BookBrowse Editorial Review
Nobody Gets Out Alive: Stories
by Leigh Newman
(5/18/2022)
Newman deploys multiple points of view to stunning storytelling effect in "Alcan, An Oral History," which focuses on several wayward people traveling from the Lower 48 to Alaska. There are enough twists and turns here to propel a novel or a feature-length film; these are entertaining, tender portraits of people with unmet needs and big dreams. The narrative consistently renders human consciousness with exquisite compassion and detail. The chronology is non-linear, and the final piece in the coll
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Caretakers: A Novel
by Amanda Bestor-Siegal
(4/20/2022)
Debut novelist Amanda Bestor-Siegal's storytelling eviscerates a culture where childcare is often undervalued and appearances can be deceiving. Each main character—and indeed, the entire city of Paris—exists in a blur of anxiety wrought by the 2015 terrorist attacks. The author consistently braids this collective, social angst with characters' individual yearnings, insecurities and grievances. In a world where acts of political terror can bring a city to its knees, people also wield
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Shadow of the Empire: A Judge Dee Investigation #1
by Qiu Xiaolong
(2/16/2022)
While the author's descriptions of temples, scrolls and woodblock printing are fascinating, I yearned for more sensory details about food, drink, art and fashions of the day. The action can be weighed down with long passages of dialogue between characters, which sometimes slows dramatic tension. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed reading a novel where messages are delivered at the tip of an arrow, or are coded into poems handwritten with ink and pen. Travel in those times was by foot, carriage, or on
BookBrowse Editorial Review
What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J A Chancy
(1/5/2022)
Chancy reveals a fragile and nuanced world of people surviving in dire circumstances determined to rebuild their lives and communities. She consistently draws parallels to our common humanity, the universal needs of food, water, sanitation and safe shelter. For Haitians living in exile, the novel may stir or restore memories, not only of tragedy, but of vibrant communities, culture and spirit that endure. In this sense, What Storm, What Thunder reads like a love story to a place and its p
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tenderness by Alison Macleod
(11/17/2021)
The narrative strands of Tenderness are complex, sometimes meandering and occasionally confusing. The novel will likely appeal most to fans of English literature, including those with an academic interest in Lawrence and his milieu. MacLeod tends towards long literary descriptions and journalistic details of place and character. The author has clearly done deep historical research to render details of setting, character and language throughout her substantial 640-page novel. Macleod argue
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert
(9/22/2021)
The narrative is packed with details about nomadic culture, including centuries of endurance shaped by powerful cycles of abundance and drought, transience and settlement. While the author's storytelling is skilled and compelling throughout the book, a reference map and cast of characters would have been useful for readers to follow the twists and turns, relationships and travels described. This memoir will likely spark book group discussions about provocative themes: survival, transience, famil
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe
(8/18/2021)
This novel reads like a snapshot of 1950s New York City rather than a deep-dive into introspection. The Russian "red menace," Senator McCarthy's war on subversive activities, the media-fueled paranoia about communism in America, these things are never fully excavated. Tanabe renders NYC as a main character in itself in an era when cab rides cost a quarter, when moneyed and marbled halls of wealth coexist with grimy coffee houses, posh bars, and park benches perfect for flirtatious, clandestine m
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
(3/17/2021)
By engaging elements of indigenous myth, the author makes a case for the notion that human civilization is much wider and deeper than current political borders describe. The narrative jumps around in time to explore backstory, including the romantic courtship of Talia's parents. This story may sound familiar because thousands—actually, millions—of people are affected by the pressures driving global migration, which often lead to some form of separation. This novel, focused on parents
BookBrowse Editorial Review
To Be a Man by Nicole Krauss
(1/6/2021)
Throughout the book, Krauss weaves present-time situations with emotional, ancestral echoes of destruction and deep, unburied grief. The past continues to propel her characters as they find courage to build new lives and relationships; most grapple with the Holocaust's traumatic abyss. The narrative lens consistently blurs elements of time and place, then zooms into scenes that uncover a common humanity. Most of the stories in the book feature unnamed narrators, and overlaps between characters i
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon
(3/18/2020)
Yoon's powerful storytelling unlocks deeply human themes: childhood interrupted by war, legacies of trauma that burden generations around the globe, cultural endurance, healing, loss, migration. This brilliant rendering of war's lasting impacts provides provocative topics for discussion and literary windows into an underreported segment of history.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
(2/19/2020)
