I’ve read a few different books by R.F. Kuang, enough to know I have a generally mixed perspective on her novels.
Posts published in “Book of the Week”
Book of the Week is an Opinion culture column created by Keenan Yates ‘23 used to give weekly book recommendations in the form of short blurbs and reviews.
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith is a mystery thriller about murder. It follows two leads, Guy and Bruno, who meet on a train and have an uncomfortable encounter.
For me, reading a well-loved book that I’ve turned to time and time again feels like meeting up with an old friend.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro follows Klara, an android who dreams about being able to see the sun. She is an AF, or artificial friend, stuck in a department store, available for purchase but continuously waiting for that moment.
Whenever a new film attempts to adapt a beloved classic in literature, an angel gets their wings and bookworms gain another title to add to their TBR list.
The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector is a short novella following our narrator, Rodrigo, as he tries to tell a story about a poor woman named Macabea.
The start of the spring semester is for me a time of mixed feelings. I am sad to say goodbye to my family, and overjoyed to see my friends.
Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende is a magical realism novel that blends fantastical elements with historical fiction. Set in the backdrop of Chile in the throes of dictatorship, the novel follows Irene, a journalist, and Francisco, a photographer, who are working together to figure out what happened to Evangelina, a young girl with the potential ability to create miracles after she is taken by the government.
Brat by Gabriel Smith is an experimental horror novel that follows a narrator experiencing strange events while attempting to sell his parents’ house after the loss of his father.
I am currently taking a class in Latin American Fiction, and recently we read Bad Girls by Camilla Sosa Villada. It’s a translated autofiction about Camilla’s time as a transwoman and sexworker in Argentina.