Tag: Literary fiction

Title: The Late Americans
Author: Brandon Taylor
Format: ebook (ARC)
Genre(s): Literary fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

As a novel this is a somewhat frustrating book, with no real plot and a spotlight that briefly shines on characters only to drop them as the focus shifts. However, it is beautiful when taken as a collection of interconnected vignettes portraying graduate students (and others in their lives) trying to navigate difference and identity and purpose at a liminal stage in their lives.

This was my first experience of Taylor’s writing, and I loved the style of narration — although at least for me the dialogue was all so similar that it (and the large cast who popped in and out of the story) made it hard for me to distinguish one character from another, at times. The stories were fully embodied, and I felt viscerally the frustration, tension, loneliness, and threats of violence throughout the book. This made it uncomfortable when (as happened often) I was frustrated with how the characters related to each other, but it also made a strong overall impression on me, leaving me not with a definitive story but a sense of sharing these young people’s experiences as they tried to find their place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage, for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Late Americans comes out on June 22, 2023.

Title: Dinosaurs
Author: Lydia Millet
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Literary fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

Millet writes a deceptively simple novel about a man named Gil who, in the wake of a failed relationship, walks from New York City to Phoenix; we follow his story as he settles in his new home, discovers the desert landscape and wildlife, and builds new connections, starting with the family next door.

We only really see glimpses of the other people in Gil’s life, the bits and pieces of them that Gil encounters — and yet they show up as whole people, with their own messiness and complex motivations. In the process, we also experience the tension between the individual and the community, between one’s desires and one’s obligations, and the way that our lives play out in a web of relationships. And there all along, sometimes coming to the fore, are the ways that nature shapes our experiences (and how we shape it back, climate change and reckless hunting and all).

While the novel touches on difficult and dark subjects, they mostly stay on the fringes as Gil meanders through, making this a well-crafted, smooth read that never makes you directly confront the challenges it raises.

Dinosaurs is part of the Tournament of Books, a sort of March Madness for 16 books from the previous year. If this sounds like an interesting event to you, I’d recommend checking out the list and trying at least one or two books that catch your eye!

Title: The Locked-Away Life
Author: Drew Davies
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Over the past few weeks I have been listening to the story of Esther, an older woman living alone and away from society in her large house, and Bruno, a young man she hires to teach her how to use the internet.

It’s a story that manages to be heartwarming without getting saccharine: Esther is lively and sharp-witted while Bruno is caring but guarded, and the two build a friendship as they spend time together during their lessons. Both characters have a bit of mystery and hurt that they need to work through, and my main critique is that I don’t feel either of their stories is paced or played out in an entirely satisfying way. For Esther’s part, we repeatedly hear snippets of her past that we can piece together, but it all happens so piecemeal that as a result her growth and resolution also feels a bit uneven and incomplete; Bruno, on the other hand, has a gutting experience that plays out strikingly on the page, but the aftermath feels a bit rushed — summarized more than experienced — and wraps up faster than I’d like.

All in all, this is an enjoyable book (and wonderfully narrated as an audiobook!) that’s recommended if you’re looking for a story of human connection, love, and support from seemingly unlikely friends.

Title: Writers & Lovers
Author: Lily King
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Literary fiction
Rating: ★★★★★

After reading Five Tuesdays in Winter I vowed to read more of Lily King’s works, starting with Writers & Lovers — a novel narrated by Casey Peabody, who is struggling to get by as a waitress while she writes her first novel. The story begins with Casey grieving the loss of her mother and continues as she tries to sort out her writing, her job, and her relationships.

I devoured this book and loved following along with Casey’s journey, including the very real moments of uncertainty and the painful moments that validated my own experiences (casual misogyny, anyone?). The ending felt a little too good to be true, but Casey’s voice swept me up and carried me through it. This is a beautifully written story portraying the internal conflicts that hit us at that time in our lives when we feel like we should have it all figured out but we’re still just muddling through.