Riverrun

Dancers on the Shore by William Melvin Kelley: More, please

Originally published in I964, William Melvin Kelley’s Dancers on the Shore comprises sixteen stories some of which recall the characters who brought his striking novel A Different Drummer so vividly to life. Its title refers to a lengthy quote from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness setting the tone for a thought-provoking read. Several of the

Dancers on the Shore by William Melvin Kelley: More, please Read More »

Cover image for Tyll by daniel Kehlmann

Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann (transl. Ross Benjamin): Telling truth to power

I’ve read all of Daniel Kehlmann’s translated novels, each very different from the others but all witty and smart. His last book, You Should Have Left, was a short, gothic number, both chilling and riveting. In comparison Tyll is a lengthy, historical novel set against the backdrop of the Thirty Years War which raged across

Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann (transl. Ross Benjamin): Telling truth to power Read More »

Cover image

The Easy Way Out by Steven Amsterdam: There isn’t one

This novel is unlikely to appeal to everyone although we should all read it. It’s about assisted suicide, one of the great moral dilemmas of the twenty-first century Western world where medicine has advanced in leaps and bounds but not the ethical framework for dealing with its unintended consequences. Steven Amsterdam’s sharp, funny novel explores

The Easy Way Out by Steven Amsterdam: There isn’t one Read More »