When awarding the acclaimed Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz [1911-2006] the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, the Swedish Academy noted how “through works rich in nuance—now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous—[Mahfouz] has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind.” The brief, magical vignettes in new posthumous book, I Found Myself: The Last…| Chicago Review of Books
Our review of Fumio Yamamoto's short story collection "The Dilemmas of Working Women" in its first English-language translation The post Playing the Game as a Planarian in “The Dilemmas of Working Women” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
Our review of Susana M. Morris' new book, "Positive Obsession." The post Celebrating Octavia Butler’s “Positive Obsession” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
Our Review of Antonio Michael Downing’s “Black Cherokee” The post Two Wolves of Identity Duel in “Black Cherokee” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
We rarely ask someone directly, “Who are you?” but there are certainly attempts to triangulate an answer—What do you do? Where do you live? Where are you from? The assumptions based on their response stack up rapidly. In Where Are You Really From, her new collection of six short stories and a novella, Elaine Hsieh… The post A Lack of Shared Reality in Elaine Hsieh Chou’s “Where Are You Really From” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
Our interview with Adam al-Sirgany about his new book, "More Hell." The post Raising Less Corn and More Hell: An Interview with Adam al-Sirgany appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
Most American road trip books begin with a brief explanation of the author’s motive for hitting the road. In Travels with Charly in Search of America (1962), John Steinbeck describes his desire to reacquaint himself with a country that he’d fallen out of touch with. In The Great American Bus Ride (1993), expat Irma Kurtz… The post Finding a Home on the Road: Joanna Pocock’s “Greyhound” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
Our review of Tim Queeney's new book, "Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization" The post A Yarn as Old as Civilization: The Braided History of “Rope” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
Our review of Emily Adrian's new book, "Seduction Theory." The post Can Stories Be True? Emily Adrian’s “Seduction Theory” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
This very confident first novel from journalist Phoebe Greenwood is a satire which sometimes contorts itself into horror. The narrator Sara Byrne, a young English journalist, covers the 2012 Gaza War from The Beach, a hotel filled with reporters and photographers. She writes for The Tribune, not as a correspondent but as a stringer, so… The post Foreign Affair: Phoebe Greenwood’s “Vulture” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books.| Chicago Review of Books
For lovers of Japanese translated fiction with an element of fable, comparable to The Blanket Cats and We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, this feline free novel adopts the tone of small-town magic built on community caring and store manager Shiba. Fans of The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley will draw similarities between the multigenerational band of residents working through marital qualms, coming of age, or feeling seen by their peers or closest relations.| Chicago Review of Books
“Zwischen Immer und Nie. Between always and never.” The above is a quote from André Aciman’s breakout novel, Call Me By Your Name (2007), that has stuck with me since I read it for the first time as a teenager. Thus, the concept of existing within “always and never” returned to me as I devoured…| Chicago Review of Books
Many years ago, during a screening of the documentary The Business of Being Born, a woman I knew who’d recently given birth got up and left mid-film. Later, she told me it had been too triggering—her birth experience wasn’t what she’d hoped for and was in a constant mind loop of could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. I…| Chicago Review of Books
The fifty-three-year-old French novelist Mathias Énard is most distinguished by the many prizes he has won, more numerous as they are than his books. They have certified him the best within various spheres, ranging from French, French or German, Francophone, translated into English, and European. Going even bigger, his 2015 novel Compass, which the Guardian…| Chicago Review of Books
School is back in session, which can only mean one thing…it’s time to get reading! This September is bursting with huge releases from writers such as Sally Rooney, Jami Attenberg, Garth Greenwell, Rumaan Alam, and more. Our most-anticipated books list this month will take you from thrilling spy novels and hilarious family dramas to plenty…| Chicago Review of Books
