RaveChicago Review of BooksQuite simply, it’s an enjoyable, if at times painful, read ... One touch I’d be remiss not to mention is the care Salesses put into chapter titles—themselves a marvel these days when most novel chapters are simply numbered. Their presence feels special, and like an invitation to take the work deeper ... Clever is an apt word to describe The Sense of Wonder, as it’s so richly layered. By merging the worlds of sports and entertainment (and the ways the two overlap), the novel astutely captures the tension between the public and personal lives of sports stars. It manages to be both funny and heartbreaking, and as entertaining as I imagine a K-drama is.
Morgan Talty
RaveFiction Writers ReviewThe twelve stories in Night of the Living Rez are masterfully rendered, demanding to be read, then read again ... while Talty has clearly considered accessibility in his work, because of the lack of Penobscot representation in mainstream literature, it’s wise for non-Native readers to be careful in interpreting it as a definitive portrait of this tribe. Far better to read it as it’s intended: as a beautiful and brutal portrait of one Penobscot boy, his family, and friends ... The impulse to return to this work is because there’s much to admire on a craft level. Not just sentences, though readers who underline passages they love will easily mark up the text. All the story elements are in conjunction with one another. The architecture of these stories is that of someone who intimately and expertly understands short fiction, which arguably utilizes additional skills than longer form—compression and endings that are poetically poignant ... The recurring themes and imagery emerge subtly, and are never overstated ... an impressive debut filled with brilliant stories to revisit.
Ru Freeman
RaveChicago Review of BooksFreeman...expertly depicts the dance between who we appear to be and what’s below the surface in her new story collection, Sleeping Alone ... While the stories do wrestle with issues of privilege and class, that’s not their focus. Rather, the underlying current binding these stories together is the way they highlight the emotional price we pay when there is a disconnect between our public and private selves. It’s not a comfortable read, but it is a searing one. While Freeman’s prose has many virtues—she’s masterful on a line level and utilizes effective narrative techniques in each story—it’s her ability to highlight how lonely it is to not truly be seen that makes Sleeping Alone so remarkable.
Michelle Hart
RaveThe Chicago Review of Books... about so much more than just grief and how it can shape us, leaving us feeling directionless and searching for something to fill the void. The novel also deals with queer conception, sexual awakening, and coming out—but does the latter with a refreshing simplicity and lack of traumatic fanfare. But mostly, this novel is about the way a significant relationship can change us, reverberating for years to come ... an electrifying debut. Hart’s prose is concise and lyrical. Her ability to capture loneliness and the contradictions found in youth and grief is notable. Even if we ourselves haven’t experienced parental loss at a young age, we recognize the driftlessness and yearning of young adulthood. But it’s not merely its relatability and poetic nature that makes We Do What We Do In The Dark so notable—its artful narrative structure creates a profound reading experience.
Rebecca Kauffman
RaveSouthern Review of BooksSome readers may question the book’s scope which spans half a century and includes nine points of view in less than three hundred pages. And while the novel’s non-linear structure helps one orient to the large cast of characters, three males whose names all begin with the letter J (Jim, John, and Jack) can initially be confusing. However, the characters quickly come to life because of their responses to the unique situations they find themselves in ... it’s true the reader will finish the novel with a limited understanding of each character, but like a chorus of voices, it is not the individual voice one seeks, but the sound of the wondrous whole ... While some could dismiss Chorus as tackling more than its page count allows, or even viewing it as a novel-in-stories, doing so misses out on the beauty of this book. Each story-like chapter is so poignant — many with the feel of an Alice Munro story — it’s easy to fall under Kauffman’s spell. But when, after finishing the novel and viewing it in its entirety, the precision and care that went into plotting is clear ... a near-perfect novel, reminding us that even as our losses magnify our flaws, recovery is possible when we have people who love us.
Destiny O. Birdsong
RaveChicago Review of Books...with three young women so vibrantly portrayed, it’s easy to imagine a cult following ... these three women may have light skin, but they’re very much Black women. The complex dichotomy is fascinating terrain to explore, which Birdsong, herself a Black woman with albinism, does with poignancy and grace ... It’s an astute and moving meditation on the ways social and racial histories shape oneself ... These stories are meant to be read as separate panels, portraits of each of these women, which complement one another, sometimes drawing parallels yet always feeling distinct. The novel is satisfying when read this way: like one does a story collection, taking each on its own terms, then looking at the thematic overlap—of which here, there’s plenty ... These three women are so distinct and real they will undoubtedly be remembered by readers years later, the hallmark of iconic characters.
