Stories Within Stories in “Baumgartner” – Chicago Review of Books

Stories Within Stories in “Baumgartner” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Paul Auster’s best novels balance intricate and absorbing stories, with deconstructions of the art of narrative in a manner that rarely detracts from the flow or fun of the narrative itself. Unlike the machinations of many metafiction authors, the games Auster plays with storytelling never seem to get in the way of the stories … Read more

Old Stories Wear New Skins in “Burn the Negative” and “The Beast You Are” – Chicago Review of Books

Old Stories Wear New Skins in “Burn the Negative” and “The Beast You Are” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In July, horror fans are spoiled for choice with the publication of a relative newcomer’s homage to classic horror as well as a new offering from a veteran of the genre. Josh Winning’s Burn the Negative is clearly the work of a horror film enthusiast, with references and tropes a-plenty for slasher buffs to … Read more

An Interview with Ramona Reeves on “It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories” – Chicago Review of Books

An Interview with Ramona Reeves on “It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In this heartfelt and bracing debut, Ramona Reeves renders the complex lives of the people of Mobile, Alabama, in all their pursuits and struggles. It Falls Gently All Around and Other Stories presents a memorable account of a community through the intimate lens of their relationships, addictions, longings, and fears. Reeves excellently sets the … Read more

The Stories We Retell in “Bliss Montage” – Chicago Review of Books

The Stories We Retell in “Bliss Montage” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] The eight stories in Ling Ma’s collection Bliss Montage are linked, not only because their protagonists tend to be Chinese-American women on the brink of autonomy, or because they drift in the same sea of anomie and escapist fantasy. Rather, on a deeper level, these stories are bound by a subconscious connective tissue. Characters … Read more

Motherhood and Other Stories in “Heartbroke” – Chicago Review of Books

Motherhood and Other Stories in “Heartbroke” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] I, for one, celebrate the influx of recent fiction shining a light on motherhood. From Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers to Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch, these works are getting more introspective and surreal in these waning pandemic days. Taking a different direction, one more rooted in reality and stark simplicity, is Chelsea Bieker’s … Read more

The Collected Stories of Grace Paley with Jami Attenberg – Chicago Review of Books

The Collected Stories of Grace Paley with Jami Attenberg – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Welcome to another installment of a collaboration between the Chicago Review of Books and the Your Favorite Book podcast. Malavika Praseed, frequent CHIRB contributor and podcast host, seeks to talk to readers and writers about the books that light a fire inside them. What’s your favorite book and why? This week’s guest is Jami … Read more

Five Fragments about Ghost Stories, Mysteries, Rules, and the Uncanny

Five Fragments about Ghost Stories, Mysteries, Rules, and the Uncanny

[ad_1] I. It was called “Boy In The Shadows,” and it scared me, sure, but only enough to fascinate me, not enough to keep me awake at night. At eleven, I wanted to be mystified and amazed, maybe a little unsettled, but not actually terrified. The summer before, a campfire story about a blood-soaked slumber … Read more

28 Stories You Can Read Online for Black History Month – Chicago Review of Books

28 Stories You Can Read Online for Black History Month – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] 2020 was a year full of reckonings. For the publishing industry, it meant coming face to face with its continued failures to address a lack of diversity in their companies, and in their slates of authors. According to an Opinion column published in the New York Times entitled “Just How White is the Book … Read more

5 Seductive, Sexy Stories to Get Your Pulse Racing

5 Seductive, Sexy Stories to Get Your Pulse Racing

[ad_1] Romance books are on everyone’s minds these days. Hello, even Shonda Rhimes was inspired by romance author Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series to create the pulse-racing Netflix show everyone’s talking about. But, of course, everyone has a different idea of what’s sexy, and therefore, which romance books might appeal to them. This list of five … Read more