book review Archives - Andrew Blackman

Reading

The Story of the Night by Colm Toibin

A fascinating window into a difficult life. Richard Garay is a young gay man trying to find his way in Argentina after the death of his parents, navigating homophobia and dictatorship and the early days of AIDS among a myriad…

Reading

Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian

Professional mycologist Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian demolishes any idea of rigid boundaries and hierarchies in this glorious celebration of the diversity and queerness of nature.

Reading

Parallel Lines by Edward St Aubyn

My take on the new novel by this Booker Prize winning author, in which the lives of a disparate set of characters suddenly intersect.

Reading

Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico

My thoughts on Vincenzo Latronico's beautiful novel about millennial expats in Berlin, recently longlisted for the International Booker Prize.

Reading

Reading Wales Month: Clear by Carys Davies

A church minister is sent to evict the last inhabitant of a remote island, but things don't go as planned.

Reading

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

After Dark is a strange, elliptical novel that weaves together layers of meaning in a story that unfolds over a single Tokyo night. Here's my take on what it all means.

Reading

Review: The Other Side by Alfred Kubin

What would a dream world look like? A world in which the normal rules of cause and effect don't exist, in which social obligations are subordinate to each individual's ability to dream? In Alfred Kubin's vision, it looks a lot…

Reading

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

Why was I disappointed by a novel that everyone else seems to love? Follow me as I try to find the answers.

Reading

Review: 912 Batu Road by Viji Krishnamoorthy

A Malaysian debut novelist combines a contemporary love story with a historical narrative of Japanese occupation. I enjoyed one much more than the other, but would recommend it nonetheless.