book review Archives - Andrew Blackman

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.

Reading

Norng Chan Phal: The Mystery of the Boy at S-21

A harrowing true account of a small child surviving the Cambodian genocide.

Reading

Review of Eclipse by John Banville

My thoughts on Eclipse, a beautifully written novel by Irish writer John Banville.

Degrowth Communism vs. Climate Capitalism

Can degrowth communism solve the climate crisis by ending the growth obsession and distributing resources more fairly? Or should we put our faith in climate capitalism instead?

Reading

The Echoes by Evie Wyld: Review

My review of a beautifully dark and thought-provoking new piece of literary fiction by Evie Wyld, set between a remote Australian outback village haunted by terrible memories and a London flat inhabited by a disgruntled ghost.

Reading

The Future by Naomi Alderman

What kind of future do we want? How would it look if it was based on trust instead of fear? For a novel that starts with the end of the world, The Future has a lot of interesting things to…

Reading

Borges Marathon, Part 13: The Circular Ruins

What happens when one man tries to dream another into existence? Jorge Luis Borges imagines this scenario in this thought-provoking story.