“Make sure you ask someone whether they’ve even heard of Sallis, Knight, or Ellison before you gift-wrap this massive block of pages. It’s an acquired taste.”
Zoje Stage takes us into the disordered mind of her conscience-free protagonist, and it’s not a pretty sight—though 24-year-old Hanna is herself very pretty, as we’re frequently reminded.
“Blood Test may offer a dark view of aspects of middle America, but it is consistently amusingand is an expression of its author’s deep fascination with and love
Novels about academia almost always veer toward satire (see Richard Russo’s Straight Man, Jane Smiley’s Moo, or Zadie Smith’s On Beauty) because the egos, trappings, and
“Expect to be baffled during much of the book, since this trip of a lifetime is being interpreted by Agnes, who’s rarely sure of what she’s witnessing.”
“an important book by an important author who understands only too well that heavy topics are most accessible when delivered with a spoonful of sugar.”
There’s a memorable line in the Latin American classic Women With Big Eyes that reads, “Aunt Daniela fell in love the way intelligent women always fall in love: like an idiot.”
“an easy read that provokes laughter throughout, but surprises with its serious themes and meaningful contemplations of friendship, loyalty, and bravery.”
This collection of nine stories features florid depictions of low life, vivid details about dysfunctional relationships spent in seedy strip motels, and an unusual number of descriptions of toilets
“With a set of clever twists, Berkeley finally lays out the issue of how best to see justice served, and the answers are both rueful and entertaining.”
