On an Island

Robinson Crusoe 

by Daniel Defoe

'It happen'd one Day about Noon going towards my Boat, I was exceeding surpriz'd with the Print of a Man's naked Foot on the Shore, which was very plain to be seen in the Sand: I stood like one Thunder-struck ...'

Robinson Crusoe is one of the most famous adventure stories ever written. The account of a sailor shipwrecked on a desert island for twenty-eight years, it is also a tale of mythic proportions, an allegory, and a spiritual autobiography. I remember being fascinated with the industrious nature of Crusoe and his ability to develop survival habits while stranded, alone at first, until encountering the man whom he would name "Friday." In more recent years I have been able to understand better the historical and literary context, but the wonder of Defoe's story has not diminished with the years. This has been a favorite of mine since I was a young boy. I have read it several times, and the Norton edition is the one I have most recently read.

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THe Heiress

Washington Square 

by Henry James

“Don’t underestimate the value of irony—it is extremely valuable.”

― Henry James, Washington Square

My first exposure to Henry James's art was in Washington Square. I bring this up because the first time I saw James in a dramatic setting was during a performance of "The Heiress" by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. In 1947, they had adapted James's short story. The play had gained popularity among high school students by the late 1960s, which is how I first came across it and, indirectly, Henry James. James first serialized his book in Cornhill Magazine and Harper's New Monthly Magazine in 1880. It is a structurally simple tragicomedy that recounts the conflict between a dull but sweet daughter and her brilliant, domineering father. The plot of the novel is based upon a true story told to James by his close friend, British actress Fanny Kemble.

The book is sometimes compared to Jane Austen's work for the clarity and grace of its prose and its intense focus on family relationships. James was hardly a great admirer of Jane Austen, so he might not have regarded the comparison as flattering. In fact, James was not a great fan of Washington Square itself. He tried to read it over for inclusion in the New York edition of his fiction (1907–1909) but found that he could not, and the novel was not included. Other readers, though, have sufficiently enjoyed the book to make it one of the more popular works of the Jamesian canon. Its popularity may have been enhanced by the stage adaptation "The Heiress" by Ruth and Augustus Goetz.

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Berlin During War

Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945 

by Ian Buruma

This is an immersive, deeply human, and meticulously researched social history. Published in early 2026, the book explores how ordinary people navigated the moral catastrophe of the Third Reich. It derives its title from the wartime greeting Berliners used as the city collapsed into rubble: “Bleiben Sie übrig” (“Stay alive”). The book's core themes, structure, and critical approach are presented clearly. Instead of focusing on military strategy or top-tier Nazi commanders, Buruma chronicles the everyday survival of Berlin’s diverse wartime population. The book is organized year-by-year from 1939 to 1945. This structure tracks Berlin's transition from a thriving cultural redoubt to a battered, desperate hellscape. Buruma pieces together letters, diaries, memoirs, and rare interviews with aging survivors. He features a wide cast of characters: resistance fighters, swing dancers, movie stars, hiding Jews, and ordinary citizens. The narrative is anchored by the letters of Buruma’s own Dutch father, Leo Buruma. Leo was one of 400,000 foreign workers conscripted into forced labor in the German war economy. The result is an informative and well-written history of a specific time and place.

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The Supreme Court

Sarah Isgur's A Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court is a lighthearted, data-driven, and incredibly approachable defense of the U.S. Supreme Court that refutes popular media narratives regarding judicial partisanship. The book uses Isgur's vast experience as a lawyer, political operative, and legal analyst to make the case that the high court is the only branch of government operating in accordance with its original constitutional design, despite widespread misconceptions. 📊
The conventional media framing of a "6-3 partisan court" is undermined by Isgur. By pointing out that almost half of the cases in recent terms were decided unanimously, she uses statistics to demonstrate that sharp ideological divisions are uncommon. Isgur presents the "Y-Axis" spectrum, which stands for institutionalism. This determines whether a justice is a "chaos agent" ready to upend precedent or an institutionalist who values stability. The book blames an inactive Congress for high-profile legal disputes. It contends that the executive branch overreaches with executive orders as a result of lawmakers' failure to enact clear statutes, putting the Court in an untenable position of serving as a referee.
Isgur emphasizes that the Court's primary responsibility is rarely to decide whether a policy is "good." Instead, its role is figuring out which entity has the legal authority to make that decision.