Cara Blue Adams
RaveThe Chicago Review of BooksAdams isn’t afraid to make bold choices in her fiction, and it’s little wonder this debut collection won this year’s John Simmons Short Fiction Award ... What’s so special about this book is that regardless of protagonist, these thirteen stories, which range from 26 pages to 43 words, are all strong ... Perhaps the greatest strength of the collection is the way Adams leverages these changes, as well as time, in such a way that it’s apparent how these factors influence character ... The jokes, by the way, are funny. Adams has a knack for inserting wry humor at just the right time, which helps balance some of the heavier topics that emerge. Along with exploring the distance between what Kate once had and what she currently wants, these stories wrestle with issues of consent, gender, social class, and loving someone struggling with addiction. There’s an impressive range displayed here—both in subject and style—making You Never Get It Back a strong and notable collection. The expectations Adams set with her first story—which is smart, moving, even brilliant—are indeed fulfilled, which will leave readers hungry for her next book.
Ruth Ozeki
RaveFiction Writers Review... while Ozeki, a Zen Buddhist priest, incorporates principles of Zen Buddhism into both The Book and the fabric of the story, it doesn’t come off as preachy—the signpost of a skillful omniscient narrator, and the brilliance of making The Book itself such a well-developed character ... Benny’s responses to what The Book shares about his life and his parents can be hilarious; other times, it’s pointed ... tension between The Book and Benny’s feelings about how his story—and self—is portrayed makes Benny a rich three-dimensional character, one who’s impossible not to root for and love. His journey takes on an epic feel, in part because the length of the novel allows for such scope, but also because the story develops into a riveting plot. The Book of Form and Emptiness indeed has everything one wants from a novel—sympathetic and interesting characters, a propulsive story that is heartbreaking but also playful and affirming, artful structure and skillful point of view—all while wrestling with life’s big questions.
Elias Rodriques
RaveThe Chicago Review of BooksWhile Elias Rodriques’s debut novel can be described as a meditation on memory, what makes it stand out from other novels is how Rodriques uses memory as a conduit for revealing and exploring identity ... an impressive debut about the intersectionality of identity and memory, revealing how where we live and who we love can embed themselves so deeply, there is no escape.
Leah Hampton
RaveChicago Review of BooksLeah Hampton’s new story collection, F*ckface, nails the Appalachian region with such precision and range it could be held up as an example of how when done well, a strong sense of place can almost become a character in itself. Like any good story collection, Hampton’s twelve stories share thematic elements, but each are very different—texturally, yes, but in setting, too ... Each shows a large range, both in Hampton’s chops and this region, creating an unapologetic yet compassionate portrayal of these Appalachian characters ... What makes F*ckface notable isn’t only the way Hampton sets up these conflicts in her often subtle, artful way, it’s also how she handles the tone of each story, tucking in sharp language and humor amongst the thick emotional tone—resulting in pitch perfect narratives ... Not every story here is a strong standalone, but together these twelve stories make up an impressive debut marking Leah Hampton as a writer worth watching.
Jordan Kisner
RaveChicago Review of Books... the fluidity of Kisner’s essays in her debut book, Thin Places, is arguably the most striking thing about this collection. Kisner seems to effortlessly move from research to personal memoir to social commentary—often within a single essay. The topics in Thin Places are wide-ranging, but it’s also as if each essay is stretching its fingers into the next, so there’s a nice congruity throughout the book ... No matter the topic, Kisner’s writing is unflinching, written with a curious and open mind and heart. She’s like a physician, taking the pulse of society, and sharing the results matter-of-factly, without judgment. This debut collection marks Kisner as a voice to listen to.
Julia Alvarez
RaveThe Chicago Review of Books... it isn’t only Alvarez’s storytelling that is so compelling, but also her unparalleled voice ... Alvarez has a remarkable ability to show how our personal lives can enmesh with political questions ... The story’s climax comes and goes a little too neatly and easily, but the novel’s virtues—of which there are many—are separate from its plot. Reading Alvarez’s work is a reminder in the enduring power of literature, of what it can and should do. Its job isn’t simply to entertain, but to move us, challenge us, change us ... Literature pulls its weight when it forces us to meditate on contemporary life, to step outside ourselves and question the status quo. Make no mistake. Afterlife pulls its weight in the real world.
Gabriel Bump
PositiveThe Chicago Review of BooksClaude’s reflections on the world around him are sprinkled throughout and are never heavy-handed ... a surprising and exhilarating finish ... That said, after finishing the novel, the opening pages almost seem like throat-clearing. From a plot level, Bump’s novel could arguably start on page 52 and the story would be tighter, wielding the ending to a sharper conclusion ... Bump’s prose is tight and clean, a pleasure to read. He doesn’t waste words or pages with unnecessary description. The characters come to life not through adjectives, but through their dialogue. Paul is so memorable not because of how he’s described or even what he does, but the things he says. Bump’s sentences sizzle with perfectly timed humor and interiority. The novel makes you laugh out loud, but also nod at its poignancy on issues of class and racism ... Part of what makes it possible for the novel to be so on-point about these issues is through these characters who defy stereotypes ... Of all the novel’s virtues, its biggest achievement might be the way it confronts a common narrative of the South Side experience while giving voice to a greater and more universal experience — the spectacular average.
