by Sam Krowchenko

“Timely Intensity”

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“Could people talk about books with the same timely intensity that they do the latest episode of ‘Mad Men’ or ‘Top Chef’?”

“The Novel Just Skated Past”

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That television so eagerly borrows from contemporary fiction isn’t cause for panic – these shows could redirect viewers to their source material and recruit a whole new legion of readers that their authors might never have wooed.

Lost Memory of Skin – Russell Banks

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Through his supporting cast, Banks suggests that most individuals are not unlike the Kid – burdened by compromised morals, predatory and voyeuristic instincts aroused by barrages of sexual images.

“If You Could Have Seen Her, It Was True”

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But what if, in the worst-case scenario, Franzen is right? What if Wallace’s nonfiction dishonestly earns its prefix? For me, nothing really changes.

Everything Beautiful Began After – Simon Van Booy

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Great novelists hand readers the keys and ride shotgun, pointing out turns and exits whenever necessary, but never spoiling the destination. Van Booy is a backseat driver.

Orientation – Daniel Orozco

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The successes and misfires of Orientation ultimately hinge on the same thing: trusting the reader. When Orozco trusts his readers to orient themselves within the diverse structures and psychologies of his stories, they are copiously rewarded. When he does not, however, the stories start showing off, overcompensating, explaining themselves too forcefully.