I have been so excited for this. I read SJS's story "In This Life or Another" a few years ago in McSweeney's and knew I was onto something special. ThI have been so excited for this. I read SJS's story "In This Life or Another" a few years ago in McSweeney's and knew I was onto something special. That story is the opening chapter here, a wonderfully queer coming of age novel. As Publishers Weekly says, this is a triumph....more
This is about as complex and daring of a novel as I think I've ever read.This is about as complex and daring of a novel as I think I've ever read....more
DNF. I struggled for several weeks to get traction with this and just couldn't do it. I understand and appreciate what Murray is doing with it, or at DNF. I struggled for several weeks to get traction with this and just couldn't do it. I understand and appreciate what Murray is doing with it, or at least what I think he's doing with it. I read it in part as a subversion of the kinds of novels I dislike, particularly a critique of an overlong family melodrama. But even a subversion of that kind of novel requires the plot and characters to be taken somewhat seriously for the farcical elements to stick. At 600+ pages, I just couldn't face it. In the end, I find myself agreeing with those who like it for what it does, as well as with those who dislike it for all the reasons I couldn't force myself to read it....more
Sylvia is an intriguing debut from Maithreyi Karnoor and Neem Tree Press. The image of the baobab tree on the cover is the touchstone for the book: a Sylvia is an intriguing debut from Maithreyi Karnoor and Neem Tree Press. The image of the baobab tree on the cover is the touchstone for the book: a novel anchored by a 50-page story, followed by nine shorter pieces, recalling the baobab with sturdy trunk and short branches. It's a book that I liked the idea of more than the experience of reading it. For one thing, the straightforward prose didn't match the innovative form. The stories were, for the most part, competently told but no more. I appreciated the way Karnoor gave us a main character in fragmentation, appearing and re-appearing in different guises across the stories. Certain themes were handled well like migration, displacement, home-making, what makes a family, and others. I can't point to any particular story as a favorite, although certain scenes and images were done well. In many ways, this read like a rough draft of a novel, points of departure that could have been explored in more depth. Brevity is a virtue, but often this felt like a summary of a novel rather than a novel. I wonder if a good editor might have turned this into something special. Karnoor is a writer to watch, though, and I hope she continues to experiment with narrative and the novel form....more
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