Book Reviews

Books
Arts

'Infomocracy' Is A Sci-Fi Thriller With Election-Year Chills

4:15pm June 08, 2016

by Jason Heller

Malka Older's new book takes place at the end of the 21st century, in a future where the game of politics has become more streamlined — but infinitely more complex and terrifying.

They May Not Mean To But They Do by Cathleen Schine

Books
Arts

'They May Not Mean To' Is A Wry, Warm Look At The Indignities Of Aging

10:24am June 08, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Cathleen Schine's new novel stars that literary rarity: a functional family. But matriarch Joy is struggling; her husband is ailing and her worried children don't like seeing their parents' decline.

Books
Arts

In 'Homegoing,' A Saga Of A Family United By Blood, Separated By Slavery

1:55pm June 07, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Yaa Gyasi's debut short story collection begins in 18th century Ghana, where the slave trade separates two half sisters. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Homegoing a strong work with versatile language.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Homegoing' Is A Sprawling Epic, Brimming With Compassion

11:46am June 07, 2016

by Jean Zimmerman

Yaa Gyasi's debut novel traces the terrible impact of slavery on generations of an African family, beginning with two sisters in 18th century Ghana — one who stayed, and one shipped to America.

Books
Arts

This 'Hero Of France' Is A Truly Decent Man

4:02pm June 02, 2016

by Bethanne Patrick

The latest installment in Alan Furst's Night Soldiers series opens on a grey spring day in occupied Paris. It follows Mathieu, a small-time Resistance leader and fundamentally good man.

Books
Arts

Moving, Inventive 'Thing With Feathers' Is A Guide To Grief

1:00pm June 02, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Max Porter's darkly funny, fiercely emotional new novel centers on a family — a husband and two sons — devastated by the loss of their wife and mother. And then the crow appears.

Books
Arts

'Possession' Charts The Tangled Paths Of Art And Antiquities

8:20pm June 01, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

Art crime expert Erin Thompson digs into the dirt around antiquities in her new book — what motivates collectors, what justifications they give and the politics around their acquisitions.

Books
Arts

Neil Gaiman's Nonfiction, Seen From The 'Cheap Seats'

8:04pm May 31, 2016

by Jason Heller

Neil Gaiman is best-known for his fictional creations, but he is also a prolific producer of essays, album liner notes, speeches and introductions — now collected in The View From the Cheap Seats.

Books
Arts

Lonely 'Hope' Appears, But Is Quickly Forgotten

7:00am May 29, 2016

Claire North's moving new novel The Sudden Appearance of Hope centers on a young woman who cannot be remembered; only animals or people with brain damage can recall their interactions with her.

Books
Arts

'Sweetbitter' Sings With Innocence And Experience

7:00am May 28, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Stephanie Danler's new novel follows a young woman finding herself in the New York City restaurant world. It's voluptuous, ripeness on the verge of rot — but anything more tasteful wouldn't do.