MixedBooklistThe sheer number of characters here, 46 in total, can be overwhelming to readers, and it’s a challenge to follow and differentiate each one. Prioritizing quantity over depth and interiority, characters are often indistinguishable. McGowan’s screenwriting experience is reflected in her prose, which is largely dialogue. Although sprinkled with wit and humor, the narrative is far too expansive and quite scattered and would have benefited from a tighter focus. Though the novel is weighed down by too much drama, and an overlong length, McGowan ultimately offers readers a rare inside look at the workings of a high-end museum.
PositiveBooklistBrilliantly translated ... Probing her novel’s various themes, Ichikawa asks us to see disability with more equitable eyes.
Peter Heller
PositiveBooklistHe excels at nature writing...with lush, sensuous descriptions of beautiful rural landscapes that are illustrative of an author clearly at home in the outdoors.
Regina Porter
PositiveBooklistBeautiful black-and-white images are interwoven throughout, enriching the novel with a three-dimensional quality. Through it all, the common thread is the travails of quarantine that simultaneously connect and divide us.
Sarah Perry
RaveBooklistStunning, multilayered ... With brilliant storytelling, Perry’s novel of dichotomies portrays how elliptical our lives are—very much like the movement of the stars.
Marina Yuszczuk, trans. Heather Cleary
RaveBooklistA vivid portrait of a nameless young woman forced into the world of the undead ... Mesmerizingly translated by Cleary, Yuszczuk’s prose is meticulous, vibrant, propulsive, and masterfully paced.
