thoughts, tales and travels
Karen Russell dishes up dark, disturbing stories. Not quite “an axe for the frozen sea within us,” as Kafka would recommend. More like a probe for reflections in our darkest recesses. A water witch for hidden pools of empathy. Russell’s great gift is for creating a fully developed world built...
Evaristo’s poetical narrative style isn’t hard to settle into. Breaks are more frequent than standard paragraphing. The story is plot-driven and the style supports a clear narrative account of the lives of its multi-generational cast of characters. “Show, Don’t Tell” is a writing cliche.we have lots of novels now where...
Review of Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon JamesNew York: Riverhead, 2019. 620 pp. This wild African-flavored fantasy is the most original book I have read this year. Marlon James has created a complete world of unique magic. Comparisons to Tolkien aren’t going too far. Although author Marlon James wrote...
Our trip to Honolulu was January 7-14, 2020. Hey, we weren’t expecting Paradise, just someplace warmer and hopefully drier than Eugene in the winter. An interesting American city with a unique cultural history and vibe. The first evening we checked into our condo and strolled out into the Waikiki evening,...
It doesn’t get better than a coffee mug that keeps itself warm. Especially when it comes wrapped in a family story that includes Santa Clause and a good elf, a flaming microwave, delivery magic, and a postscript coincidence. Thanks, family, and happy holidays to all.
Review of There, There by Tommy OrangeNew York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 It is interesting, refreshing, and heart-gripping to hear the voices of contemporary urban Native Americans groping for threads of identity in the challenging environment of Oakland, California. Tommy Orange handles multiple first-person narrative voices beautifully. The characters have...
Review: Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?By Bill McKibbenNew York: Henry Holt, 2019: 256 pp. This is not a particularly ground-breaking or distinguished book, but it is a thoughtful and clearly-written summary of some of the pressing moral and technological problems we face in 2020. Primarily,...
Review of The Dutch House by Ann PatchettNew York: Harper Collins, 2019, 337 pgs. I am a devoted fan of Ann Patchett. Her writing is rich and smooth, and I have found all her main characters fully developed and credible. Until I encountered the Conroy family of her most recent...
Review of Black Light: stories by Kimberly King ParsonsNew York: Vintage, Penguin Random House, 2019, 211 pages. Parsons has created a searing collection of characters driven by an id-dominated, desperate pleasure just a slight change-of-expression away from deep realms of pain. Her characters are ravenous, capable of sucking the last...
Review:Grand Union: Stories by Zadie SmithNew York: Penguin Press, 2019, 242 pp. This volume has been bracing to my spirit. Smith gleefully breaks all those rules of story writing I hear so often that it stirs me to rebellion. Show don’t tell? Smith raises the question of whether description should...
Recent Comments