Tag: fiction

A review of The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan

The Unknown Terrorist is being sold as a Trojan Horse of a thriller masquerading the seriousness of the societal critique it provides, but even that statement is a Trojan Horse. At the core of this novel is a nihilism so bleak, that it makes even the horror of the terrorist act, of murder and suicide, seem minor in comparison. It’s almost the complete opposite of the joyous affirmative humour which underpins Gould’s Book of Fish, and except for the occasional forays into stunning prose, it’s hard to believe this is the same author.

A review of Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann

I think of German writers – unlike Musil or Joseph Roth, both of Austria – as hard and gnarly with long involved sentences and a gloomy outlook. Kehlmann’s lightness of touch is exceptional. He is a quietly witty writer with…

A review of Everybody Loves Somebody by Joanna Scott

Scott has written a splendid book. It’s clever, fairly glitters with cleverness, but it also better than that, and is a book that will appeal to every perceptive reader. Reviewed by Bob Williams Everybody Loves Somebody by Joanna Scott Back…

A review of Decreation by Anne Carson

But it is the close interconnections in the book (after another section of relatively autonomous poems) that pose major fascinations for the reader as she makes connections of times and places, bringing together in harmony ideas and persons that are…

A review of Girl in Landscape by Jonathan Lethem

Much of the book depends on the ability of several of the characters to shape-shift and Pella especially spends much of the novel as a small animal ubiquitous on the planet and known as household deer, shy creatures that haunt…

A review of Taking Off by Eric Kraft

  The seriousness and complexity of Kraft’s novels varies. Taking Off has a modest scope compared to Leaving Small’s Hotel or Reservations Recommended, but each book by Kraft has a consistency of its own that is enjoyable on its own merits and is enhanced by its…

A review of Pervalism by M.E Ellis

M.E’s skill is consummate. Her voice, consistent and eerie, will ensnare the most reticent reader. An English setting, the backdrop for Brookes’ heinous acts, provides a rich tapestry of British culture that weaves depth and a strong sense of place…

A review of The Visitor by Maeve Brennan

Brennan writes this kind of emotional turmoil with lightness and depth, evoking the wrenching fear and panic that true loneliness induces. Neither excusing nor explaining Anastasia’s heightened sense of self-preservation, Brennan’s is a powerful and compassionate voice, one that haunts…

A review of February Flowers by Fan Wu

The moment of transformation comes late in the novel, and is handled so subtly that it is easy to miss. Nevertheless the reader is left with a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t limit the story with overt sensationalism. February Flowers is a beautifully…