Category Archives: Modern Literary Fiction

The Imaginary Life of a Laurel Tree – Mario Fortunato (Author), Michael F. Moore (Translator)

Posted on September 8, 2026 by J D Jung

When I was visiting Genoa, Italy, I popped into Feltrinelli Librerie and picked up a book with an intriguing and original plot: The Imaginary Life of a Laurel Tree by Mario Fortunato. Our unnamed narrator, a writer in his forties, … Continue reading →

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Joan of the Arcane – Alexandra Fleder

Posted on August 11, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) What happens when a former punk-rock singer reaches her forties, her children have left home for college, and suburban life suddenly feels like a cage? That’s where Joan finds herself in this wonderfully original and often … Continue reading →

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Happy Life – David Foenkinos (Author), Sam Taylor (Translator)

Posted on July 14, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Eric Kherson is forty years old, divorced, has little contact with his son, and is struggling to find meaning in his life. He makes a good living but feels disconnected from both his personal life and … Continue reading →

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Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt – Ben Reeves

Posted on July 7, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt offers a fascinating and deeply original perspective on death through the character of Travis Smith, who is death in human form. Rather than causing death or deciding who dies, Travis … Continue reading →

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An Author’s Dozen: Thirteen Short Stories – Christopher Amato

Posted on June 9, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) If you enjoy literary short story collections that explore the complexities of human nature, then An Author’s Dozen is well worth your time. The thirteen stories are remarkably original, taking readers across different locations, time periods, … Continue reading →

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Goodbye Chinatown – Kit Fan

Posted on June 2, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) This emotionally layered novel blends food, family, politics, and identity into a powerful story. Set between London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, it follows Amber Fan, a talented young chef determined to build her dream London restaurant, … Continue reading →

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The Copywriter – Daniel Poppick

Posted on February 5, 2026 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) A witty, morally bracing portrait of an artist adrift in Trump-era America, where poetry, precarity, and conscience collide. (more…)Read More →

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Who Knows You by Heart – C. J. Farley

Posted on November 23, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In this multilayered and gripping novel, we are introduced to Octavia Crenshaw—a thirty-year-old Jamaican American software engineer whose journey is as compelling as the technological world that she navigates. A Columbia graduate and New Yorker, Octavia … Continue reading →

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The Night Swimmer – Simon J Houlton

Posted on August 22, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Bill Eckersley, in his late thirties, drifts through life in the working-class seaside town of Hastings, England. He’s the kind of character who reminds us of the troubled, unstable writers we’ve all read about—but without the … Continue reading →

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The Silence of Flesh: A Novel of Conscience, Identity, and Holy Vows – Glenn Cooper

Posted on June 30, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “People who are different, even outcasts by some, are not outcasts to the Lord.” Cardinal Anthony Budd had no desire to become Pope. Also, it was unlikely since he was an outsider and would be only … Continue reading →

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