Reviews
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“Mary Coin,” by Marisa Silver
Marisa Silver in her new novel, Mary Coin, takes all this on and the result is a compelling, hard-to-put down story. As the cover of the novel suggests, the story emanates from the photograph, “Migrant Mother,” taken by Dorothea Lange…
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“Stupid Children,” by Lenore Zion
Reminiscent of a protagonist in an early Haruki Murakami novel, Jane is a passive agitator, an active observer.
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“Fight Song,” by Joshua Mohr
Fight Song, Joshua Mohr’s fourth novel, is a suburban picaresque about a character cursed with a name that highlights his own mediocrity and the futility of his efforts: Bob Coffen. In line with the schlubby antiheroes of Sam Lipstye and…
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The Emily Dickinson Reader by Paul Legault
At their best, love and translation share some contradictions, including selfishness and generosity. Translation is impossible, or at least not very good, without a passionate desire to own the material and leave one’s mark on it. At the same time,…
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“In Partial Disgrace,” by Charles Newman
To get to Cannonia, the setting for Charles Newman’s long-awaited and posthumously published novel, In Partial Disgrace, you’ll have a choice of gigs: “fantailed or tub-bodied; a chariotee, rockaway, or volonte; a Stanhope, tilbury, or cabriolet; a victoria, barouche or…
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“How Literature Saved My Life,” by David Shields
Something similar about desire and resistance to desire is going on with David Shields, a core theme begun in Reality Hunger and now extended with How Literature Saved My Life. Dramatizing uncertainty, in authors Shields devours and lauds (think Geoff…
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The Moon and Other Inventions: Poems after Joseph Cornell by Kristina Marie Darling
Marisa Siegel reviews Kristina Marie Darling’s The Moon & Other Inventions today in Rumpus Poetry.
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Fair Copy by Rebecca Hazelton
Tory Adkisson reviews Fair Copy by Rebecca Hazelton today in Rumpus Poetry.
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“Dora,” by Lidia Yuknavitch
Lidia Yuknavitch’s Dora: A Headcase is an uncomfortable, edgy, affecting novel. The Chronology of Water had the same charge: take challenging subject matter and build a narrative akin to unpacking tension-wracked nesting dolls, cumulative sadness and worry with each new…
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New Shoes on a Dead Horse by Sierra DeMulder
Winning just about every national poetry slam competition there is, Sierra DeMulder’s words and poetic swagger have won untouchable real estate in my bookshelf. DeMulder’s newest book, New Shoes on a Dead Horse re-defines confessional poetry; in fact, it pushes…
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The Word on the Street by Paul Muldoon
The Word on the Street is not Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon’s first work of writing for music. He wrote librettos for four Daren Hagen operas; Shining Bow, Vera of Las Vegas, Bandanna, and The Ancient Concert and worked in…
