The Sniper by Chang Kuo-Li, translated by Roddy Flagg, is quite a different read than I normally gravitate to—but it’s Taiwanese author immediately attracted the attention of this half-Taiwanese reviewer. Described as a “Jason Bourne meets John McClane” thriller, The Sniper has none of the usual emotional weight or slow pacing that define the books… Continue reading The Sniper
Author: LB
Friends and Dark Shapes
In her new book Friends and Dark Shapes, Australian-Indian writer Kavita Bedford explores a topic that few talk about: the limbo of being a single twenty-something with no permanent career prospects or domestic comforts in sight. In the wake of her father’s death, the nameless narrator is lost trying to create some sense of purpose… Continue reading Friends and Dark Shapes
Mirror Lake
Mirror Lake, by French-Canadian internationally acclaimed crime writer Andrée A. Michaud, is an arresting, surrealist thriller that is propelled by a deeply relatable yet comically unlikable protagonist. Robert Moreau is a fifty-something retiree who abruptly left behind his family and friends, with only his loyal dog Jeff as company, to start anew in what he… Continue reading Mirror Lake
A Beast in Paradise
At the end of the book, I was left wondering who was the title beast? Alexander or Blanche? It was only in the days after as I continued to ponder that question that I stumbled across the original French title—as a novice student of French, I was struck by its gendered nature: Une Bête Au… Continue reading A Beast in Paradise
A Single Swallow
A Single Swallow is a beautifully interconnected story about a young woman during WWII China told from the perspective of three men whose time together was defined by her presence. The three men agree to meet back in China in the afterlife, and so WWII veteran Ian Ferguson, missionary and village doctor Pastor Billy, and… Continue reading A Single Swallow