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Internal Monologue

Jack 

by Marilynne Robinson

She said, "It's noise that you have to do it, and language that you do it, anyway." She said softly, "Maybe poetry.”

― Marilynne Robinson, Jack

The romance on the back cover of my paperback copy of this novel did not appear to me in any substantial way. I previously enjoyed Gilead, but I was disappointed in this rambling story. I did not find myself captivated, from the first pages, by the author's admirable prose.

Jack is profoundly aware of his capacity to destroy everything he touches. Because of his early exposure to scripture, he views divine knowledge as a burden rather than a source of comfort. His life turns into a torturous quest for a "theology of harmlessness"—a desperate, monastic attempt to withdraw so he can't hurt the people he cares about, especially Della. Jack faces the harsh realities of American racism head-on, in contrast to the comparatively remote, small-town theological discussions of Gilead and Home. Robinson painstakingly details how Jack and Della's world is compressed by societal prejudice, familial disapproval, and legal risk, transforming their relationship into a silent, agonizing act of defiance.

The novel avoids predictable, sweeping romantic tropes, choosing instead to present an intimate, slow-burning portrait of love existing under extreme duress. However, the narrative relies heavily on circular, self-obsessed internal monologues. I found it difficult to fully understand Della's motivations, as her thoughts are never directly unpacked, leaving her reasons for sacrificing so much for a "genteel hobo" somewhat mysterious.


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Tragic Moment

A Separate Peace 

by John Knowles

“What I mean is, I love winter, and when you really love something, then it loves you back, in whatever way it has to love.”

― John Knowles, A Separate Peace

This remains one of the most enduring and psychologically astute coming-of-age novels in American literature. The novel is set in 1942, during the dark days of World War II. The story takes place at the Devon School, a fictional elite New England boarding school based on Knowles’ alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy. The story is told from the perspective of an older, wiser Gene Forrester, looking back fifteen years later, and it is a harrowing exploration of identity, envy, and the tragic end to adolescent innocence.

It takes a close look at the complicated co-dependent relationship of two roommates who are polar opposites. Gene Forrester: The narrator. An intellectual, very insecure, introverted, and very neurotic person. Phineas (Finny): Gene’s best friend, a charismatic, fiercely athletic daredevil who glides through life with a natural charm and an innate purity of heart. This tension comes to a head during an idyllic summer term, when Gene becomes convinced that Finny’s effortless grace is a deliberate attempt to undermine Gene’s academic success. This toxic mixture of deep resentment and adoration leads to a momentary, impulsive act of betrayal.

As the boys come of age, they are faced with the worldwide violence of World War II. Knowles is a master at reflecting the large-scale warfare of the world in the small-scale, private wars of the human soul. The "separate peace" that the boys discover during that quiet summer is an illusion.


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The Enigma of Evil

Evil: 

A challenge to philosophy and theology 

by Paul Ricœur

This is a small but positively brilliant exegesis of the origin of evil. Ricoeur is eloquent and deep in his analysis based on a lecture given in Lausanne, Switzerland. Ricoeur's exploration of evil delves into its multifaceted nature, examining how it manifests in human experience and moral philosophy. He articulates the tension between the presence of evil and the quest for meaning, suggesting that understanding evil is essential to grasping the human condition.

Through his lens, Ricoeur emphasizes the importance of narrative in confronting evil, positing that storytelling allows individuals to process and make sense of their experiences with suffering and injustice. He invites readers to reflect on the ethical implications of evil, urging a deeper engagement with the moral dilemmas it presents.

Ultimately, Ricoeur's insights challenge us to confront the complexities of evil, encouraging a dialogue that transcends simplistic notions of good and evil and fostering a more profound understanding of our shared humanity.

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Art and Morals

The Shape of the Artistic Mind: 

 A Search for the Metaphysical Link Between Art and Morals in the Thought of Thomas Aquinas 

by Bradley T. Elliott OP








Is the ethical life an art form? Are the arts a form of virtue? This book explores how Thomas Aquinas responds to these questions by situating classical depictions of art and virtue within a rich account of God as creator. Helpful resources are provided for readers who want to further appreciate the role of the arts in the moral life.

