PanElectric LiteratureCalifornia fails to give itself the rein to try something?—?anything?—?new with the post-apocalyptic plot line. Instead, it comes across as Lepucki’s self-indulgent contribution to the well-trodden doomsday narrative, as opposed to what would surprise and impress a reader: That is, a break from the genre’s well-worn conventions. This is mostly because, in prioritizing her politics and concept over the dynamics between Cal and Frida, Lepucki has made an easy mistake. Writers err when they forget that it’s the characters a reader cares about?—?at least more than they care about any apocalypse or smoke-and-mirrors games concerning characters’ pasts … California is just another Godzilla: flashy, entertaining, hyped, and ultimately forgettable.
Emma Cline
RaveElectric Literature...longing and desire are the twin forces ricocheting in Cline’s beast of a debut. Only clumsily might it be categorized as 'Manson fiction,' though; more centrally, it is one of the darkest and most alluring coming-of-age novels to drop in a good while ... So yes, there is a lot that makes one want to secretly see Cline fail—her age, her subject, her hype, her advance. Unfortunately for comment sections everywhere, The Girls will not give those seeking to eviscerate it much ammunition. ... The Girls revels in how deliriously intoxicating—and dangerous—it is to find oneself desired, and Cline is an enviable talent right out of the starting gate.
Kate Bolick
PanElectric LiteratureBolick’s memoir turns into a kind of log of lovers and all the male romantic interests are the same bland brand of sweet-sexy-romantic, as well as, Bolick insinuates, marriage material ... Time and progress will not treat Bolick’s thesis kindly. Already Spinster as a feminist text is out of date; and as literary biography, it is lacking. Only as the memoir of a writer’s career does Spinster seem to have lasting value; and it is Bolick’s success, rather than her serial dating, that feels like the point.
Idra Novey
RaveThe Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAs zany as the story is, there is a blade of darkness to the plot of Ways to Disappear, a particular edge that makes it not quite so summery as it first appears. Novey’s keen word choices and a kidnapping (complete with a severed ear) give the novel such a clear-cut black-and-white divide between the good and the bad that it feels woven from the same fabric as a 1940s noir.
Idra Novey
RaveElectric LiteratureAs zany as the story is, there is a blade of darkness to the plot of Ways to Disappear, a particular edge that makes it not quite so summery as it first appears. Novey’s keen word choices and a kidnapping (complete with a severed ear) give the novel such a clear-cut black-and-white divide between the good and the bad that it feels woven from the same fabric as a 1940s noir.
