There is no such thing as verifiable truth in Daniel Kehlmann’s Tyll. There are only […]
Two Blankets, Three Sheets, by Rodaan al Galidi
I’m glad that I read The Ungrateful Refugee, by Dina Nayeri. before I read Rodaan […]
The Marquise of O—, by Heinrich von Kleist
Trigger warning for references to rape. The only good thing I can say about Heinrich […]
A Sportsman’s Notebook, by Ivan Turgenev
A Sportsman’s Notebook (also called A Sportsman’s Sketches) contains short vignettes and stories by Ivan […]
A Bookshop in Berlin, by Françoise Frenkel
Nobel Prize winner Patrick Modiano explains in the preface to A Bookshop in Berlin that […]
The German House, by Annette Hess
Annette Hess’ The German House (expertly translated by Elisabeth Lauffer) is a deeply uncomfortable read. […]
Things that Fall from the Sky, by Selja Ahava
In real life, mental illnesses are caused by brain chemistry, genetic predisposition, life experiences—things that […]
Celestial Bodies, by Jokha Alharthi
The title of Johka Alharthi’s novel, Celestial Bodies, put me in mind of an armillary […]
The Cheffe, by Marie NDiaye
Marie NDiaye’s The Cheffe (translated beautifully by Jordan Stump) is billed as “a chef’s novel” […]
Darkness at Noon, by Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon (translated by Philip Boehm) walks the fine line between fiction […]