Sheila Heti’s How Should a Person Be? (2012)

2014-10-07T14:54:33-04:00

It seems perfect. Sheila Heti's How Should a Person Be? is not really a novel. And this is not really a review. It's a collection of my collisions with understanding. Opening sentence: "How should a person be?" Subtitle: A Novel from Life Off the page, there is an interview with Shelagh

Sheila Heti’s How Should a Person Be? (2012)2014-10-07T14:54:33-04:00

Alexi Zentner’s The Lobster Kings (2014)

2014-09-10T19:34:11-04:00

Like his first novel, Touch, The Lobster Kings showcases Alexi Zentner’s penchant for storytelling. Knopf Canada, 2014 Readers who learn that this novel is a retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy "King Lear" might expect the tale to distance readers, with the original story centuries old and memories of stilted

Alexi Zentner’s The Lobster Kings (2014)2014-09-10T19:34:11-04:00

Being a Daughter, Being Audacious

2014-07-03T08:40:29-04:00

At first glance, readers might not spot similarities between J. C. Carleson's The Tyrant's Daughter (2014) and Gabrielle Prendergast's Audacious (2013). Knopf - Random House, 2014 Laila, the 15-year-old daughter of an assassinated dictator, flees to North America with the aid of authorities who recognize the family's vulnerability

Being a Daughter, Being Audacious2014-07-03T08:40:29-04:00

Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (2013)

2014-06-26T14:30:15-04:00

It was probably always a messy story, but at some point the focus for Donna Tartt's third novel shifted dramatically. As discussed in an interview with Jared Bland at the Appel Salon, the draft Tartt had been writing, which was set in Amsterdam and New York City, collided with a trip to Las

Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (2013)2014-06-26T14:30:15-04:00

Donna Tartt, interviewed by Jared Bland (November 2013)

2014-05-13T15:26:33-04:00

The  evening in the Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library begins with a  sincere expression of enthusiasm on the part of the interviewer, introducing and welcoming the author. Not rote expression of interest or distant admiration, but a sense of true excitement as Jared Bland takes his seat, and

Donna Tartt, interviewed by Jared Bland (November 2013)2014-05-13T15:26:33-04:00
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