In this book, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo navigates a wide variety of borders: ancestral, emotional, mental, idiomatic and geographic. Similar to recent memoirs like Reyna Grande's The Distance Between Us (La distancia entre nosotros) and Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, which explore coming of age between cultures, Children of the Land reveals how a person can push the limits of endurance, survive and transform their experience into literature.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA
by Amaryllis Fox
(1/8/2020)
In clear, elegant prose, Amaryllis Fox describes an unconventional international childhood and a series of choices that lead her to become a CIA field operative. In addition, she covers gritty details of spy craft and takes readers on a journey that isn't normally possible without top security clearance and years of training and sacrifice. Through excellent storytelling, she explains her yearning to make a real difference in the world by preventing terror attacks, but also reflects on her inner
BookBrowse Editorial Review
It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo
(11/13/2019)
It Would Be Night in Caracas offers provocative reading for book groups and will appeal to fans of contemporary Latin American fiction. Sainz Borgo's clear, poetic prose and richly textured account of Venezuelan history deliver a remarkable panorama of a country, a city, and a life on the verge of violent change. High stakes combined with a series of dramatic reversals in fortune propel the novel to a satisfying, if unexpected, conclusion.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS
by Azadeh Moaveni
(10/16/2019)
A riveting, in-depth study of young women who searched for purpose by joining the Islamic State (IS). Readers and book groups willing to dive into the many complex themes presented here will find provocative ideas for discussion.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
(10/2/2019)
Hoffman chronicles many forms of resistance and develops a vivid cast of characters, most of them teens; they are often separated, but reconnect in unexpected, memorable ways...The beauty of Hoffman's prose and themes deliver a sense of hope.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
When the Plums Are Ripe by Patrice Nganang
(9/4/2019)
When the Plums Are Ripe joins other global fiction now available in translation that illuminates places and cultures often inaccessible to and misunderstood by Western readers. Throughout his work, the poet-novelist traces out glimmers of hope in what he terms the "chiasmus" of war. This novel will likely appeal to readers who enjoy the intellectual scope and enduring, multicultural themes of authors like García Márquez, Murakami, Rushdie, Solzhenitsyn, or Soyinka.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Stationery Shop: A Novel
by Marjan Kamali
(8/21/2019)
A testament to the enduring powers of storytelling and first love, The Stationery Shop is likely to be a favorite with booksellers and book groups. The author’s website provides a reading guide; the novel absolutely invites reading and discussion along with sweet or savory Iranian cuisine.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
(7/10/2019)
Book groups: gather those vintage gelatin dessert recipes and hunker down for astonishing discussions. This novel holds power to crack through decades of silence, family secrets, and hidden aspects of self.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
(5/29/2019)
This novel is not a one-night read, but an intricate exploration of major historical and current events. With a lens on Zambia, the book grapples with universal questions. Beneath the human pageant that Serpell directs, nature pulses with its own imperatives; a gifted storyteller delivers an intriguing, sometimes challenging novel.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
(5/1/2019)
Debut novelist Trent Dalton has crafted an alluring and literary account of the coming-of-age of two brothers who manage to thrive despite their parents' destructive habits. Boy Swallows Universe calls to mind other memorable child heroes like Huckleberry Finn or Holden Caulfield. The novel will likely appeal to fans of Cormac McCarthy (cited by the author as a literary influence) as well.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Ghost Wall: A Novel
by Sarah Moss
(3/6/2019)
A suspenseful, literary coming-of-age novel set in rural Northumberland, England, Ghost Wall tackles potent themes of feminine power, rage and resistance, toxic masculinity, and survival. Sarah Moss has created a cinematic jewel of fiction, sure to spark conversation for its literary beauty as well as potent themes.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Lost Children Archive: A novel
by Valeria Luiselli
(2/20/2019)
Lost Children Archive is a feast of language and storytelling that chronicles a family road trip from New York City to Arizona. Valeria Luiselli's storylines follow the geographic trip and also examine the family's past and their implied future. The novel gains scholarly depth with details about the history of indigenous people in the United States, and a legacy of shifting borders and past migrations. That said, the book is not a simple travelogue, but a meandering literary feat with sev
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
(1/23/2019)
The Far Field portrays the heroic quest of a flawed and enduring heroine seeking her purpose in a difficult world, and bears witness to complicated political injustices and territorial disputes in contemporary Jammu and Kashmir.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin
by Lindsey Hilsum
(11/14/2018)
As readers, we know that her story will end tragically, yet Marie Colvin's heroic journey from the beginning of her life still provides page-turning suspense. It's only fitting that another journalist, Lindsey Hilsum, honors Colvin with this fascinating, detailed, 400-page biography.
