PositiveLibrary JournalReaders of Emma Straub and Curtis Sittenfeld will devour this richly drawn debut family saga based on the story of an ancestor of the author’s.
Rufi Thorpe
PositiveLibrary JournalThorpe’s...coming-of-age tale set against a backdrop filled with hate and violence will captivate readers with its brutal honesty and unbreakable bonds of friendship. Recommended for fans of Emma Straub and Jami Attenberg.
Annette Hess, Trans. by Elisabeth Lauffer
MixedLibrary JournalThe time line unfolds in alternating points of view from many multilayered characters—Eva, her family members, David, and Jürgen—which may confuse readers ... Fans of Kate Quinn will enjoy this historical fiction tale for the strong female character and rich details. Recommended for additional purchase, as there are better historical fiction choices.
Saeed Jones
PositiveThe Austin Chronicle[T]he book offers no formula for transcendence; rather, it’s a series of snapshots of how Jones has dealt with and sometimes avoided the deepest struggles of his life ... The standard tropes follow: an interaction with an adult man in a bathroom; painful rejection by Christian family members; and a sexual explosion in college that quickly devolves into near Dionysian distraction. The book in these moments is light and easy to read, going down like cool water. A poet by training, Jones’ prose is lyrical enough to provide interest beyond mere storytelling ... The memoir comes alive just as the author is forced to deal with his mother’s death. It’s here where it gets its teeth, where it goes beyond the casually lyrical and into the truly mournful, and it’s here, like in any great cello solo or resonant line from a magnificent poem, that I stop and take it in ... But it’s not until the portrayal of Jones’ mother that the book, and title, earn their salt ... it is in this unmasking most of all that the book—and the title—breathe with their own fresh and resonant life.
