RaveThe Washington Independent Review of Books... a call to action, a protest song, an organizing principle, and perhaps the only book you need on memoir writing. Its style, subject, and thesis reminds me of the work of Hilma af Klint, an abstract painter who created her work through a process that straddled scientific research and divination. Both Febos and af Klint share the belief that art should be in service of liberation, of creating a more just and equitable society. And for the most part, their strategies to achieve liberation are in harmony ... What is truly revolutionary about Melissa Febos’ Body Work and Hilma af Klint’s oeuvre is the dedication to envisioning new futures that sings through their work. These artists teach us that the future is made brighter and better by treating art-as-practice with reverence and open-hearted curiosity. Our work is to see clearly, feel deeply, to write and create truthfully, to keep the channel between ourselves and beyond open ... [Febos] is a keen social critic, and she makes a cogent argument as to why women’s writing about trauma has been dismissed as unartistic, trite, and self-indulgent ... Her essays are well researched, and much of the excitement here comes from the way in which she curates writing from Native and other non-mainstream voices ... Even though Body Work is not meant to be a manual on memoir writing, it offers a useful, nuanced take on many issues that come up when tackling any sort of nonfiction...It is moments like this where her vulnerability and thoughtfulness are truly illuminating ... The must-read Body Work is a captivating, eloquent paean to the power of working through a \'pain that has been given value by the alchemy of creative attention.\' In its pages, Melissa Febos posits self-appraisal as a brave act that is both intensely personal and also communal.
Ed. by R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell
PanThe Washington Independent Review of BooksKink’s veritable all-star-writer roster and exciting subject matter belie how drearily humdrum the collection is. The anthology tackles BDSM and other \'unconventional\' relationships yet fails quite spectacularly in whipping itself into shape (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Contributions by bestselling authors Alexander Chee, Roxane Gay, and Carmen Maria Machado are surprisingly un-titillating ... In attempting to capture complex emotions, however, Kink succeeds at times ... Elsewhere, the narratives are weighed down by tropes ... Of course, writing about love and desire is not easy, and some of the stories do it in a straightforward, moving way ... One of the few outstanding pieces in the collection is Garth Greenwell’s Gospodar ... Unfortunately, Kink ultimately fails in its power play for the reader’s excitement; I had to force myself to get through it, and not in a good way. While its subject matter still sorely lacks literary representation, this anthology doesn’t contribute much to the conversation.
Anne Helen Petersen
RaveWashington Independent Review of BooksPetersen offers an insightful treatise on the \'burnout generation\' that is a far cry from the essentialist portrayals of both generations that dominate the current discourse. Rather than dissect who is to blame for the plight (and it is a plight, histrionics aside) of millennials, Petersen offers a moving discourse on why the kids are not alright and, even more importantly, why they are not, despite how they’ve been characterized, the spoiled, lazy, feckless generation ... Petersen’s conversations with adult millennials are moving and unsettling ... The moments when Can’t Even grapples with the burnout that has now become the hallmark of the millennial generation are insightful and leave the reader hungry for more ... a must-read both for millennials and the generation that made them.
Zaina Arafat
RaveWashington Independent Review of Books... an engrossing character study of a young, bisexual Palestinian American woman. Much more than an exploration of intersecting lines and identities, the debut novel revels in their clouding ... This is not a book about isms, however; it is squarely centered on its unnamed protagonist, whose voice is enthralling. Oscillating between prescient self-awareness and oblivion, she transports readers into her rich emotional realm. Her identity is beautifully captured ... the novel’s brilliant exposé on a real psychological condition [love addiction] will leave you, well, addicted and wanting more ... This novel is truly captivating. I read it several times over and found something new each time.
Lisa Olstein
MixedWashington Independent Review of BooksIf you think poets shouldn’t dabble in nonfiction, Lisa Olstein’s Pain Studies will do nothing to convince you otherwise. The book has moments so contrived that the reader might wryly observe the title as apropos ... When the author leans on her poetic skill, the outcome is beautiful, captivating prose that bleeds and thrums ... But when she waxes more philosophical, the reader is left baffled at best and groaning at worst ... When Olstein stops taking herself so seriously, she makes insightful (and incisive) observations about what we mean when we talk about pain ... Eyebrow-raising choices aside, however, the book is incredibly creative in its style, seamlessly suturing together poetry, journal entries, and discourse analysis. Olstein’s strength as a poet imbues her prose, too, even when it manifests in lists ... The poems included in Pain Studies are vivid and enthralling. And Olstein’s portraits of how others respond to her pain are compelling and relatable. But could this unconventional meditation have benefited from ditching the obscure references and morose gravitas? A resounding yes.
Lidia Yuknavitch
RaveWashington Independent Review of Books... an incandescent testimonial about lives spent on the margins, on the cusp, on the edge ... Yuknavitch’s writing is visceral and unsettling, the metaphors eloquent and moving ... The author is neither political nor polemic, but her witness-bearing will disquiet readers ... the author is a masterful writer of towering genius. Her comparisons are so intricate, yet heavy, they often require a reread ... Yuknavitch is also eloquent in her depiction of women. The female protagonists are on the run, gnashing and trashing and aching to tell their stories in their own language ... Verge is enthralling and should garner Yuknavitch much-deserved acclaim.
