This book seems to confront me, forcing me to question my own life, career, relationships, and goals. I am always a firm believer that good novels make us ask questions about ourselves. It isn’t just about escaping, but instead escaping within ourselves and discovering something new. Continue reading
Tag Archives: american novels
Book review of “My Dark Vanessa”: Nabokov’s “Lolita” re-imagined
My Dark Vanessa feels very much like a modern take on Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. But with a twist. Kate Elizabeth Russell writes this harrowing tale of manipulation, grooming, and assault from the perspective of a teen girl, Vanessa, being seduced by an older male. Russell has done an amazing job at telling Vanessa’s story. I … Continue reading
“Pigs In Heaven”: A review of Barbara Kingsolver’s novel
I am a major Barbara Kingsolver fan. I first came to her literature in high school when my English class had to read Poisonwood Bible, which is one of my favourite books when it comes to the plot as well as the characterisation and narrative techniques. When I found Pigs In Heaven, which I feel … Continue reading
Aging horror and Indigenous stories: a review of Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”
Stephen King published his novel Pet Sematary in 1983, which makes the novel almost 40 years old. The plot hinges on a universal human desire: to beat death and to keep hold of the ones we love. However, like many novels and legends before it, bringing things back from the dead doesn’t always go as … Continue reading
Kristin Hannah’s “The Great Alone”: A Review
As Winter slowly but surely approaches the Northern Hemisphere, I felt that a book on Alaska would help me get into the mood of all things cold and frosty. As an Australian, it is hard to imagine the cold that is experienced in places like Alaska and Northern Sweden and Finland. I did not see … Continue reading
“The Grapes of Wrath”: a review of classic Steinbeck
I’ve always wanted to read The Grapes of Wrath. I think it is important to immerse oneself in a wide variety of literary genres from all over the world. I also think that it’s important to read a Nobel Prize winning author every now and then. John Steinbeck’s book won the National Book Award and … Continue reading