Before I picked this up, I knew nothing about who James Wood is; having now finished it, I can tell with absolute certainty, he is one of contemporary criticism's most gifted and steadfast voices, a lover of literature through and through. How Fiction Works is among the finest examples of that particular branch of non-fiction... Continue Reading →
Stoner is one of the two books I've decided to write my thesis on, come next term. It's that rare thing, a work that perfectly encompases the full strengths of the novel as a form. It's worth deeper study. So, then, this will be a short review -- I'd hate to be caught plagiarising my... Continue Reading →
Over the last ten months, I've began to look to Rachel Cusk's work with a reverence bordering on religious fervour. Her Outline trilogy* is revelatory, and does what few novels ever manage - it updates character, changes the narrator's role to little more than a lens to look through. Further, it sacrifices that central individuality... Continue Reading →
John Williams witholds the inner voice of the eponymous Augustus, born Gaius Octavius, until the very last. The first Roman Emperor remains among the most enigmatic figures in history, and Williams, too, keeps him at a hand's length, his motives obscure even as the author's other characters scrutinize Octavian's every move. And what characters they... Continue Reading →
The lights blinked twice and went out. I strapped the safety belt on, conscious of the blinking lights, conscious, too, of the cry of the toddler several rows back. A long flight, with no end in sight. Next to me on the plane sat my creative writing instructor, a woman roughly the age of my... Continue Reading →
I would like to take a few minutes and talk about one of the most interesting novels I've come across as of yet. Through its title, Cusk makes a thesis statement - the myth of characters, she might as well say, is holding the novel back. Faye, the novel's main character, is strangely absent from... Continue Reading →
