Book Review
The Dissenters
In Youssef Rakha’s bold novel "The Dissenters", a son pieces together his mother’s Egyptian story. Following his mother’s death, Nour experiences visions of her in their attic. Piecemeal, he writes to his estranged sister, Shimo,...
Book Review
Ibis
A fishing village plagued by ghosts and omens unites to protect a refugee girl in Justin Haynes’s potent novel "Ibis". The site of a vicious sugar plantation centuries ago, New Felicity, Trinidad, is a nexus for Venezuelan refugees....
Book Review
Theory & Practice
In Michelle de Kretser’s novel Theory & Practice, a Sri Lankan graduate student completes her thesis while embroiled in a love affair. In 1986, a woman takes rooms in Melbourne to research her thesis on Virginia Woolf. She wrestles...
Book Review
The Edge of Water
Shifting between Nigeria and the US, Olufunke Grace Bankole’s novel "The Edge of Water" is about the separation and reunion of mothers and daughters. Esther details her experience of motherhood through letters to her daughter Amina,...
Book Review
Honey Hunger
A smitten Omani man’s beekeeping consumes Zahran Alqasmi’s novel "Honey Hunger". Returning to his home village after a tough winter that forced the temporary relocation of his bee colony to the desert region of Juba, Azzan, a...
Book Review
Tales for Tra-La-La Day
A whimsical short story collection, "Tales for Tra-La-La Day" shows cheer triumphing over bad intentions during the holidays. Steve Michael Reedy’s "Tales for Tra-La-La Day" is a sparkling short story collection about a joyous holiday...
Book Review
Sound Museum
In Poupeh Missaghi’s literary novella "Sound Museum", an enthusiastic curator celebrates the aural elements of torture. Before an exclusive tour of her museum, an Iranian curator delivers an opening speech to the invited foreign...
Book Review
The Man in the Banana Trees
Marguerite Sheffer’s short story anthology "The Man in the Banana Trees" centers on wreckage and restoration. Many of the stories evince interest in the psychology behind science. In “Rickey,” a teacher struggles to regulate a...