Prix Renaudot-winning author Alice Zeniter’s newest book to be translated into English ‘The Art of Losing’ (L’Art de Perdre), translated from the French by Frank Wynne, is a sweeping, intergenerational exploration of the ongoing tensions between Algeria and its former colonizer France. Though the book begins and ends centered on a modern-day woman named NaÏma, large… Continue reading The Art of Losing
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The Sniper
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
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
An I-Novel
As the name suggests, An I-Novel is a semi-autobiographical novel told in the confessional manner that characterizes the Japanese literature genre of the same name. Given the author and protagonist Minae’s fascination with the Meiji period of Japan’s history, it is only fitting that the book’s title would harken back to that era. Reminiscent of… Continue reading An I-Novel