Francesco Pacifico’s CLASS is both a contribution to and, at its best, a subversion of the genre of gentrifier kunstlerroman.
Thus Bad Begins – Javier Marías
Like so many young Spaniards of the transition, Juan never questions his elders, as though pointing out Muriel’s hypocrisy might lead to the return of the Franco regime.
Goodbye, Vitamin – Rachel Khong
The way that Ruth gauges the progression of her father’s illness is food-centric.
Nights as Day, Days as Night – Michel Leiris
While “a fieldwork of the self” is clearly how much of Leiris’s other work operates, this book resists.
Wait Till You See Me Dance – Deb Olin Unferth
Don’t tell me it’s going to get better, just tell me that you feel it, too.
Stuart Hall’s Voice – David Scott
For several generations to come Stuart Hall’s voice will remain a key part of conversations on the left.
Atlantic Hotel – João Gilberto Noll
ATLANTIC HOTEL’s moral compass is far wonkier than even the most clever parody of a hardboiled detective noir.
Wong’s speakers are possessed of a transforming power, but the physical realities around them push back, or bind them in ways they can’t escape.
Swallow the Fish – Gabrielle Civil
Civil upends our assumptions around artistic displays of the body, demands we consider the fact that performance art engages with unruly ghosts and wounded riddles.
When the doctor asked me if I had recently experienced a tragedy, I took the English translation out of my backpack, and read to her.