Tag: debut novel
Review: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
You’ll have heard of this book because of the awards it won in 2020, including the Booker Prize. This story of a young boy growing up with an alcoholic mother in 1980s Glasgow is worth the read. It’s dark, but once I finished it,… Continue Reading “Review: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart”
Review: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
I loved this book, set in 18th century England, about a lonely merchant who comes upon a mermaid that changes his life. Gowar’s debut novel is one of those rare books you can’t possibly categorize – is it historical fiction, fantasy, romance, or just… Continue Reading “Review: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar”
Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
This is a book that’s gotten a ton of praise, and has been described as Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day. As a murder mystery, it’s great fun, playing on the great murder mystery tropes: a group of wealthy, bored socialites in a dark and… Continue Reading “Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton”
Review: What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan
I really enjoyed Lucy Tan’s debut novel about a family living in modern-day Shanghai. Wei, Lina and their teenage daughter Karen are a wealthy family living in a luxurious “serviced” apartment, that have recently moved from America to Shanghai. The story is told from their… Continue Reading “Review: What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan”
Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
I picked up this book from NetGalley because I loved Ritter in Jessica Jones. I know that acting and writing are completely different, but I feel like she must have brought a lot of herself to the role, so I was curious about her… Continue Reading “Bonfire by Krysten Ritter”
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
I recommend this short but moving first novel by Rachel Khong about a woman caring for her father with Alzheimer’s. This is a prospect I find absolutely terrifying, whether for my parents and for myself. It seems to me that almost any physical ailment… Continue Reading “Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong”
Girl at War by Sara Novic
Like The Unquiet Dead, it’s hard to adequately review a book about a really serious historical subject like the massacres in Croatia. But I’ll do my best. What I appreciated most about this book was its readability, and how real it felt. I imagine… Continue Reading “Girl at War by Sara Novic”
An Interview with Katie O’Rourke, author of Monsoon Season
I wanted to hear from Katie O’Rourke about how she came to write her first novel, Monsoon Season. Her book is a really different, layered look at a young relationship, one that feels very emotionally “real”. Below is a brief interview. How did you… Continue Reading “An Interview with Katie O’Rourke, author of Monsoon Season”
