Category Archives: World Literature
Invisible Helix – Keigo Higashino (Author), Giles Murray (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “ If you’re searching for a crime thriller that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go, Invisible Helix is the novel for you. When homicide detectives investigate a plausible murder: a man floating … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Far Eastern Literature
Tagged crime thriller, family, homicide, murder, Tokyo
Comments Off on Invisible Helix – Keigo Higashino (Author), Giles Murray (Translator)
The Book Censor’s Library – Bothayna Al-Essa , translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain
(Reviewed by JD Jung) This cautionary tale takes place “sometime in the future, in a place that would be pointless to name, since it resembles every other place.” All I know is that it is at a time … Continue reading
Posted in graphic novels/illustrated humor, Humor & Satire, Middle Eastern Literature, Political fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Mythology, Social Justice
Tagged censorship, freedom, liberty, library, Social satire
Comments Off on The Book Censor’s Library – Bothayna Al-Essa , translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain
Selamlik – Khaled Alesmael (translated from the Arabic by Leri Price)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I am so glad I was born in Syria and get to be young in Damascus, no matter the fear and danger. I love Damascus even if she is cruel to me.” Our narrator Furat lives … Continue reading
Posted in Immigration, Middle Eastern Literature, Scandinavian Literature, World Issues
Tagged homoerotic, LGBTQ, refugees, Religion, Sweden, Syria, Syrian civil war
Comments Off on Selamlik – Khaled Alesmael (translated from the Arabic by Leri Price)
The Propagandist – Cécile Desprairies, translated by Natasha Lehrer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Our protagonist had to navigate between truth and lies, reality and denial for her entire childhood. Now as an adult and a historian, she must face these truths and the role her mother played in Fance … Continue reading
Posted in French Literature, Historical Fiction, WWII
Tagged anti-antisemitism, France, Nazism, propaganda, WWII
Comments Off on The Propagandist – Cécile Desprairies, translated by Natasha Lehrer
Pentimento Mori – Valeria Corciolani
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “It’s simply a matter of yellows, figs, vans, and kites…Why can’t I get a nice simple gang murder or an old-fashioned serial killer?” Public Prosecutor Jacopo Bassi has had enough of this murder case, the victim … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Italian Literature, World Literature
Tagged art history, cozy mystery, Italian literature
Comments Off on Pentimento Mori – Valeria Corciolani
The Coin – Yasmin Zaher
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…in my family, America was both the key and the curse.” Our narrator, who is from a wealthy Palestinian family moved to New York after her parents died. She was left with an inheritance of which … Continue reading
Posted in Immigration, Middle Eastern Literature, World Literature
Tagged immigration, New York, obsession
Comments Off on The Coin – Yasmin Zaher
The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s 1961, almost twenty years after the war, and it would appear as if the Netherlands has recovered. However, scars linger beneath the surface in unimaginable ways. Isabel, who is almost thirty years old, doesn’t have … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Our Best, World Literature, WWII
Tagged Dutch literature, Netherlands
Comments Off on The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
The Club of True Creators – Milan Tripkovi
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “We aren’t criminals! We are authors whose works your children will study in Serbian language classes one day. We are the architects of some of the most refined literary achievements ever committed to the Serbian tongue. … Continue reading
Posted in Humor & Satire, Slavic Literature
Tagged artists., Serbia, Social satire, songwriting, writers
Comments Off on The Club of True Creators – Milan Tripkovi