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Suddenly a Wall Appeared

The Wall 

by Marlen Haushofer

“I often look forward to a time when there won't be anything left to grow attached to. I'm tired of everything being taken away from me. Yet there's no escape, for as long as there's something for me to love in the forest, I shall love it; and if some day there is nothing, I shall stop living.”
― Marlen Haushofer, The Wall




Marlen Haushofer’s 1963 Austrian novel The Wall is a hauntingly claustrophobic feminist sci-fi masterpiece that subverts traditional survival narratives. It tells the story of an unnamed 40-year-old woman who is on holiday at a hunting lodge in the Austrian mountains and wakes to find herself completely cut off from civilization by a mysterious, transparent, impassable wall. On the other side of the barrier, all life seems instantly petrified and dead. Her life is isolated forever, turned into a brutal series of alpine survival routines with a small menagerie of animals: a loyal dog (Lynx), a pregnant cow (Bella), and a cat. And yet the story is profoundly meditative. I enjoyed the eerie environment and moments of poetic reverie that the author created.

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My Lonely

Sula 

by Toni Morrison

“Lonely, ain't it? Yes, but my lonely is mine. Now your lonely is somebody else's. Made by somebody else and handed to you. Ain't that something? A secondhand lonely.”

― Toni Morrison, Sula

Toni Morrison's Sula is a "modern masterpiece" and a "complicated masterpiece" about the lifelong friendship of two Black women, Nel Wright and Sula Peace. The story takes place in the fictional community of “The Bottom” in Medallion, Ohio. Originally published in 1973, it is renowned for its lush, lyrical prose and thoughtful examination of womanhood, identity, and the limits of friendship. 

The bond between Nel and Sula is so strong that 'they had a hard time telling one’s thoughts from the other’s. “ Their relationship becomes a platform for interrogating the Black feminine experience, and the search for meaning.  Nel signifies conformity and adherence to societal norms whereas Sula is a “outlaw woman” who challenges the status quo with her anarchistic ways. 

The two girls grow up with a dark secret that creates a bond “stronger than anything.” This bond is finally tested by a betrayal that comes to the very brink of forgiveness. Set between 1919 and 1965, the novel uses World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, and the civil rights era as a backdrop for the struggles of life in "The Bottom."

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The Well of the Past

Joseph and His Brothers 

by Thomas Mann

"Very deep is the well of the past. Should we not call it bottomless?"
With this beginning, Thomas Mann creates a monumental novel based on the story of Joseph in Genesis. By the time you have read more than two hundred pages and Joseph is yet to be born, you begin to realize just how monumental this novel will be. The good news is that it is worth the time and effort.

Mann sets the story in the 14th century BC and makes Akhenaten the pharaoh who anoints Joseph as his vice-regent. A dominant topic of the novel is Mann's exploration of the status of mythology and his presentation of mythical truths and the emergence of monotheism. Events of the story of Genesis are frequently associated and identified with other mythic topics.

From the opening page of the novel, the notion of the underworld and the mythical descent to the underworld is a central theme. Jacob's sojourn in Mesopotamia (hiding from the wrath of Esau) is paralleled with Joseph's life in Egypt (exiled by the jealousy of his brothers) and, on a smaller scale, his captivity in the well. Abraham is repeatedly presented as the man who "discovered God." Jacob, as Abraham's heir, is charged with further elaborating this discovery. Joseph is surprised to find Akhenaten on the same path (although Akhenaten is not the "right person" for the path), and Joseph's success with the pharaoh is largely due to the latter's sympathy for "Abrahamic" theology. Mann's approach reminds one of Sigmund Freud's Moses and Monotheism, which had appeared in 1939, just before Mann began work on the tetralogy's fourth part. As Joseph is saved from the well and sold to Egypt, he adopts a new name, Osarseph, replacing the "Yo-" element with a reference to Osiris to indicate that he is now in the underworld. This change of name is made to account for changing circumstances and encourages Amenhotep to change his own name to Akhenaten.

