book reviews — The Attic on Eighth

Detransition, Baby: An Automatic Queer Classic

“Detransition, Baby is a book that crackles with life.” Culture Editor Eliza Campbell reviews the book we’re all thinking about.

Literature, Book ReviewsEliza CampbellFebruary 21, 2021Eliza Campbell, literature, book reviewsComment

Anaesthetised by Solitude: On Ottessa Moshfegh’s Death in Her Hands

In her latest book review, Rachel Tay celebrates Ottessa Moshfegh’s newly released Death In Her Hands and considers what reading about solitude does to the mind in lockdown.

LiteratureRachel TayJune 23, 2020Ottessa Moshfegh, Death In Her Hands, lit, literature, contemporary literature, new releases, book reviews, Rachel TayComment

Chasing Time and The Last Summer of Ada Bloom

Chronicling a lonely, overwhelming summer, Martine Murray’s debut The Last Summer of Ada Bloom tells the story of a family on the edge of loss. Creative Director Raquel Reyes shares her review.

LiteratureRaquel ReyesApril 23, 2020Raquel Reyes, book reviews, The Last Summer of Ada Bloom, Martine Murray, Spring Reading, spring reads, viral debuts, Tin House Books, popular

Our 2019 in Books: Raquel Reyes

As 2019 comes to an end and we enter into 2020, we consider the reading that defined each of our years. In our continuing series, Creative Director Raquel Reyes looks at the multiple goals, obstacles, and genres that made up her year, and finally embracing the ultimate act of reading for pleasure.

LiteratureRaquel ReyesJanuary 8, 20202019 in books, reading lists, year in reading, year in books, Raquel Reyes, Social Creature, The Glimpses of The Moon, book reviews, The Dutch HouseComment

The Magical Language of Others is a Masterclass in Understanding

Exploring trauma, poetry, and family relationships, Raquel Reyes reviews E.J. Koh's coming of age memoir, The Magical Language of Others.

LiteratureRaquel ReyesJanuary 7, 2020Raquel Reyes, E.J. Koh, The Magical Language of Others, Tin House Books, bookstagram, Book Review, book reviews, mothers, coming of age, memoirs

Letters to Mother: Children Writing Across the Boundaries of Language and Memory

Cultural writer Rachel Tay turns to Annie Ernaux’s I Remain in Darkness – the most recent of her works to be translated into English – and Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous to consider a genre of writing about mothers that transgresses the boundaries of language and memory.

LiteratureRachel TaySeptember 10, 2019literature, Book Review, book reviews, books to read, motherhood, mothers, Roland Barthes, Annie Ernaux, I Remain in Darkness, The Years, Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, discussing On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, discussing Annie Ernaux, Rachel Tay

The Lush, Tempestuous World of Costalegre

Combining art, youth, and longing, Creative Director Raquel Reyes describes why Courtney Maum's forthcoming Costalegre is the perfect summer read.

LiteratureRaquel ReyesJuly 13, 2019Courtney Maum, Costalegre, book reviews, Raquel Reyes, summer reads, surrealism, mexico, world war two, coming of age, diaries, literature, summer, summer reads 2019, popular, travel through the pages

Mentorship & The Female Persuasion

Literature Editor Olivia Lindem considers the strength of human relationships in Meg Wolitzer’s 2018 release, The Female Persuasion.

Literature, Book ReviewsOlivia Gündüz-WilleminJune 10, 2018book reviews, Meg Wolitzer, The Female Persuasion, Contemporary Literature, literatureComment

Olivia Struggles with Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

"Rarely do I want to give up on a novel. No matter how frustrating, I persevere and refuse to consider the possibility of giving up. Yet I almost abandoned Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore."