Category Archives: Reviews

Dogma, by Lars Iyer

Lars Iyer is a well known figure of the literary blogosphere, and as a relative neophyte in the space, I only recently came across his name, but liking what I sampled of Dogma, I decided to give it a full read. I like to keep up, when I can, with new fiction, especially that beyond the realm of typical academic fiction, which I generally find too cloistered. It reflects the austerity in Britain following the financial crisis and its similarity to the great depression. It reminded me, as I read it, Read more [...]

These Dreams of You: A Novel by Steve Erickson

 Steve Erickson's ninth novel, These Dreams of You, traces the travails of a contemporary American family following their adoption of an Ethiopian child, their struggle to keep themselves housed and fed when both partners are unemployed, and their quest for the child's birth mother. Beginning with the election of Barrack Obama, it asks the question of what our concept of America is, and what must be done to heal the lesions in the body politic inflicted by slavery and segregation.  It resolves Read more [...]

What Happened to Liberal Democracy? A brief review of two books.

I've been looking for some book length works of political analysis, to add to what my consulting experience and reading of other sources tells me is going on beneath today's headlines. I'm particularly interested in Sheldon Wolin's Democracy, Incorporated and Chris Hedge's Death of the Liberal Class. Of the two, Wolin's book is the more provocative and scholarly, with pages of sources and footnotes for each chapter, while Hedges, who takes much of his argument from Wolin, adds interesting insights Read more [...]

The Paradox of Feminism in Norman Rush’s Mating.

Recently, I was introduced to the author Norman Rush through his interview in Paris Review. I had heard of him years ago, when White People and Mating came out, but I had never read him, so it surprised me that with so few books to his credit, he would make make it into such august company. Curious as to how he rated, I acquired a copy of Mating for something to read on my commutes. Aside from the fact that a man wrote it through the eyes of a woman, the first thing that struck me was the lack of Read more [...]

In Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster describes three types of reader. The second type, when asked “What does a novel do?” replies: “Why it tells a story of course, and I’ve no use for it if it didn’t. I like a story. Very bad taste on my part, but I like a story. You can take your art, you can take your literature, you can take your music, but give me a good story. And I like a story to be a story, mind, and my wife’s the same way.” Forster states that he detests and fears the second Read more [...]