Hari Kunzru’s latest novel, Blue Ruin, is an exploration of the intersection of art and commerce. The novel is the completion of Kunzru’s red, white, and blue pseudo-trilogy (White Tears, Red Pill, Blue Ruin)—which explores contemporary social issues like racism, classism, and economic inequality. Blue Ruin is set during the early days of the pandemic,… Continue reading Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru
Category: Fiction
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
In his sophomore novel, Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange grapples with cultural inheritance and identity. The novel begins with the 1864 Sand Creek massacre—and traces the descendants of one of the survivors, Jude Star, through generations reaching the present moment. After the massacre, Jude and his children are forced to attend colonial schools, in which white… Continue reading Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Most people are familiar with the concept of searching for life’s purpose, but Kaveh Akbar’s narrator, Cyrus Shams, is more concerned with searching for his death’s purpose. Cyrus is a twenty-something Iranian American, living in Indiana, drifting around a college town while searching for a reason to live. Cyrus is a recovering addict, he spent… Continue reading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Beautyland by Marie Helene Bertino
In Marie-Helene Bertino’s most recent novel, Beautyland, an extraterrestrial girl is born to a single mother in a working class neighborhood of Philadelphia with one mission—to report on human life to her superiors and save their planet. Adina grows up much like any other human girl: forming friendships, going to school, fighting with her mom—but… Continue reading Beautyland by Marie Helene Bertino
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Many reviews for Paul Murray’s 600 page epic The Bee Sting have compared the complex and thoughtful portrait of a family on the brink of ruin to a Jonathan Franzen novel set in the Irish countryside rather than middle America. The comparison is apt, throughout the novel Murray takes on the voice of each member… Continue reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Rouge by Mona Awad
Mona Awad’s latest novel, Rouge, is a sort of Mommie Dearest for the beauty-obsessed age. The novel begins with Belle, a shopgirl in Toronto who’s called home to Southern California when her glamorous but complex mother dies after falling into the Pacific Ocean in a strange accident. Belle learns a lot about her mother in… Continue reading Rouge by Mona Awad
Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri has been one of the most celebrated writers in the English language since her 1999 debut, Interpreter of Maladies. After moving to Italy in 2012 she’s continued to write fresh and inventive fiction in Italian as well. Roman Stories is a collection of short fiction that was originally published in Italian and translated… Continue reading Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff’s latest novel, The Vaster Wilds, is an adventure/quest story that only Groff could write. The novel follows a young nameless girl, born in England and left at a poorhouse, who was brought on as a servant to a wealthy mistress in a great house. Our protagonist eventually embarks on the grueling journey to… Continue reading The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
In her latest novel Yellowface, her first foray outside of the fantasy world, R.F. Kuang has penned a meta-critique of the publishing world and its fetishistic interest in diversity. The novel is narrated by June Hayward, a 20-something writer whose career is floundering after the lackluster performance of her debut novel, whose embittered by seeing… Continue reading Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The Guest by Emma Cline
In Emma Cline’s newest novel, The Guest, our titular guest is Alex, a 22-year old escort who’s fled a threatening ex and roommates that she owes rent payments in Manhattan, to spend the summer out east on Long Island with her wealthy boyfriend, Simon. Alex is literally a guest at the home of Simon, a… Continue reading The Guest by Emma Cline