For The Book Obsessed
[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
[ad_1] Bora Chung takes readers on a journey to the unexpected in her latest short story collection, Your Utopia. In her 2022 collection, Cursed Bunny, Chung showed us many types of monsters in stories ranging in varying degrees from speculative fiction to supernatural to horror. In Your Utopia, the narratives are decidedly more science fiction … Read more
[ad_1] In my opinion, writing historical fiction is somewhat of a Herculean task. While absolutely nothing about writing any novel is easy, there are unique difficulties that come with writing this specific genre. Oftentimes, extensive research is necessary to accurately reflect the appropriate language, clothes, and settings. More importantly though, authors of historical fiction must … Read more
[ad_1] The Translator’s Voice is a new column from Ian J. Battaglia here at the Chicago Review of Books, dedicated to global literature and the translators who work tirelessly to bring these books to the English-reading audience. Subscribe to his newsletter to get notified of new editions as well as other notes on writing, art, … Read more
[ad_1] The Chicago Review of Books is excited to feature the cover reveal of Cavar’s debut novel, “Failure to Comply.” The blurb, author bio, and quotes that follow are all courtesy of the book’s publicist, Addie Tsai: “Failure to Comply is an abolitionist text concerned with trans, disabled, and Mad liberation as a speculative art…Every story … Read more
[ad_1] Kiley Reid’s first novel, Such a Fun Age, was a big deal. It was a New York Times Bestseller and a pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club. It was praised by critics for its subtle insights into race and class, and longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Lena Waithe acquired its television rights. Reid … Read more
[ad_1] At the very beginning of Balsam Karam’s novel The Singularity (translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel), a pregnant woman stands witness as a woman lets herself fall off a cliff in her sightline, disappearing silently into the ocean. From there, time unspools forward and backwards, giving the reader insight into both past and … Read more
[ad_1] It is difficult to talk about guns in America without talking about denial. With every new tragedy, we look the other way in a naive attempt to escape responsibility for our role in sustaining the cycle of gun violence. Alexander Sammartino shows a keen sensitivity to this dynamic in his raucous, irreverent debut novel, … Read more
[ad_1] In Christina Cooke’s debut novel, Broughtupsy, a young woman, Akúa, whose family has been unmoored and adrift since the death of her mother, is on a mission. Akúa’s father moves the family first to Texas, then to Vancouver, but Akúa’s older sister, Tamika, travels back to Jamaica, leaving Akúa and their younger brother Bryson … Read more