RaveOn the SeawallIt is a poignant tale of reminiscence, as well as a subtle commentary on current issues ... The book is a master study in emotion sans wordiness. Josse’s selection of the medium of journal writing for her anguished storyteller allows him to express these \'deeply troubling\' memories in a safe space as they bubble up at the end of his Ellis tenure ... There’s subtle wit at play here, too ... Mitchell’s viewpoint is particularly interesting since it is that of an author from the other side of the Atlantic who chose to focus not on the immigrants themselves but rather on a character observing the passing tide of humanity ... a meditation on memory, but also a timely narrative on an unending condition.
Susan Abulhawa
RaveWorld Literature TodayOne book at a time, she continues to personify the Palestinian story in masterful prose ... a compelling novel by an author who’s lived Middle East headlines.
Johanna Skibsrud
RaveThe Woven Tale PressSkibsrud’s work is nothing if not poetic ... Her microscopic lenses examine the slippery edges of nothing with sensitivity and insight, establishing graceful boundaries for the concept ... There’s nothing like The Nothing That Is. In these Essays on Art, Literature and Being, Johanna Skibsrud set herself a daunting task: To search for what hasn’t yet been imagined. And in doing so, she found nothing less than imaginative new ways of being.
Johannes Anyuru, Trans by. Saskia Vogel
RaveWorld Literature TodayAnyuru turns sturm und drang into elegant speculative fiction ... Vogel translated it into English, maintaining Anyuru’s poetic approach, infusing despair with hopefulness ... Anyuru luminously combines the motifs of light and moths as they flit through his pages ... Anyuru narrates a horrific story in graceful prose. He’s captured the zeitgeist in this Swedish saga, creating a literary outlet for global mourning strengthened by his experience as a poet, playwright, novelist, and essayist ... This scenario feels more contemporary than futuristic, layered so subtly that the full impact doesn’t hit until several days after finishing the book ... Anyuru plants hope in They Will Drown in Their Mothers’ Tears. And we need it.
Dag Solstad, Trans. by Steven T. Murray
RaveWorld Literature TodaySolstad hints at mythology, modernizing the ancient lore of conflict ... All the while, Solstad chats merrily away with himself. Readers eavesdrop as the author toys with his emerging \'us vs. them\' tale, departing at times from the storyline to mosey around on other topics. His intellectual maneuvering is often hilarious ... Already renowned in Scandinavian literature, Solstad once again brilliantly defies categories, this time in English.
