“But that act (a son teaching his mother) reversed our hierarchies, and with it our identities, which, in this country, were already tenuous and tethered.” I love the moment where a certain line makes you catch your breath and pause, taking the time to soak in the sentence. Ocean Vuong provides that experience consistently throughout On Earth We’re…
Tag: Fiction
Expectation
I first came across this title as part of a class assignment and, upon reading the synopsis, thought, “this is a British version of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”. Now that I’ve read the book, I firmly stand behind my initial hypothesis. Cat, Lissa and Hannah live together in East London, brought into each other’s lives…
The Song of Achilles
My newly scratched itch for Greek mythology (coupled with a copy of the book being readily available) means that 2% Books will experience its first ever back-to-back review of the same author. Although the title bears Achilles’ name, the book revolves around the life of Patroclus, the story’s narrator and Achilles’ closest companion. Born a king in his…
Circe
For all you who also went through (are still in) a Greek mythology phase, it has been exciting to see Madeline Miller gain so much visibility and traction with her novels The Song of Achilles and Circe. While they’re not connected in plot, I apologize in advance that I’m giving you the review of her second title first….
The Bridges of Madison County
“Analysis destroys wholes. Some things, magic things, are meant to stay whole. If you look at their pieces, they go away.” I, like many book lovers, try to read before I watch, but I saw this movie a few years ago, not realizing it was a book, and I’m almost thankful for that. I believe my overall impression and appreciation of the book…
Anna Karenina
Rather than attempt a comprehensive review of 867 pages in two minutes, my goal is to provide, what I would consider, an accurate and succinct representation of the novel. So for all of the people who think of Anna Karenina as a “Russian tragedy”- this is for you. Given the page length, it’s not surprising that the novel isn’t commonly…
We Were Liars
Focused on the inner-workings of a rich family in New England, We Were Liars illustrates how the implications of “favorites” and the suppression of emotion can have a shrapnel effect when tensions finally burst forth. Cousins Mirren, Johnny, and Cadence, along with their friend Gat, spend every summer on the Sinclair family island. The idyllic New Englander…
And Then There Were None
“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; one choked his little self and then there were nine…” Thus starts the nursery rhyme that serves as the premise of the novel, which can I just say– a nursery rhyme? This was told to kids? Honestly. That aside, I relished every minute I listened to this…
The Book of Longings
As many of you know, I rarely know anything about a book before I start it; this was an exception. The friend who gave me The Book of Longings prefaced its subject, a subject that might have kept me from giving the book a chance had it not come recommended. If anything, this experience convinces me to continue my habit of…
Everything I Never Told You
“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet. 1977, May 3, six thirty in the morning, no one knows anything but this innocuous fact: Lydia is late for breakfast.” Do you feel like you committed a crime and read the big reveal? Because that’s how I felt reading those sentences, the first sentences of…