In 1948, the defense of Jerusalem falters. The State of Israel fails. Millions of refugees are created, and the United States government grants the Jews a temporary refuge in the Federal District of Sitka for 60 years. It's 2008, and Reversion is a mere two months away, and while Detective Meyer Landsman just wants to keep sinking into his ( Read more... )

The Wasp Factory relates the tale of Frank Cauldhame, 17, a triple murderer, and apparently schizophrenic. His brother, Eric, has recently escaped from an insane asylum, and is on his way home. While Frank waits for him to return, he goes drinking with his dwarf best friend, and relates the tale of his birth and his murders ( Read more... )

Okay, this book is too good to spoil. So I won't. I'll just tell you you have to read it. It gave me nightmares the first night after starting it, nightmares bad enough that I almost texted my best friend to tell her that if a certain thing happened to me, to blame the villain of this book. It made me paranoid. If that's not a positive review ( Read more... )

Martin Amis, London Fields

London Fields is a book with a plot so pointless it made me angry, and a cast of blatant stereotypes. It's distinguished by some flourishes of wonderful writing, and the presence of one character who is one of the most brilliant creations of modern British fiction.

Initially, there is plenty to like. The narrator - a ( Read more... )

The narrator is a calcutec, a living encryption expert. He's divorced, works hard, and dreams of retiring and learning to play cello or Greek. He takes a normal job, and suddenly discovers a new world under his feet. There's a second, parallel storyline. It takes place in the Town, which is located at the End of the World. Here, the narrator ( Read more... )

City of Glass starts out with an author of mystery novels mistakenly receiving a call for a detective named Paul Auster. He ignores it at first, but soon takes on the persona of Paul Auster and takes the case. It changes his life and his commitment to the case and the wellbeing of the couple that hired him ends up taking over his existence.

( Read more... )

This was an exceedingly strange book. In it, the narrator is the victim of a vaguely described accident, and in his settlement, receives a payment of 8.5 million pounds. However, he can't think of what to do with it. The ordinary and banal suggestions of girls, travel, and general excess bore him, along with everything and everyone else. He's ( Read more... )

Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day

The early reviews I read of Against the Day were all a little bewildered, and gave me the distinct impression that a lot of reviewers had tried to skim-read this huge novel so they could get their articles written in time. It’s not an easy one to write up at all. It’s very long, very busy, and you come to it with all ( Read more... )

I have a difficult time picking up the newest hot book.  I've done it in the past, and the hype has usually not been justified.  However, in this case, I think all of the effusive praise is very well deserved.

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collections of short stories always strikes me as a profoundly unfair to approach the form. 99% of the time, short stories are organically complete unto themselves, not designed to be read as a segment of a collection. I always find it hard to review or discuss a collection as a book in its own right.

That disclaimer out of the way, short story ( Read more... )