Contemporary Lit — The Attic on Eighth

The Choices We Make: On Sophie Mackintosh’s Blue Ticket

In her latest book review for The Attic on Eighth, Rachel Tay turns to Sophie Mackintosh’s Blue Ticket and addresses the topics of choice around motherhood, aided by the work of Jacqueline Rose in Mothers.

Literature, Book ReviewsRachel TayAugust 5, 2020Sophie Mackintosh, Blue Ticket, Rachel Tay, literature, lit, contemporary literature, Contemporary Lit, motherhoodComment

Fractured Family in Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half

Reviewing Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, Olivia Gündüz-Willemin delves into topics on colorism, power in family dynamics, and unbreakable bonds.

Literature, CultureOlivia Gündüz-WilleminAugust 1, 2020The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett, Contemporary Lit, Olivia Gündüz-Willemin, lit, literatureComment

In Fernanda Melchor’s Hurricane Season, a Dead Witch Speaks

“For, in Hurricane Season, one is never drawn out of a twister and into a fairytale. Rather, in its terrific torrent of trauma, deceit, desire and greed, only the cruel lashes of failure and poverty remain.” Writer Rachel Tay reviews Fernanda Melchor’s Hurricane Season.

A Room of Want’s Own: Brief Comments on Female Desire in Three Summer Reads (and One Excellent British Tragicomedy)

Writer Rachel Tay explores the topic of female desire in three of the summer’s most popular and poignant reads – Mona Awad’s Bunny, Lara William’s Supper Club, and Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women – before turning to Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the phenomenon that was and is Fleabag.

What We're Reading, Vol. 10

Midway through July, the Attic on Eighth writers chime in to share what it is they’re reading this summer.

Our Summer Reads, Vol. 1 – Olivia Gündüz-Willemin

In the first of a series, EIC Olivia Gündüz-Willemin shares her summer reading list for 2019 and kicks off a favorite season for books.

LiteratureOlivia Gündüz-WilleminJune 1, 2019summer reading, Summer Reads, The Attic on Eighth, Olivia Gündüz-Willemin, literature, reading, Contemporary Literature, Contemporary Lit, classic literature, classics to read, books to read in the summer, summer 2019, books to read summer 2019, summer, Our Summer Reads Comment

Twelve More Books to Read on a Twelve Hour Journey

Following up her earlier piece on more classic books to read on long journey, EIC Olivia Gündüz-Willemin shares twelve books that are perfect to read on a plane.

Literature, TravelOlivia Gündüz-WilleminApril 7, 2019Olivia Gündüz-Willemin, literature, good travel books, Contemporary Literature, good books to read on long plane rides, books to read on planes, travel, Contemporary LitComment

Facing the Future in Ali Smith’s Spring

Days before its much-anticipated release, Rachel Tay delves into Ali Smith’s Spring

Literature, Book ReviewsRachel TayMarch 22, 2019Ali Smith, Spring, Ali Smith's Spring, Seasons Quartet, Ali Smith's Seasons Quartet, Spectres of Marx, Jacques Derrida, Derrida, Derrida in contemporary lit, Contemporary Lit, literature, Rachel Tay, contributor post, contributor postsComment

Overcoming Asymmetry

“There is no answer, and I have no answer. That it is the beauty and, I believe, the strength of Asymmetry. None of it fits together. It is asymmetrical. It poses more questions than it answers about different dynamics and experiences, questions of authorship and authority and politics and culture[, and] despite this, it gives to the world and adds to its definitions of humanity.”