A Portrait of the Self as a Young Woman in “All-Night Pharmacy” – Chicago Review of Books

A Portrait of the Self as a Young Woman in “All-Night Pharmacy” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] It’s fitting that the narrator of Ruth Madievsky’s debut novel, All-Night Pharmacy, is never given a name. Despite the first-person participant point of view, she seems to have sprung fully formed from the functions of those around her, namely her sister, Debbie. Her own traits, her own personhood, are obliterated when Debbie is around. … 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

Strokes of Authenticity in “Portrait of an Unknown Lady” – Chicago Review of Books

Strokes of Authenticity in “Portrait of an Unknown Lady” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] It’s perhaps an unfortunate aspect of art that the value we perceive in it is at least partially derived from public opinion. Who was the work’s creator, and from what circumstances was it made? In Portrait of an Unknown Lady, the second novel from Maria Gainza that has been translated into English by Thomas … Read more