PositiveChicago Review of BooksWhat’s unique about Patchett’s novel is the ending offers no resolution ... Achieves a kind of literary immortality ... Readers who enjoy a prodding into a scab with a secret at the center akin to Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng or Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro will find similar plot architecture in Patchett’s latest novel—a story embedded within a novel, encased in an essay pouring into its center.
RaveChicago Review of BooksThe stylistic shift from American Southern gothic to Irish gothic pervades Heap Earth Upon It, setting both plots into motion ... Chloe Michelle Howarth’s take on the gothic provides a refreshing perspective.
MixedChicago Review of BooksAs I trekked deeper into the world of The Dilemmas of Working Women, the layers between the female characters in the story thickened ... Narrator and restaurateur Majima’s fascination with his employee Sumie’s palm-reading abilities and their allure feels more removed from the rest of the collection’s female narrators ... The exact purpose of this piece remains uncertain for me as a reader.
MixedChicago Review of BooksWhile this story is heartwarming and brings the reader into the walls of the Golden Villa, the purpose of the yellow flag bento lunches, and backdrop to Tenderness, Takiji’s role falls more to a background character as other narratives take shape ... In a novel with multiple perspectives, each narrative may not be rendered equal.
