Susan Osborne

Cover image for Weasels in the Attic by Hiroko Oyamada

Weasels in the Attic by Hiroko Oyamada (transl. David Boyd): A tale of three dinners

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I’d not read any Japanese fiction for quite some time when I spotted Hiroko Oyamada’s eye-catchingly titled Weasels in the Attic on NetGalley and liked the sound of it. Billed as a novel, it reads more like closely linked short stories in which a middle-aged man recounts three separate meals shared with his best friend, […]

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Cover image for Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet

Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet: ‘You can do your best all your life’  

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I spotted Lydia Millet’s Dinosaurs on NetGalley, pleased to be reminded of how much I’d enjoyed Oh Pure and Radiant Heart many moons ago. This subtle, understated novel follows Gil who’s decided to put his New York past behind him and move to Arizona, captivated by footage of the Arizonan landscape, and having nothing better to

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Ciover image for Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout: ‘This is how we lived. It was strange’  

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Unusually for me, I had mixed feelings when I saw a new Elizabeth Strout in the schedules: Lucy by the Sea is Lucy Barton’s third outing, the second in a year, and it’s a pandemic novel. I wondered if she was becoming little overexposed but knew I’d read it anyway. Lucy and her ex-husband, William,

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Cover image for Body Kintsugi by Senka Maric

Body Kintsugi by Senka Marić (transl. Celia Hawkesworth): ‘You are life itself’

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I’ve come to expect challenging books from Peirene Press although the last one I read, Marzhan, Mon Amour, turned out to be full of gentle humour and affection for the titular former East Berlin suburb. Senka Marić’s Body Kintsugi is a tough though ultimately optimistic read covering two years in which our unnamed protagonist undergoes

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Cover image for Liberation Day by George Saunders

Liberation Day by George Saunders: A smartly delivered collection

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I couldn’t get on with George Saunders’ 2017 Man Booker Prize-winning Lincoln in the Bardo but made a mental note to try his short stories which were much lauded in the novel’s publicity material. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get around to it until Liberation Day popped through my letterbox. Comprising nine stories, Saunders’ new collection ranges

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Cover image for Ravished by Anna Vaught

Ravished by Anna Vaught: A nice slice of Gothic spiced with black humour

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I’m not much of a horror fan but I do enjoy the occasional slice of gothic, preferably something with a slightly surreal edge to it, and a sample short story on Reflex Press’ website suggested Welsh author Anna Vaught’s Ravished fit that bill. Comprising nineteen stories, some so short you might call them flash fiction,

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