The breadth of the story can be seen in a survey of the four major sections of the novel. The first, The Tales of Jacob, recounts the story of the birthright struggle with Esau and Dinah's trials. When it finally introduces us to the relationship between Jacob and his favored son, Joseph, first-born of his favored wife Rachel, you see one whose flaws of overconfidence and presumption are obvious from the beginning. The familiar stories here include how Jacob’s mother, Rebeccca, managed to obtain Isaac’s blessing for Jacob rather than first-born Esau (the “clod”) and the parallel deception by Jacob’s host Laban in which Jacob was given Leah’s hand in marriage rather than Rachel’s. The second part, Young Joseph, tells the familiar story of Joseph’s catastrophic descent in which his brothers, utterly fed up with his arrogance, throw him into the pit from which he is rescued three days later by an itinerant group of merchants. Having sold him to the merchants, his brothers then deceive their father by showing him the many-colored coat, stained with the blood of a lamb, and leaving it to him to draw the conclusion that his son was killed by a lion.

The two remaining sections take Joseph to Egypt and the court of the Pharaoh through to his reunion with his father and brothers. Mann's recounting of the story of Potiphar and his wife is exceptional among the many stories that are related about Joseph's life in Egypt. You also see Joseph growing in wisdom, although he is not always aware of his own abilities. "Toward him alone and urgently went Joseph's thoughts and the speech of his tongue, unaware that it was guided not by chance or choice but by inheritance and tradition." (p 459)

Mann is a fascinating, extraordinarily well-read writer with a powerful understanding of the human condition. His character studies (and Joseph is nothing if not a very extended character study) are deep and multi-faceted. He does a remarkable job of bringing to life a pre-monotheistic way of thinking. His thoughtfulness and imagination combine to create an immense classic that wins you over time and again. The depth of this remarkable classic knows no bounds.

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Contemporary Prophecy

The Hungry Tide 

by Amitav Ghosh

Words are like the winds that blow ripples on the water's surface . . ."  -  The Hungry Tide, p. 277

Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide is a masterful work of historical fiction that weaves together environmental conservation, political displacement, and human connection in the treacherous Sundarbans archipelago. Originally published in 2004, the novel features Ghosh's lyrical prose and is supported by extensive anthropological research. The story follows an unlikely trio navigating the "tide country"—a maze of islands on the India-Bangladesh border: Piyali (Piya) Roy, an Indian-American marine biologist who studies the rare Irrawaddy dolphin; Kanai Dutt, a sophisticated translator from Delhi, who is visiting his aunt to retrieve a journal left by his late uncle, Nirmal; and Fokir, an illiterate local fisherman who becomes Piya's guide. Despite the language barrier, Piya and Fokir have a strong, unspoken bond. The book balances this nuanced personal drama with larger sociopolitical issues, such as the Marichjhapi massacre of 1978–79 and the ongoing conflict between wildlife conservation (the Bengal tiger) and the survival of marginalized human populations.

The Sundarbans landscape transforms into a "character in itself." As I read the novel, I almost felt as if I were "inhabiting" its lush yet dangerous world. I enjoyed the novel's pace and storytelling style, which brought the mythic history of the lands and waters to life. The scientific detail and historical exposition captivated me just as much as the contemporary human story. The characters, while complex, were relatable, and the author was able to address themes such as neocolonialism and global power dynamics without sounding preachy. The author succeeded in capturing my emotions through the work's thematic richness. The novel is a beautiful narrative of history, love, and man's relationship with nature. It left me in awe of Amitav Ghosh's ability to beautifully highlight issues of language, love, and nature.

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                                                Sea of Poppies

           by Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh is a story-teller of the highest order and, in Sea of Poppies, he weaves several tales together bound by the limits of time, class, poppies, and above all else the sea. It is the sea that permeates the stories of various men and women and that provides the thread that ties this book together. He deftly opens the book with three paragraphs that limn three basic motifs for the novel: the sea, poppies, and the village; a village that is the starting point for Deeti, the first of many people whose stories will emerge throughout the novel. On the sea we meet Zachary Reid, but more importantly we are introduce to his ship, the Ibis, which becomes an important character in the author's sea of stories.
The novelist is notable for his use of language. Not since Rushdie have I encountered the brilliance and bounty penned by an author. That bounty is magnified by the appendage of a forty-three page section entitled "The Ibis Chrestomathy" which, as a chrestomathy or selection of literary passages, serves as more than a glossary and can be read in its own right. Ultimately, the author's ability to recreate a particular time and place and the way he intertwined the characters' stories were the best aspects of this novel. In spite of moments were I, if only fleetingly, felt that some of the individual events were contrived the overarching themes, motifs, and design of the novel moved it beyond these moments and made it a great read.

