Book Reviews

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Arts

Ordinary Black Lives Are What Matter In 'The Mothers'

4:10pm October 13, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Brit Bennett's new novel focuses on two best friends, both motherless, growing up in a black community in Southern California — and their shifting, lifelong negotiation with the idea of motherhood.

Books
Arts

The Humor In 'Crosstalk' Gets Lost In The Hubbub

7:00am October 13, 2016

by Amal El-Mohtar

Connie Willis' near-future tale of oversharing gone wrong follows a woman whose fiance wants to get an empathy-inducing brain operation for couples. The book aims for frothy farce, but falls flat.

Books
Arts

In 'Singing Bones,' An Artist Recasts The Grimm Tales — Literally

7:00am October 12, 2016

by Etelka Lehoczky

Illustrator Shaun Tan puts his skills to a new test in The Singing Bones. He's taking the familiar Grimm fairy tales and condensing each one down to a single, wordless photo of one of his sculptures.

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Arts

A Coming-Of Age Melodrama Is Steeped In Social Politics In 'The Mothers'

1:51pm October 11, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Britt Bennett's debut novel centers on three African-American friends dealing with their community's expectations and their own mistakes. Critic Maureen Corrigan says it is full of "mini epiphanies."

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American Philosophy by John Kaag (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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Arts

A Neglected Library Leads To Love In 'American Philosophy'

7:00am October 11, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

John Kaag's new memoir-slash-philosophical treatise begins at a low point in his life, and follows his quest for answers to a dusty old library that proves to be a treasure trove of American thought.

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Arts

Powerful Poetry Urges Us To 'Look' More Closely

7:00am October 09, 2016

by Mina Tavakoli

Solmaz Sharif's collection, Look, has just been shortlisted for a National Book Award. Playing on the military language in a Department of Defense lexicon, it's a wrenching look at war and duality.

The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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Arts

'Angel Of History' Is A Heartfelt Cry

7:00am October 08, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Rabih Alameddine's new novel begins with Satan and Death arguing, in the mind of a poet on the verge of a breakdown. Satan wants him to remember those lost to AIDS; Death preaches forgetfulness.

Books
Arts

Cuba Is A Dream That Doesn't Let Go In 'The Mortifications'

7:00am October 06, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Derek Palacio's new novel follows a family who escape Cuba, leaving their political rebel patriarch behind after he refuses to go with them. When he reappears decades later, their lives come apart.

The Wangs of the World by Jade Chang (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

Books
Arts

'The Wangs' Is Sparkling Family Travelogue — With Teeth

7:00am October 05, 2016

by Jason Heller

Jade Chang's debut novel follows former cosmetics magnate Charles Wang, whose business empire has collapsed, as he herds his fractious family on a cross-country roadtrip to their new home.

Books
Arts

Moving, Memorable 'Today Will Be Different' Balances Humor And Tragedy

7:00am October 04, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Maria Semple's new novel centers on erratic, overworked mother Eleanor, who makes a promise before the book begins: Today will be different. And it is, but not the way she expected or hoped for.