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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Category Archives: World Literature
The Cut Line – Carolina Pihelgas (Translated from the Estonian by Darcy Hurford)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Liine, an Estonian woman in her early thirties, just wants to take control of her life in The Cut Line. (more…)Read More →
Posted in Slavic Literature
Tagged abuse, climate change, Estonia, family dysfunction
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The Ferryman and His Wife – Frode Grytten, translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Ferryman Nils Vik has spent decades carrying people across the fjord. Widowed for many years and the father of two grown daughters, he wants this crossing to be his last day on earth or sea. (more…)Read More →
Posted in Reviewers' Top Picks, Scandinavian Literature
Tagged death, life, Norwegian literature
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Ham’s Heaven- Ori Gersht (Translated by Joanna Chen)
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) Ham’s Heaven was a tough book to get through – but not for the usual reasons: poor plotting, pacing, etc. It was tough because it was a very emotional story that needed to be … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature
Tagged animal, NASA, space
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All That Dies in April – Mariana Travacio (translated by Samantha Schnee and Will Morningstar
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Lina wants to leave her Argentinian quebrada, where the soil is dry and the land barren, no longer offering them anything for sustenance. Her only son left years earlier with her younger brother. She is not … Continue reading
Posted in Latin American Literature, World Literature
Tagged Argentina, family, migration
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The Man of Middling Height – Fadi Zaghmout (Author), Wasan Abdelhaq (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) In most societies, identity and status are shaped by gender—and often, by the body parts we are born with. Jordanian author Fadi Zaghmount flips that concept on its head in his provocative speculative novel The Man … Continue reading
Posted in Middle Eastern Literature
Tagged gender, Jordan, Social satire, speculative fiction
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The Yellow Dog – Georges Simenon (translated by Linda Asher)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Originally published in 1931, in English in 1939, and now re-released in English, The Yellow Dog offers readers a taste of Georges Simenon’s signature crime storytelling. Set in the small seaside town of Concarneau, France, a … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged cozy mystery, crime fiction, France
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A Carnival of Atrocities – by Natalia García Freire, Translated from the Spanish by Victor Meadowcroft
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Cocuán, a small town in Ecuador is doomed by a curse. Upon the death of Mildred Capa’s mother and the subsequent abandonment by her father, Mildred was intent on maintaining and working the farm. However, … Continue reading
Posted in Latin American Literature
Tagged abuse, Ecuador, literature, Religion
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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
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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 Middle Eastern Literature, Political fiction, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology, Social Justice
Tagged censorship, freedom, liberty, library, Social satire
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