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Wonder in Literature

All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age 

by Hubert L. Dreyfus

Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher and philosophy begins in wonder.

-- Plato

This book presents a review of a few Western classics and is somewhat insightful. With repeated exposure, I found the writers' singular viewpoint became less appealing. There are questions posed as to what constitutes human excellence and the optimal way to live a life. In my opinion the summary is valuable, and I would suggest this text as excellent supplementary reading.

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A New Day

The Old Man and the Sea 

by Ernest Hemingway

“Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.”

― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

"I will show him what a man is capable of and what a man is willing to endure." Santiago is the title's old man, a poor Cuban fisherman who has not caught a fish in eighty-four days. The other fishermen now call him unlucky, and his best friend, the boy Manolin, has been forbidden from fishing with him any longer. On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago decides to go farther out than usual, farther than the other fishermen, in the hopes of finding a big fish. On that day, he hooks a massive marlin, and the battle for dominance and survival commences.

This is more than just a tale of the struggle to catch a big fish. When you join the old man in his boat, you realize how much he loves the boy, the sea, and the fish. This, combined with his vision of lions on a beach, gives him the courage to keep going, as well as the cheerfulness that allows him to do so day after day.

This is the book that won Hemingway the Pulitzer Prize and, eventually, the Nobel. It depicts man alone against nature in the simple style that Hemingway mastered. I first read this many years ago and have since read other of his novels, but this is the one that sticks with me the most.

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Haunting Tale

Burial Rites 

by Hannah Kent

“It’s not fair. People claim to know you through the things you’ve done, and not by sitting down and listening to you speak for yourself.”

― Hannah Kent, Burial Rites

Hannah Kent's debut novel, Burial Rites, is a haunting and lyrical reimagining of the final months of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person executed publicly in Iceland in 1830. Set against the stark, brutal landscape of 19th-century northern Iceland, the book delves into themes of justice, the power of storytelling, and the humanity hidden behind a "monstrous" reputation.

Agnes, convicted of the brutal murder of two men, one of whom was her former master and lover, Natan Ketilsson, is sent to an isolated farm to await her death sentence, where she is cared for by a family who is forced to house her. She is portrayed as a smart, resilient, but tragic figure whose life is marked by poverty and abandonment.
Tóti (Assistant Reverend Thorvardur Jónsson) is the young, inexperienced priest who Agnes chooses as her spiritual guardian. His role shifts from a stern advisor to a compassionate listener. Jón, Margrét, and their daughters initially view Agnes with disgust and terror, but their feelings gradually shift to sympathy and connection as they work alongside her.
The book is an unusual story well told with special attention to the emotional aspects of the narrative.


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Fearless Narrator

This Boy's Life 

by Tobias Wolff

“Fearlessness in those without power is maddening to those who have it.”

― Tobias Wolff, This Boy's Life

This Boy's Life, a critically acclaimed 1989 memoir, chronicles the author's turbulent coming-of-age in the 1950s. The story follows young Toby and his mother, Rosemary, as they travel across the country—from Florida to Utah and eventually to Washington State—escaping dysfunctional relationships and pursuing a version of the American Dream that they consistently fail to achieve.

The book's narration is honest and dispassionate, avoiding self-pity while detailing a life of petty delinquency, domestic abuse, and the constant struggle for a secure identity. Toby's toxic relationship with his stepfather, Dwight, is central to the story. Dwight, a "dictatorial, gun-loving alcoholic," subjected Toby to psychological and physical abuse, such as forcing him to husk chestnuts until his fingers bled.

Faced with a world in which he feels "unworthy," Toby renames himself "Jack" (after Jack London) and begins a series of fabrications. This culminates in him forging transcripts and letters of recommendation to secure a scholarship to a prestigious prep school—an act he sees as consistent with the "authentic" person he believes he is. Despite their nomadic and frequently dangerous lifestyle, Toby and his mother have a deep, almost "telepathic" trust. Rosemary is portrayed as an adventurous but docile reckless woman who struggles to find healthy partners. Overall, I enjoyed this book because of its candor and lovely writing style.

