Category Archives: Modern Literary Fiction
Which Side Are You On – Ryan Lee Wong
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Why did Reed’s grandparents want him to have the best education? “His answer: “So I could participate in the great American ladder climb, where East Asians hoard resources and try to become white at the … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged Asian American, Los Angeles, New York, political activism, race relations, social justice
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Life Slightly – Nigel Jay Cooper
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “An entire life, lived on the outside edges, like a shadow pressing into other people’s problems and dramas.” What happens when you deny your true self in order to avoid conflict and comply with other’s … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged British literature, denial, LGBTQ, life
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A Cigarette Lit Backwards-Tea Hacic-Vlahovic
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Punk rock is pure, it stands for nothing.” It’s the early 2000’s and sixteen-year-old Kat feels that punk rock was intrinsically made for her. She desperately wants to be accepted by the punk crowd in … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged coming-of-age, drugs, punk, punk rock
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Dark State – Christopher J. Lynch
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned “The terrorists know…The government knows…Now – YOU will know” A terrorist attack is something we all fear but would it ever be so horrific that you would want to leave your home and not come … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Our Best
Tagged California, power grid, terrorist attack
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The Deceptions – Jill Bialosky
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Beautiful Aphrodite, she did what she pleased. Surely, she did not worry about pleasing her husband, or hate herself for her acts of infidelity. Those gods and goddesses, they have no shame.” Our unnamed narrator … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Our Best
Tagged betrayal, Greek mythology, poetry, seduction
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The Hundred Waters – Lauren Acampora
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Grown people need friction to live.” Most people would think that Louisa Rader is living the perfect life. As the director of the town’s art center, this former model and photographer lives in a wealthy … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged aging, art, boredom, environmentalism, privilege, rebellion, wealth
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The Risk in Crossing Borders – William McClain
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “She kept coming back to the question of what to do with her life. Most people sorted that out in their twenties and thirties. What was wrong with her?” Yana Pickering is over fifty years … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged immigration, Lebanon, refugees, Seattle, Syria, transgender, war
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I Buried Paul: A Novel: Bruce Ferber
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned This is the story of forty-nine-year-old Jimmy Koslowski and his uncertain life as a struggling musician. It starts off with his family, where his father is an orchestra leader, and his older brother is a … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Our Best
Tagged Beatles, music, rock music
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Love, Death & Rare Books – Robert Hellenga
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “I want to live life, not read about it.” That is what people kept telling Chicago bookseller Gabe Johnson, who came from generations of rare book dealers. With the growth of online bookstores, even his … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged bookstores, death, love, philosophy
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