What makes the content of The World of Ice and Fire twice as interesting is that we don’t get all the information we might desire, as odd as that might sound. The maester writing admits that it is impossible to fully know all historical events and that some records contradict one another and he therefore gives us both. There are certain events that appear concrete, but some are still ambiguous enough to keep us wondering.
It was 2009 when Reif Larsen’s debut novel, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, first appeared. The novel follows the accomplishments and journey of a young, intelligent, and brave mapmaker named T.S. Spivet. Besides the glorious words, T.S. Spivet uses a variety of sketches and charts to tell its story. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet is the kind of novel that signals the arrival of a unique talent—the kind of writer you can’t wait to read more from. It took six years, but, finally, Reif Larsen is back with his follow-up.
Through it all, Larsen remains a trusted storyteller. His prose is remarkably clean, and the way he paces his mammoth novel is rather impressive. He even includes maps and diagrams. In a lesser-talented writer’s hands, such inclusions might come off as pretentious gimmicks, but here they seem like necessary additions.
There’s a common theme running through most of the poems in Clouds of Hungry Dogs, and it’s as difficult to pin down as the affection that replaces love when mutual respect is obstructed by a sudden onset of mental illness and/or other catastrophe, or the simple and less-exciting slow fade of love that follows a slightly disappointing wedding, or the desperate love between an unfit mother and her surviving children.
Openness is something that isn’t valued enough in contemporary society. When someone asks us the tough questions—you know the ones about race, sex, and faith—we tend to reply coyly. Speaking for myself, I tend to not just play the shy card, I often look the other way and wait until an awkward moment of silence passes by. Roxane Gay, though, is a writer who tackles controversial topics with intelligence and precision. Her new collection of essays, Bad Feminist, is a stunning examination of today’s American culture.
Openness is something that isn’t valued enough in contemporary society. When someone asks us the tough questions—you know the ones about race, sex, and faith—we tend to reply coyly. Roxane Gay is a writer who tackles controversial topics with intelligence and precision. Her new collection of essays, Bad Feminist, is a stunning examination of today’s American culture.
Published by Raw, Richard McGuire’s “Here,” a 6-page comic, first appeared in 1989. The 36 panels to explore were unique, but they also shared one commonality. Each panel, not arranged by any chronological restrictions, depicted the same spot as it changed throughout the past, present, and future. Because of the enthusiastic reception—based on not just the final product of the comic but also the sheer scope and ambition of the project—of “Here,” people were anxious to get more.
Here is not one of the best graphic novels of 2014. It’s bigger (and better) than that. Instead, what we have in McGuire’s creation is a stunning piece of literature. This is a work that takes on the possibilities of the American novel and conquers the. Here is a recreation of our history, our present, and our future. It’s our American lives.
Considering 2004’s A Complicated Kindness, it is clear that Miriam Toews is a woman who understands entrapment. A Complicated Kindnessis about a teenage girl who struggles with her identity inside the oppressive Mennonite world. Her community inhibits her individuality, and the overwhelming control dominates the girl’s life. Now, in her latest (and best) novel, All My Puny Sorrows, Toews presents a similar situation. This time, though, things are even direr.
All My Puny Sorrows is about how we approach life when we don’t want to live it. It sounds sad—maybe too sad, and, really, it is for segments; however, Toews knows how to create a story, and she adds just enough humor to make the whole thing digestible.