Fiction Reviews

If you would prefer a searchable / sortable linear index for this category you can find one here
Cover image for The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada

The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada (transl. David Boyd): Busy doing nothing

I enjoyed Hiroko Oyamada’s Weasels in the Attic this time last year, ending my review saying that I was keen to explore more of her writing. Originally published in Japan in 2013, The Factory is set in the world of work. Despite the increasingly surreal thread which runs through the novella, it struck a chord …

The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada (transl. David Boyd): Busy doing nothing Read More »

Cover image for Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Family Meal by Bryan Washington: ‘Love is a tangible thing’  

I loved Bryan Washington’s Lot and Memorial, both written with empathy and a wonderful fluency which made Family Meal a dead cert for me. While Lot was particularly striking in its evocation of Houston, Memorial’s loving descriptions of food and cooking stood out vividly. Unsurprisingly, there’s more of that in Family Meal which sees Cam …

Family Meal by Bryan Washington: ‘Love is a tangible thing’   Read More »

Cover image for Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri

Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (transl. Jhumpa Lahiri and Todd Portnowitz): An exquisite collection

Back from my travels, more of which next week, with one I’ve been eagerly anticipating for some time. When I reviewed Jhumpa Lahiri’s beautiful novella Whereabouts, an Italian reader kindly left a detailed comment describing his response to her translation of the book, which she had originally written in Italian, mentioning that a volume of …

Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (transl. Jhumpa Lahiri and Todd Portnowitz): An exquisite collection Read More »

Cover image for Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal

Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal (transl. Jessica Moore): Giving voice to women

I was keen to read Maylis de Kerangal’s Canoes as soon as I spotted it in the publishing schedules having very much enjoyed Painting Time. Comprising one novella and seven short stories, its overarching theme is women’s voices, either heard or in narrative. As ever, I’ll pick out my favourites beginning with Mustang, the novella, …

Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal (transl. Jessica Moore): Giving voice to women Read More »