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Dead-End Memories: Stories by Banana Yoshimoto
“And yet, when I traveled to other cities, I always found that a view without a river was of no interest to me at all. Perhaps that was because the inherent stillness of my nature made me crave the sight of things that moved.” Whenever I am in a reading slump or going through a…
1st pov, 2000s, 3 STARS, Adult, Banana Yoshimoto, collection of short stories, Contemporary, Dead-End Memories, Dead-End Memories: Stories, dreamlike quality, Dreams, female authors, ghosts/spirits, GRIEF, heartbreak/breakups, incest-y, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, loneliness, Longing, melancholy, MEMORY, nature, navel gazing, nostalgic reads, published in 2003, read in 2022, short stories, SLICE OF LIFE, surreal -
The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami
Considering that Hiromi Kawakami is one of my favourites authors this was a big letdown. The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino lacked the zing that made Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop into such fun and engaging reads. Nishino, the novel’s central character, is a boring creep and I could not for…
1st pov, 2 STARS, 2000s, Adult, bad love, cheating, collection of short stories, favourite authors, female authors, HIROMI KAWAKAMI, incest, interconnected stories, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, lgbtq+ side, published in 2003, queer side characters, READ 2020, ROMANCE, sex, sexual assault/abuse/rape, short stories, SLICE OF LIFE, surreal, The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino, toxic relationships, TRANSLATED FICTION, weird -
Old School by Tobias Wolff — book review
“A true piece of writing is a dangerous thing. It can change your life.” Old School presents its readers with a concise exploration of the complexities of writing and interpretation. Tobias Wolff exerts exquisite control over his prose, evoking through his sparse yet vivid language the rarefied world in which his unmanned narrator moves in.…
1960s, 1st pov, 3.5 STARS, academia, Adult, all boys school, ambiguous protagonist, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, american classics, boarding/private school, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, coming of age, dark academia, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, introspective, jealousy, LITERARY FICTION, male authors, modern classics, morality, Old School, philosophical, PRIVILEGE, psychological, published in 2003, read in 2020, Tobias Wolff, unnamed narrator -
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri — book review
“In so many ways, his family’s life feels like a string of accidents, unforeseen, unintended, one incident begetting another.” In the past few years I’ve read and fallen in love with Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection of short stories as well as her book on her relationship with the Italian language In Other Words. Although The Namesake…
1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 20th century, 3rd pov, 4.25 stars, Adult, America, asian diaspora, atmospheric, belonging, bildungsroman, BOSTON, cambridge (us), cheating, cold tone, cultural dissonance, divorce/separations, family, FAMILY SAGA, fathers & sons, favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, India, indian american author, intergenerational, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kolkata, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, MARRIAGE, Massachusetts, migration/immigration, modern classics, mothers & sons, NEW YORK, published in 2003, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2022, restrained prose, The Namesake, trains -
Loving Donovan : Book Review
Loving Donovan by Bernice L. McFadden ★★★✰✰ 3.5 stars The title of this novel is somewhat misleading. While yes, there is plenty of love to be found within these pages, it is almost obscured by the many harrowing scenes that make up most of the novel. McFadden’s writing is both direct and expressive which made…
1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, abuse, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Bernice L. McFadden, Black & Black heritage authors, child abuse, class, Contemporary, drama, family, female authors, friendships, LITERARY FICTION, Loving Donovan, MARRIAGE, mental health, published in 2003, RACE, rape, READ IN 2019, ROMANCE, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, tragedy, trauma -
THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR: BOOK REVIEW
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa ★★★★✰ 3.5 stars A poignant and gentle tale of a friendship between a professor (whose memory lasts approximately 80 minutes), his housekeeper and her ten-year-old son, who goes by the nickname of ‘Root’. The narrative of The Housekeeper and the Professor although brimming with compassion avoids being…
1990s, 20th century, 3.5 STARS, Contemporary, disabilities, existentialism, female authors, friendships, Hiroshima, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, mathematics, MEMORY, mumblecore, published in 2003, READ IN 2019, science, SLICE OF LIFE, sports, surreal, The Housekeeper and the Professor, TRANSLATED FICTION, Yōko Ogawa
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