Tag: Fiction
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“Ghost Music” by An Yu
One day, a package of rare mushrooms is delivered to the doorsteps of the Beijing apartment where Song Yan lives with her husband. The sender is unknown, but the mushrooms came from Yunnan province, and Song Yan’s visiting mother-in-law immediately decides to cook them. They were his son’s favorites when he was a boy and…
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“Hestia Strikes a Match” by Christine Grillo
Hestia Harris uses mainly two apps on her smartphone: one is checking for terrorist threats in the area, and the other is … a dating app. It’s 2023, and the United States is in the middle of a civil war. The country was divided; some states were pro-Union, while others separated and called themselves the…
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“The Medici Murders” by David Hewson
Venice is one of my favorite cities worldwide, so I jumped right into the story when I learned about the new Venetian mystery novel. The author, David Hewson, notes that in Italian, the word “storia” indicates both history and a story. Fittingly, the novel’s main plot is a story of murder in Venice, but in…
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“48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister” by Joyce Carol Oates
My friend once told me that she doesn’t trust beautiful people because they have it so much easier. Georgene, the young heroine of “48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister,” by Joyce Carol Oates, talks about her sister: “Her beauty, that was unjust. For all beauty is unjust.” Then she goes further: she hates…
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“Foster” by Claire Keegan
A short gourmet comparison: I’d rather have one exquisite chocolate or a bag of cheap, sugary candies. Undoubtedly enjoying superb chocolate doesn’t last as long as the seemingly endless chewing of sweets, yet the quality of the experience is incomparable. This is the case with Claire Keegan’s short novel “Foster.” It’s easy to finish it…
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“The Buried Giant” by Kazuo Ishiguro
I’ll start this review like a fairy tale: once, in the land of far away, lived an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, who decided to go on a quest to reunite with their son. On their way, they met ogres, pixies, and a she-dragon. They walked with a great warrior, Wistan, and a young boy…
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“So Shall You Reap” by Donna Leon
Commissario Guido Brunetti wouldn’t be a true Venetian if he were not interested in Venice real estate market. When his father-in-law’s friend is curious if an old palazzo is for sale, Brunetti finds himself knocking on the palazzo’s door. He doesn’t know that the person who opens, a Sri Lankan man, will soon be found…
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“A Heart Full of Headstones” by Ian Rankin
I was an avid reader of Ian Rankin’s series with the Edinburgh detective John Rebus. Still, I somehow became distracted by the new and shiny mysteries that pop in the bookstores every week. Now I’m glad to see that Rebus is back and better than ever. It’s such a classic, noir fiction, with sharp dialogs…
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“A Girl’s Story” by Annie Ernaux
Artists are in search of truth. And yet, even with many writers keeping this in mind, it is tempting to interpret one’s personal experience in a flattering or apologizing light. It’s particularly challenging to keep an observant eye when writing autobiographical books. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Annie Ernaux “for the…
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“Moonflower Murders” by Anthony Horowitz
After solving the mystery in “Magpie Murders,” Susan Ryeland rode off into the sunset – she retired from the publishing business and moved to Greece with her boyfriend. Together they run a small hotel in Crete, but it’s not a smooth ride. Struggling with constant repairs, unreliable deliveries, and demanding guests, Susan misses her life…
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