‘Heaven and Hell’ Offers a Powerful Child’s-eye View of Japanese Colonialism
Japanese poet Toriko Takarabe grew up in Japanese-occupied Manchuria and lived to tell the harrowing tale.
historical fiction
‘She Would Be King’, an Afrofuturist Novel of Nation-Making in Liberia
Wayétu Moore's She Would Be King is an important exploration of power, identity, and belonging at a major historical junction in African diasporic and Liberian history.
‘The World to Come’ Proves Jim Shepard Is a Literary Magician
Disasters, loss, unrequited love, and survival instincts are all found in this remarkable short story collection spanning many eras and locations.
Identity, Geography, and an Overload of Nostalgia in My Mother’s Son
My Mother's Son could have been an unforgettable and evocative portrait of a lost era.
‘Impossible Saints’ Is an Empathetic Portrayal of a Starry-eyed Suffragette
This telling of fictional suffragette Lilia Brooke could use more politics, less romance.
The Cursed Frontier: Ismail Kadare’s Theory of the State
Kadare's The Traitor's Niche suggests that to belong to the state is to either be a part of the machineries of power or in rebellion against them—and occasionally both.
‘The Seventh Cross’ Is a Vital Tale for Anyone Concerned About the Resurgence of Totalitarianism
The beautiful storytelling of Anna Seghers' World War II classic belies its important insights into life under fascism.
‘The Storm’ Brings Heart, Urgency, and Ambition
Spanning 60-some years, Arif Anwar's debut novel explores aspects of Bangladesh's history and how matters of race, religion, and nationality have shaped personal lives.
The Paradox We All Must Live with: del Árbol’s ‘A Million Drops’
Víctor del Árbol's A Million Drops is a mystery-thriller in the best tradition of the genre, one which offers an intricately-researched historical tale while also trying to say something appreciably profound about human nature.
Amy Bloom Carefully Imagines Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok’s Sexual Romps in ‘White Houses’
At times mawkish and problematic, White Houses is a romance that presents an interesting queer historical fiction.
‘The Maze at Windermere’s Five Interweaving Stories of Love Fighting Social Boundaries
The overarching theme is of a tactical approach to love and romance; the protagonists must all negotiate social restrictions, in varying degrees of good faith, to achieve their goals.
David Mamet in the Age of Prohibition
With his first novel in nearly 20 years, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright tackles Chicago gangsters in the roaring '20s, with mostly successful results.