Maryse Meijer
PositiveThe Chicago Review of Books[Meijer] has a gift for writing sharp, vivid stories that are strange and horrifying in the most delightful way ... fans of Meijer won’t be disappointed by Rag, which is even better — and darker — than her debut collection.
Rabeah Ghaffari
PositiveChicago Review of Books\"Ghaffari does a beautiful job of weaving the building tensions of the country into the idyllic orchard family gatherings, so the looming revolution surrounds the characters until it’s upon them ... Despite the lazy nature of the afternoon family lunches, no inertia is felt in this novel. In small moments and conversations, layers of tension build until the revolution is upon them. Secrets are revealed, a marriage unravels, and violence escalates.\
Elizabeth Tan
RaveThe Chicago Review of Books\"Elizabeth Tan’s debut, Rubik, is so clever and imaginative, it merits being part of the literary canon of great novels-in-stories ... But Rubik is more than experimental fiction about humanity and capitalism. Yes, it is a social satire, but it’s also a meditation on time and space ... like any good novel-in-story, Rubik does more than just allow its stories to connect through theme or character. It isn’t until you finish reading and step back and look, that you see what once seemed like jumbled chaos all lines up symmetrically, connecting all these themes that once seemed at odds, just like a Rubik’s cube.\
Del Samatar and Sofia Samatar
RaveChicago Review of BooksThe marriage between artwork and prose in Monster Portraits results in a beautiful book and a moving, subtle, timely meditation on otherness ... The idea that \'our world is another\' is what propels the book forward. Each vignette asks questions about alienation, about the ways we divide the world into us and them, and the self-fulfilling prophecies that result.
Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
RaveThe Chicago Review of Books...[an] incredible achievement. A Kind of Freedom is a portrait of a family and a richly layered exploration of their sufferings ... what is most remarkable about the tapestry of these stories is the way each person’s section is written a little differently from the last, like varying fabrics. Evelyn’s chapters and T.C.’s are written so distinctly that at times it feels like a completely different person wrote them. Wilkerson Sexton’s ability to change the style of writing to fit the time period is one of the most impressive aspects of the novel ... a deft portrait of a family and the way they suffer over generations. This remarkable debut marks Margaret Wilkerson Sexton as a writer worth watching.
Zinzi Clemmons
RaveThe Chicago Review of BooksThe themes explored in What We Lose—race, identity, family, and loss—are familiar, but their presentation here feels entirely fresh and new ... made up of poetic vignettes that combine to create an unforgettable portrait of a young woman’s search for identity ... beautiful poignant prose makes What We Lose the kind of novel you might find yourself marking up as you underline a sentence on every other page. Clemmons’s prose is sharp, and though the book is slim, it’s a rich novel with more depth and innovation than many novels double its length.
Sofia Samatar
RaveThe Chicago Review of Books...eager for another tome featuring Samatar’s breathtaking writing will be pleased with her new story collection, Tender ... The collection is divided into two sections: 'Tender Bodies' and 'Tender Landscapes.' The first ten stories examine a body’s fragility, and the final ten look at brittle landscapes ... Stories take the form of fairy tales, letters, a school paper, and a catalog of supernatural creatures. Regardless of the setting or form, all twenty stories reveal emotional truths about the characters ... The story, and thus the book, ends with poignancy, yet hope ... Samatar is a master at not only weaving imaginative tales, but deftly layering them with emotional truths. While some stories are playful, many are sad, and others are disturbing ...she takes you into unfamiliar territory with prose that is skillful, controlled, and lovely.
Rakesh Satyal
PositiveThe Chicago Review of Books...a funny, compassionate portrayal of the immigrant and second-generation immigrant experience ... Their individual stories of emigration are not thoroughly explored, which occasionally makes the story feel lacking or incomplete. But at the same time, Satyal’s focus on the present reminds us that a person’s past need not define them. No One Can Pronounce My Name is a tender story infused with humor and heart—it’s little wonder why this novel was so highly anticipated.
Mohsin Hamid
RaveThe Chicago Review of BooksReading Hamid is like receiving a coloring book containing breathtaking vibrant pictures with no lines to contain the images. Again he wrote a novel slim in size—yet deceptively expansive ... Hamid’s meditation on migration is beautiful and heartbreaking. Migration is a central theme to the novel, but its examination is broad, and the execution is more metaphorical than other recent books dealing with immigration ... At its core, Exit West is a poignant study of an exodus from one’s country, while also offering an empathetic portrait of migration. It’s a beautiful reminder that 'We are all migrants through time.' We all migrate through space and time—some people just move farther away.
Jessica Valenti
PositiveThe Chicago Review of BooksIt's undoubtedly one of the most important books of the decade so far, and will likely end up on many year-end lists. I wish reading it was a requirement for opening an account on Twitter and Facebook. With humor, wisdom, and wit, Valenti explores the experiences that shaped her: harassment on the subway and in school, sexual encounters, relationships, abortions, and her journey into motherhood.
