The end of the world as we know it is the focus of Emily St. John Mandel’s surprisingly humane Station Eleven. … More The End is Nigh in Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
“It’s always a matter, isn’t it, of waiting for the world to come unraveled? When things hold together, it’s only temporary.” Simply put, The Great Believers is a novel about the fragility of life; how tenuous our grasp on it–and each other–is. It is also beautiful, honest, and funny. I am not ashamed to admit that … More Living and Dying in Times of Crisis: The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
“History is the error we are forever correcting.” The Tsar of Love and Techno is a series of interlocked stories spanning generations in Russia, Siberia, and Chechnya. It starts with a bang, telling stories of a Soviet censor who paints his brother, who was executed and whose existence was wiped out by the government, into … More The Tsar of Love and Techno, by Anthony Marra: Book Review
“…things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.” A Little Life is the story of four friends who meet in college. Ostensibly, it follows their friendship throughout the decades that follow, but the … More Book Review: A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
“I want to make my nothingness count.” First, I should tell you that Claire Messud and I have a complicated history. To be blunt: I hated her last book, The Emperor’s Children. It made me so angry. Looking back at my review (you can read it here), I see that perhaps a lot of this … More Book Review: The Woman Upstairs, by Claire Messud
“There was power in having once known someone.” Let me get this out of the way right now: this is a tremendous book. I have a couple of criticisms, which I will get to, but hot damn. Meg Wolitzer has written an astonishingly clever, detailed novel, and the utmost respect must be given to that. … More Book Review: The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
Supposedly Fun 