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Little Man

Hombrecito 

by Santiago José Sánchez

“He kisses her again, with more conviction this time, the way she kisses his cuts and bruises, as if love were something tangible, a balm to spread over every injury.”
― Santiago Jose Sanchez, Hombrecito






Hombrecito is a lyrical, queer coming-of-age story that delves into immigrant identity, familial trauma, and desire. It has a palpable emotional intensity combined with exquisite prose. The novel follows a young narrator, also named Santiago, from his childhood in Ibagué, Colombia, to his life as an immigrant in Miami and, eventually, New York City.
The title ("little man") alludes to the narrator's childhood role as he navigates a complicated relationship with his mother, who frequently "forgets she is a mother" and disappears for long periods of time.
Sanchez's writing is passionate and electrifying. The novel's focus on minute, visceral details—such as the smell of fried plantains or the texture of a mother's dress—is one of its greatest strengths. The narrative structure is nonlinear, and it can occasionally feel like a series of photographs rather than a continuous stream of events. Overall, it was a fascinating read.


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Conquest Masquerading as Aid

Violent Saviors: The West's Conquest of the Rest 

by William Easterly

"The quest for agency is everywhere and nowhere in the business of development aid." - William Easterly






This is a work of genius in the defense of freedom. The lessons learned from a history of self-serving and arrogant conquests in the name of economic development are vividly depicted. The outcome emphasizes the common patronizing thread that runs through so many attempts to impose assistance on underdeveloped regions. The obvious conclusion is that the imposition of expert judgments requires voluntary consent. This book is a valuable resource for developing a defense of free market capitalism because of its wealth of historical examples.

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In the Shadows

The Roving Shadows 

by Pascal Quignard

"We were constructed in the shadows. Passively in the shadows." - Pascal Quignard

The book is a profound reflection on the connections between reading, writing, sex, and death. Quignard connects these activities to primal human forces and animal instincts.
The work is extremely unique, alternating between aphorisms, historical anecdotes, personal memoirs, and fragments of myth from both East and West. The style appears to be almost "musical," reminiscent of Couperin's compositions (the book's title comes from his piece Les Ombres errantes). It was this musical aspect that I appreciated, as it was congruent with my own musical interests.
However, it can also be interpreted as a literary adaptation of postmodern French philosophy or critical theory. It demonstrates a "visionary" approach to literature while also being challenging and "enigmatic." It has almost "haunting brilliance" and the ability to captivate the reader.

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Clinic for the Past

Time Shelter 

by Georgi Gospodinov

Time Shelter introduces Gospodinov to American readers as a key figure in international literature.





Georgi Gospodinov's Time Shelter is a conceptually bold and satirical novel about the allure and danger of nostalgia. The winner of the 2023 International Booker Prize, the book follows an unnamed narrator and a mysterious figure named Gaustine, who opens a "clinic for the past." Initially designed to treat Alzheimer's patients by meticulously recreating specific decades of their youth, the clinics have grown in popularity to the point where healthy people are seeking refuge there, sparking a pan-European movement in which entire nations vote to live in a preferred decade of history.

The novel has a complex, fragmented, and philosophical structure. The author has a distinct voice and "Borgesian strangeness," and it is precisely the type of novel of ideas that I enjoy. Its reflections on memory and the "weaponization of nostalgia" are also intriguing. The second half, which details various European countries' previous referendums, can be "meandering," "diffuse," or "a bit of a slog."

While it is deeply compassionate, some of the "nebulous" characters and metafictional elements made me question the story. It took me a while to get into this book, but once I understood the structure, I was engrossed... [the book leaves] you wondering what is 'safer' for a person—a familiar past with its trauma, or an unfamiliar present."

Time Shelter is both thought-provoking and entertaining. While the novel stretches itself a little thin, the end result is one of the best books I've read this year.

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Being Created

At Night All Blood Is Black

by David Diop

“Until a man is dead, he is not yet done being created.”

― David Diop, At Night All Blood is Black

The story is about a Senegalese soldier named Alfa Ndiaye who is fighting for France. After Mademba, his "more-than-brother," is mortally wounded and Alfa can't kill him out of mercy, he goes into a ritualistic madness. Every night, Alfa sneaks into enemy lines, kills a German soldier, and comes back with their hand. At first, his friends praised him for being "brave," but as he collected more and more hands, they started to see him as a "soul-eater" or sorcerer.

