Reviews
-
Between Bodies: The Undressing by Li-Young Lee
Yet the backyard cannot exist without the intimacy of the bedroom.
-
Beautiful Evil: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Alaska attracts those looking to be free from the constraints of society.
-
Two Extraordinary Books: Bullets into Bells and Inquisition
The obscenities and tragedies of American life pile up with speed, and in quantities, that are appalling.
-
Hero and Villain: Emily Pérez’s House of Sugar, House of Stone
How hard it is to trust the difference between sacrifice and sabotage!
-
Holding Herself Up: Amy Dresner’s My Fair Junkie
It’s hard to build a life, no matter who you are, Dresner suggests.
-
A Kind of Communal History: Nepantla edited by Christopher Soto
Fundamentally, [Nepantla] is an act of history-making in verse.
-
A Tiny Wellspring of Comfort: Nina Riggs’s The Bright Hour
[Nina] is not a warrior but a reconnoiter at life’s edge.
-
Reinventing the World: José Olivarez’s Citizen Illegal
If they come for one of us, they will come for us all.
-
A Haunted Reality: Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It
The narration isn’t dispassionate, but there’s a distance.
-
With Great Devotion: Julie Marie Wade’s Same-Sexy Marriage
Ultimately, this is a story in which redemption is not a possibility.
-
A Façade of a Woman: R.O. Kwon’s The Incendiaries
It is incredible to crack open an American novel and wince upon seeing parts of yourself reflected back so strikingly.
