With its maze-like layers, James chose an ambitious project for a debut novel.
A Beginner’s Guide to Comic Books
I’ve accumulated a modest list of my favorite works in recent years—from stand-alones to series, contemporary to science fiction. I hope you find a new favorite among them.
Miraculous Space: A Review of Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller
An intricate life, laden with all of its relational off-ramps and delicate emotional networks, has been organized into this memoir but remains fundamentally intact — raw — in a way that only an archivist could manage.
Lost in Translation: A Review of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Anthony Doerr weaves together a story across time and space, all the while asking the question, "What happens when stories get lost in translation?"
Abuse, Neglect, and Escape: A Book Review of Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Reading a story through memories feels like an old movie, a movie that predates the Second World War.
On Writing Stories and Ourselves: A Review of Old School by Tobias Wolff
If there is one thing that Old School excels in, it is the raw depiction of the protagonist’s contrived self-presentation.
Everyday Strength and Struggle: Review of Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery
When we “keep faith” in the face of catastrophe, we discover new strength within ourselves to keep going.
Coarsely, Shockingly Real: A Review of My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Unlikeable main characters abound in modern fiction, and this novel does not break that mold.
Feminism and Witchcraft: A Review of Circe by Madeline Miller
What if Circe could tell her own version of the story? Madeline Miller explores this possibility within her novel Circe: a story that transcends just a simple rewriting of The Odyssey.
Emotional Thrills: Review of The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Jewell has crafted a compelling mystery full of twists and turns, making sure you won’t know who to believe.
BERKELEY FICTION REVIEW 