Drifting Shared Memories in I Went to See My Father
The narrative tends to drift, partly because of its emphasis on memory and partly because of the soft flow of Shin’s syntax, expertly translated by Hur.
Author: Amber Ruth Paulen
Inhabiting Past Ancestors in Animal Life
Animal Life is a subtle and stunning work for anyone who has felt the impact of an ancestor, who has lost themselves to a past that feels like their own.
The Reflections in Li Zi Shu’s The Age of Goodbyes
As Li Zi Shu’s new novel rotates through three storylines in every chapter, it is soon clear that the objective is to glimpse how the truth of each is reflected, refracted, and twisted in the other two.
The Forming of a Self in Claudia Durastanti’s Strangers I Know
Claudia Durastanti’s English debut is a flame held up to the inexpressible self.
Blank Canvases and Self Portraits in White on White
In her second novel, Ayşegül Savaş goes deep into the human experience, beautiful and fraught, delivering a renewed perception of what it means to be a person among other people.
Withholding and Revealing in Lily King’s Five Tuesdays in Winter
Lily King’s new story collection drops readers into imperfect lives, evoking awe and anger and admiration and futility, reminding us how it feels to be human.
Cruel Compassion in Zülfü Livaneli’s Disquiet
The characters in Zülfü Livaneli’s Disquiet cross borders, enter lives, and make real distant traumas for those whose only knowledge of the Syrian Civil War is from headlines.