The book looks at "temporary madness" as a way to stay alive and how the line between a hero and a monster is often drawn by who is doing the killing. Diop shows how French leaders used stereotypes of "African savagery" to scare their enemies, colonizing not only their bodies but also their minds. The unbearable guilt of watching Mademba die slowly and painfully is what drives Alfa's journey. The writing seems to put you in a trance and is almost like an oral history or a dark poem. Anna Moschovakis's English translation is great because it captures the rhythm of Alfa's thoughts, which are imagined in Wolof even though they are written in French.
The last few chapters seem to be very unclear and symbolic. This was a hard book to read at times, but it was worth it.

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Voices of a Guilty Past

Ludwig's Room 

by Alois Hotschnig

"What we've become is horrifying and what we will become is disastrous. We're destroyed from the beginning," - Alois Hotschnig

This was a chilling and masterful exploration of collective guilt and the haunting nature of the past. It is an atmospheric, deeply psychological work that reveals the complexities of a community's involvement in wartime atrocities.

The plot revolves around Kurt Weber, who inherits his great-uncle's lakeside villa in Carinthia, Austria.
Kurt was forbidden as a child from entering "Ludwig's room," where his uncle Georg would spend nights pacing and shuffling papers.
Kurt discovers a hidden cache of letters, photographs, and documents following Georg's death, revealing his family's involvement with a nearby Nazi prison camp. Kurt recognizes that the entire community is bound by a "widely understood agreement" to keep silent about their shared history of betrayal and cowardice. The plot is similar to a "haunted house" story, with the ghosts representing the living and dead voices of a guilty past.

The author's prose is intense, aphoristic, and "superfluous-free." The book could be interpreted as a literary riddle. Tess Lewis' English translation captures the story's "wit and sheer power of description," as well as the nuanced concept of Heimat.
Due to its bleak subject matter, the book can be "dense and opaque" or "difficult to read," but the emotional payoff at the end makes it worthwhile.

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Bernhard Short Stories

Goethe Dies 

by Thomas Bernhard

"I went inside myself, so to speak, and not outside myself anymore." - Thomas Bernhard




Thomas Bernhard's Goethe Dies is a collection of four short stories that serve as a concise introduction to the Austrian master's signature style: bleakly comic, inspiringly rancorous, and obsessively musical. The volume captures Bernhard's "philosophy of doubt" through satirical narratives about Europe's intellectual giants and cultural myths.
The four stories include "Goethe Dies": Written for the 150th anniversary of Goethe's death, this title story portrays a dying, solipsistic Goethe who obsesses over his legacy and demands an impossible meeting with the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (who was not yet born): "Montaigne: A Story." Follows a young man who seals himself in a tower to read the works of Montaigne, exploring the impulse to escape into intellectual isolation; "Reunion": A satire of the very escape depicted in the previous story. It concludes with "Going up in Flames": a travelogue where Bernhard portrays himself as a victim of his greatest enemy—Austria—unleashing a vision of total destruction in just eight pages.

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London Novel

Under the Net 

by Iris Murdoch

“I took a deep breath, however, and followed my rule of never speaking frankly to women in moments of emotion. No good ever comes of this.”

― Iris Murdoch, Under the Net

Iris Murdoch's first novel, Under the Net, is full of wonderful characters, including writers, eccentrics, and a glamorous actress, but the character that stands out the most is London itself. The novel has a picaresque structure, with a series of episodes narrated in the first person by James Donaghue, aka Jake. Furthermore, London becomes the primary setting for the main character's adventures (particularly Holborn and the financial districts), with brief but significant scenes set in another great and enigmatic city, Paris.

