RaveNew York Journal of BooksDelves into both literal and figurative archives, conjuring a past that has never fully receded into history ... It is this mysterious, vast horizon of the past that propels the novel, and Berest weaves a haunting narrative that simultaneously travels back in time and pulls time forward ... Reading this novel is intimate, uncomfortably so at moments, but that intimacy is a gift. It is as though Berest has taken us by the hand to lead us through the family home and search for the family graves that don’t exist.
Yu Hua, Trans. by Allan H. Barr
PositiveNew York Journal of Books\"Relying more on language, setting, and tone than on traditional narrative, these stories reflect, as the translator notes, Hua’s \'interest in testing the boundaries of contemporary Chinese fiction.\' Though bewildering at times, the result is a surprisingly satisfying experience precisely because it challenges preconceived expectations of the form ... Comical moments arise again and again throughout these stories, and the humor is often based in absurdity ... Ultimately, this is a collection about the many layers of perception ... Like some of the best literature, these stories ask more questions than they answer.\
Laird Hunt
RaveNew York Journal of Books... an unexpected story of servitude, deceit, and surprise ... From the start, Hunt’s language establishes the oddness of this world: it is vague and distant, nearly an abstraction ... It is a treasure hunt and a delightful, terrifying puzzle ... There are threads that never come back around and moments that feel superfluous ... However, Hunt’s woods are magical enough to allow for such gaps, and the story’s imbedded questions drive the narrative quickly past these small hiccups ... storytelling is a business that requires diligent care, and the novel Hunt has constructed around her serves as a brilliant example.