Hilsum writes with clarity and precise attention to details. She had access to Colvin's personal journals and interviewed Colvin's numerous friends, colleagues, editors, former husbands and love
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
(10/31/2018)
Picoult's nuanced exploration of multiple vantage points surrounding the abortion issue is to be commended. Her thorough research and careful construction of plot are apparent, and she explores these divisive issues with sensitivity and tact.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
(10/3/2018)
Ultimately, Nwaubani has created a novel that is a hopeful call out to the resilient human spirit, showcasing young people and their communities who struggle to create a path forward from a place of violence and despair.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road
by Kate Harris
(8/29/2018)
Kate Harris makes a strong argument for human understanding that transcends the lines on a map. Lands of Lost Borders is notable for its lyrical prose, intellectual honesty, and courage to tackle complex questions without clear answers.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Eat the Apple by Matt Young
(3/7/2018)
Eat the Apple showcases memoir as an art form. Young deploys excellent and varied literary skills here, both to witness contemporary military service, and to heal from his tours of duty.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
(2/21/2018)
Dave Eggers is an engaging storyteller with a flair for dramatic moments, and his biography of Yemeni American entrepreneur Mokhtar Alkhanshali combines a well-paced series of heroic misadventures with fascinating coffee facts. The narrative spans continents, cultures and centuries to explore the history of coffee and to describe current events in Yemen. Mokhtar is characterized as a complex, modern Sinbad the Sailor, venturing far to make his rags-to-riches dream come true.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The End We Start From by Megan Hunter
(1/3/2018)
The End We Start From shares the shelf with other tales of war and survival. In this case the enemy is natural disaster and the quest is for a return to normal. Home will never seem the same, even if they're able to repopulate; trauma will resonate even if R and the narrator find each other after displacement. I'm not going to spoil the plot here, but much of what kept me riveted to this novel is the exquisite, poetic language. Hunter's settings, imagery, and characters conspire to delive
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa
by Alexis Okeowo
(10/18/2017)
A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa is an ambitious and successful account of current affairs in Uganda, Nigeria, Mauritania, and Somalia, brimming with keen human-interest stories. Alexis Okeowo, who writes for The New Yorker, is a powerful storyteller with a journalist's instinct for detail and a humanitarian's dedication. She is fearless in pursuit of true and nuanced moments. Here, she profiles ordinary people rising to heroic
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester
(9/20/2017)
Ribchester has won literary prizes including a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, and it is clear why. Compelling historical details vibrate through each chapter, and Ribchester's prose shimmers with nuances unique to Britain and that era.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship
by Michelle Kuo
(8/2/2017)
From page one, Michelle Kuo's extraordinary memoir, Reading with Patrick, pulled me into a journey from Arkansas to Harvard, and places in between. It challenged my assumptions about the label "murderer" and reinforced my own professional experience teaching at-risk students. Kuo's entertaining writing style and honesty fuel a deeper conversation about education, race, and justice in contemporary America.