RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewDemuth’s decision to portray the region’s energy exchanges is an inspired choice. In the frozen earth and teeming waters of the Bering Strait, there are many losses to tally. Grasping their relationship to one another is crucial ... The book’s refutation of human exceptionalism is evident in its narrative approach. Demuth...writes with care and caution as a foreigner to the region ... Floating Coast is designed to present connections, not characters. Its scope is huge. For readers drawn to the scenic, there are vivid, unforgettable moments ... this book has much to offer. No matter its subject in any given paragraph — whether set in 1870 or 1990; in Imperial Russia, the United States or the Soviet Union; in the sharp specificity of gutting fish or the abstraction of revolution —Floating Coast is rich, well researched and illuminating. It keeps under readers’ feet the vastness of Demuth’s expertise, as solid as a land bridge. She has made it her life’s work to learn about Beringia. In relaying her knowledge, she provides a vision not only of where we on this continent came from but where we are headed. We study the Bering Strait to learn what the future holds.
Elif Shafak
RaveThe New York Times Book Review... a bold, subversive, excellent novel ... Where some other books’ maps are flatly illustrated, providing a crisp view of a place from directly overhead, this one is drawn from an angle, its edges obscured by clouds. A sea gull is foregrounded. Istanbul is cramped underneath. This becomes a neat visual representation not only of the sites in the story but of the author’s intent. As sweeping as the novel is, moving across time, space, characters and planes of existence, it stays grounded in the sensations that make up daily life. It has both enormous ambitions and laser-sharp attention to detail. The map is a promise: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World will never take a bird’s-eye view without also showing exactly which bird’s eyes we are peering through ... [Shafak\'s] skills as a writer — her confident pacing, emotional honesty and political consciousness — unite the two halves, making for a gripping and moving whole. Not every bit is perfect; a few characters are unevenly developed and the language can feel stilted in places. But these flaws hardly diminish the book’s overall quality ... is well deserving of honors. Shafak writes with vision, bravery and compassion. Her novel is a stunning portrait of a city, a society, a small community and a single soul.
