RaveThe Brooklyn RailBieker deftly builds the world of Lacey May, who is desperate for some sense of purpose in her small town ... Bieker shows us the ways in which women’s bodies have been subjugated and exploited in the name of a greater good ... To Bieker’s credit, Lacey May is a powerful narrator, exemplifying a sense of innocence and naivety as she navigates the difficult situation she finds herself in. Despite her naivety, Lacey May is likable, with a sense of humor and a powerful sense of drive ... powerful narration ... Bieker’s book, although fiction, sparks...wonder and fascination, giving us a realistic look at the dangerous and insidious nature of fervently following a Christ-like leader who promises salvation ... This novel covers a lot of ground—gender politics, poverty, religion, and more—but all of these topics are handled with precision and care, and nothing feels contrived or forced upon the reader. All of this eventually leads to an exhilarating ending.
Lilly Dancyger
RaveThe Brooklyn RailDancyger has carefully organized this collection, providing a platform for both established and newer writers to speak on their experiences of anger and pushing them to express that anger ... Every single essay in this collection touches on an important topic or idea that illuminates the ways in which women express anger and are prevented from expressing it ... delivers essay after essay of bold and powerful writing.
Saeed Jones
RaveThe Brooklyn Rail... gripping, deeply personal ... I finished Jones’s memoir in two sittings, unable to put the work down, the poetic prose drawing me in right from the very first paragraph ... One thing Jones also does fabulously is show readers the contrasting sides of himself ... Jones brings the reader into these intimate encounters with a stunning sense of visualization, and he reflects on those incidents with surprising clarity and self-awareness ... a lyrically beautiful work, deeply personal and honest in its storytelling. Jones does a remarkable job of drawing the reader in and showing us what it means to fight for one’s life. It’s also an important book in its centering of both queerness and Blackness and is just what we need in today’s society.
Amanda Goldblatt
PositiveBrooklyn RailGoldblatt’s writing is sharp and to the point, getting us into the mind of a narrator that at times seems almost sociopathic in her lack of empathy and desire for isolation ... By removing Denny from society and taking her away from the immediate reality of her father’s illness and coming death, Goldblatt explores new ways to deal with grief, and through moments like this, subtly shows the reader that Denny is not unfeeling. In turn, we are able to empathize with our seemingly unempathetic narrator ... Goldblatt’s writing is smart, witty, and engaging. Denny’s narration is quick-paced, making for a captivating read, and Goldblatt successfully and with care shows us the complicated and oftentimes confusing manifestations of grief.
Heather Rose
PanHyperallergic\"In many ways, the novel falls short of expectations. Hearing Rose talk about her experience during the book launch left me enthralled and eager to read about the transformative power of \'The Artist Is Present.\' However, I found myself losing interest in the novel, slogging through the text in the hopes of finding some deeper meaning, but to no avail ... In the end, though, the details fell flat, and I remain unable to grasp what people, both in life and in this novel, experienced as they sat before Marina Abromović.\
Rebecca Solnit
RaveThe Brooklyn Rail\"In 18 essays, Solnit does exactly what the title says—she calls things by their true names: racism, sexism, crimes against people of color, environmental destruction. Solnit does not beat around the bush ... Solnit’s essay collection raises a number of important questions and provides a great deal of thought-provoking commentary on the state of America today ... Solnit’s writing is clear and persuasive, and she pushes back against language that encourages bigotry or makes facts unclear ... Solnit’s essay collection is essential reading for anyone living in America today.\
Nicole Chung
PositiveThe Brooklyn RailChung tells an important story, exploring notions of identity and race and the complicated nature of both ... Chung parses through these multifarious emotions and ideas with clarity and grace, I found myself captivated and moved by her writing throughout ... Chung’s memoir is an important one for a number of reasons, but more than anything, her writing is poignant and emotionally compelling throughout.
Lexi Freiman
PositiveThe Brooklyn Rail\"While none of the characters in the book are particularly likeable, Freiman’s writing has a way of at least making us root for Ziggy ... While Freiman’s characters felt like caricatures of teenagers, they also, somehow, felt very real. That said, it’s sometimes difficult to figure out exactly what message Freiman is trying to instill in her readers ... As a whole, though, Freiman’s writing is funny, and Ziggy’s voice carries the novel well. Inappropriation, while somewhat unclear in its message, makes for a compelling and highly entertaining read.\
Kevin Wilson
PositiveThe Brooklyn RailThrough a series of sometimes strange and mysterious events involving his characters, Wilson shows us the often complicated nature of relationships between family, partners, and friends ... Overall, Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine is a collection that speaks and reflects on the human condition and the relationships we build. Even though the stories are sometimes fantastical or so outside the realm of most people’s experiences, they manage to be relatable and heartfelt nonetheless, exposing some very real elements of humanity.
Ottessa Moshfegh
RaveThe Brooklyn Rail\"Moshfegh’s prose is spectacular, and she captures her narrator’s specific, unique voice perfectly—the voice of a jaded woman with no attachments who hates most people and puts up every wall and barrier in an attempt to feel nothing ... A lesser writer would not be able to pull off this lack of back-story or motivation, but Moshfegh has us accepting and believing the idea that the narrator simply wants to sleep ... While nothing truly remarkable happens in these forty days, Moshfegh’s writing kept me entranced. She so perfectly captured a sense of ennui and amusement that I myself wondered if it wouldn’t be nice to just sleep all the time. Moshfegh creates a sense of manic lethargy in the narrator’s voice that is somehow appealing, making the character’s choices seem almost logical, even at their most absurd ... Moshfegh’s novel is both sad and funny in all the best ways, leaving the reader with a sense of both existential dread as well as hope.\
Porochista Khakpour
PositiveThe Brooklyn RailSick is an important memoir for a number of reasons. For one, Khakpour exposes the ways in which women are often treated by health professionals—many women’s symptoms not taken seriously ... In many ways, the memoir progresses like a mystery. Though we know the final diagnosis is Lyme before we even begin, we are there with Khakpour as she tries to put together the pieces, and I found myself wondering when she’d finally have an answer, wishing at every stage that she’d find some reprieve in a diagnosis ... Khakpour covers so much ground in this memoir, discussing everything from her illness, to her relationships, to her addiction, to her perpetual displacement, to the world events that serve as external stressors, and she does so with an amazing sense of clarity that we are able to follow along with ease ... Khakpour shows readers that with chronic illness, there is no tidy conclusion, as this is a lifelong struggle.
