The importance of a powerful first sentence in a novel is a necessity all of us book lovers agree on. It must catch our attention and grip us to make sure we read on. In Daniel Kehlmann’s novel Tyll, first published in Germany in 2017, I read one of the most potent introductory phrases I … Continue reading Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann
Tag: contemporary fiction
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
The Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk has been publishing novels in her home country for over three decades now. Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych was published in 2009 and exactly ten years later, the translation Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by the incredibly talented Antonia Lloyd-Jones finally conquered the international book … Continue reading Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
"Let me begin again". With this phrase, Ocean Vuong, introduces his debut novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. But how do I begin? After reading Vuong's epistolary novel, I am struggling to find the words that would help me express my thoughts on this book, simply because he manages to play and experiment with language, … Continue reading On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong