RaveZYZZYVA... Joukhadar’s poetic writing presents a world where the boy finds traces of his mother in everything, whether she appears as an apparition or just a faint whiff of thyme. He clings to her memory as he struggles to come to terms with his identity—and Joukhadar gives us a vivid portrait of what the loss of a loved one can leave behind ... Standing at the crossroads of art, history, queerness, and community, The Thirty Names of Night presents two engrossing narratives whose convergence is astounding and heartbreaking in turn. Joukhadar writes with intricacy and care, and the dual narratives parallel each other in beautiful and unexpected ways in this culturally and linguistically rich novel.
Matt Haig
PositiveZYZZYVAThe Midnight Library offers a unique form of post-modernism in that it seeks an honest and desperate return to sincerity. It captures, with humor and a touch of irony, the themes of restlessness, disappointment, disaffection, and the constant desire to do things differently ... Haig’s novel is a testament to human capacity and a philosophical meditation on what our choices say about us. With language that is compact yet elegant, Haig crafts a story about life, death, and everything in between, ultimately reminding us that \'the game is never over until it’s over.\'
Rumaan Alam
RaveZYZZYVABeautifully rendered and sardonically crafted, this story tests the bounds of our tolerance when the landscape grows dangerous, and civilization seems on the precipice of disaster ... Alam illustrates the sinister tempest of the inexplicable ... With a flair for the absurd and satirical, Alam portrays the chaotic feeling of isolation and the terrifying fragility of our modern world ... Painfully relevant to the current state of things, Leave the World Behind explores isolation and morality as the lives of its characters are forever changed. With its rapier wit and palpable tension, the novel offers a glimpse into the psychologically distressing and unnerving nature of confinement. And in his depictions of survival and Sisyphean attempts at comprehending what’s going on, Alam explores the struggles of parenthood and the burden of caring about one another. As the characters’ anxiety over their incompetence grows, Alam constructs an eerie and addictive story that captures the strengths and pitfalls of humanity placed under mounting pressure.
Lee Conell
RaveZYZZYVA... a provocative testament to class division and the boundless nature of self-absorbance ... Conell offers us a glimpse into a microcosm of New York where tensions are high, and resentment seems inevitable ... Through the eyes of these two characters, Conell presents a vibrant world, illustrating the ubiquitous nature of power and the difficulty of confronting privilege ... A colorful cast brings the apartment building to life ... The characters are what make Conell’s novel so affecting ... Conell deftly illustrates the way wealth, or the lack thereof, can shape a person ... Conell manifests a tension so tangible that we are left on edge, desperate for some cathartic return. But in a tale that is as poignant as it is funny, Conell’s portrait of class division and privilege ultimately reminds us of the gaping disparities between our expectations and the harsh realities that often follow.
