“Nothing ever happens like you imagine it will.” In the course of three novels geared toward young adults it has become clear that there are certain things one should always expect in a John Green novel. First, that it will feature at least two lovable losers front and center – intelligent, hyper-articulate guys who just … More Book Review: Paper Towns, by John Green
Ever since the publication of her mesmerizing, Pulitzer Prize winning debut collection, Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri has established herself as one of modern fiction’s most powerful voices. The stories in that collection showcased what was to become Lahiri’s trademark: acute psychological observations, eloquent writing, detailed descriptions, and a fiercely intelligent structure. As in poetry, … More Book Review: Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri
“I did all I could and it still wasn’t enough.” “You really want to know what being an X-Man feels like? Just be a smart bookish boy of color in a contemporary U.S. ghetto. Mamma mia! Like having bat wings or a pair of tentacles growing out of your chest.” Meet Oscar de León. Once … More Book Review: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz
“And that, my young friends, is the story of our country, one invader after another … But we’re like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.” Following up a great first novel is no easy task, and many writers fall victim to the so-called “sophomore slump”. Not Khaled … More Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
A Narcissist’s Guide to 9/11 In the years since September 11th, 2001 many authors have tried their hands at the 9/11 novel, with all of its delicate subject matter, and thus far they have met with only limited degrees of success: Jonathan Safran Foer, Julia Glass, Wendy Wasserstein, and others have centered novels on the … More Book Review: The Emperor’s Children, by Claire Messud
Supposedly Fun 