these can show … Read more

Coping with Grief and Reconnecting with Identity in “She Is Haunted” – Chicago Review of Books

Coping with Grief and Reconnecting with Identity in “She Is Haunted” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Paige Clark’s debut short story collection, She Is Haunted, considers how we handle loss in the modern world. Whether due to a casual fling mistaken for intimacy, or the death of a loved one, navigating the end of complicated relationships can raise the question of how much control we have over our own identities. … Read more

The Shape of Grief in “We Do What We Do In The Dark” – Chicago Review of Books

The Shape of Grief in “We Do What We Do In The Dark” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Narrative structure impacts when we take in information, and how we read a story. Doubtful Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go would have the same impact if we knew from page one what was happening, and surely Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony wouldn’t be as masterful if narrated linearly. In the same way, Michelle Hart’s … Read more

Portrait of the Artist Transforming Grief in “Time Is a Mother” – Chicago Review of Books

Portrait of the Artist Transforming Grief in “Time Is a Mother” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Like many, I’ve been eagerly anticipating Ocean Vuong’s Time Is a Mother, his second collection of poems following the success of Night Sky with Exit Wounds and his debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. But whether it’s a sign of our temporally unrooted times or my increasingly scattered mind, I found myself considering … Read more