London appears in numerous other ways, including philosophically. She wrote, "Some parts of London are necessary, while others are contingent." Murdoch, on the other hand, incorporates all of London into her novel, which revolves around her writer-hero, Jake Donaghue. Raymond Queneau was the recipient of the dedication. When Jake leaves Madge's flat in Chapter 1, he mentions taking two books: Murphy by Samuel Beckett and Pierrot mon Ami by Queneau, both of which appear in this story. Hugo Belfounder, another character, is based primarily on Wittgenstein's student Yorick Smythies. It appears that literary references abound, as in this example.
"...I like the women in James and Conrad's novels who are peculiarly flower-like and described as 'guileless, profound, confident, and trustful. That 'profound' is good: fluttering white hands, deep as the sea..." (p 28)

The novel's epigraph, taken from John Dryden's Secular Masque, describes how the main character's misunderstandings propel him from one location to another. Angus Wilson described it as "wine, women, and Wittgenstein." Overall, the novel is an exciting start to what will be a successful writing career.

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A Son's Story

If You Kept a Record of Sins 

by Andrea Bajani

"I think it happened to you, too, the first time you arrived." - Andrea Bajani






This novel impressed me with its unusual narrative style as well as its moments of great beauty and strength. Many scenes, particularly those in Bucharest and the Palace, were breathtaking. The story of young Lorenzo and his mother's abandonment was difficult to follow at first, but as the narrative progressed, clarity became apparent.
Bajani simply tells his story, seemingly without regard for effect—but this is the essence of art. The book is full of details, but they are the kinds of details you notice when your mind is distracted and your spirit is nearly broken. The grief is all the more intense because it is so rarely observed. As the story progressed, the characters became increasingly clear.
After rereading the novel, it became even more moving and satisfying to this reader.

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Nuclear Age

The Fate of the Earth & The Abolition 

by Jonathan Schell

“It was not unless one lifted one's gaze from all the allegedly normal events occurring before one's eyes and looked at the executioner's sword hanging over everyone's head that the normality was revealed as a sort of mass insanity. . . Passengers on a ship who are . . . engaging in all the usual shipboard activities appear perfectly normal as long as their ship is sailing safely in quiet seas, but . . . deranged if in full view of them all their ship is caught in a vortex that may shortly drag it and them to destruction.”

― Jonathan Schell, The Fate of the Earth

This book examines the "unthinkable" consequences of nuclear war, contending that it poses a fundamentally different threat than conventional warfare. In A Republic of Insects and Grass, Schell describes the complete collapse of the ecosystem, claiming that only "lower orders" such as insects would survive a full-scale exchange. The Second Death is a metaphysical investigation into extinction. Schell contends that nuclear war kills twice: once by annihilating the living and once by "canceling" all subsequent generations. In The Choice, he identifies the nation-state system and the concept of national sovereignty as the primary causes of the threat, contending that humanity must choose between sovereignty and survival.

In response to critics who deemed The Fate of the Earth overly idealistic, Schell proposed more concrete paths to disarmament. Schell proposes that even after all warheads are physically destroyed, "deterrence" will remain because the knowledge of how to build them exists. He believes that this technological know-how serves as a permanent, non-lethal deterrent, allowing nations to maintain security without the immediate threat of a global catastrophe. He advocates for a strict international system to deter "cheaters," effectively decoupling disarmament from the urgent need for a global government.

Overall, this is an outstanding commentary on the growth and development of the "Nuclear Age," complete with analyses that raise concerns about the "fate of the earth." One wonders about the conclusions reached, but the reader is unwilling to dismiss the gravity of the issues raised in this weighty tome.

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Intense Abundance

Heat and Dust 

by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

 

“Shortly before the monsoon, the heat becomes very intense. It is said that the more intense it becomes, the more abundantly it will draw down the rains, so one wants it to be as hot as can be. And by that time one has accepted it -- not got used to but accepted; and moreover, too worn-out to fight against it, one submits to it and endures.”

― Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust 

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Heat and Dust, a brief but powerful book, won the 1975 Booker Prize. The main story follows a young woman from England who travels to India to learn more about her past.
The story revolves around two women from different eras and their adventures in India. Olivia Rivers, a young lady from London, traveled to British colonial India with her husband Douglas. While Douglas works at his office, Olivia is left alone in their bungalow during the long Indian hours. However, the story's narrator is the other lady in the novel who recognizes Olivia as her grandfather Douglas' first wife. The narrator's name is never mentioned in the novel. The narrator has traveled to India in order to learn more about Olivia. Heat and Dust is both Olivia's story and a record of the narrator's first impressions of India. 'India always changes people, and I have been no exception,' says the narrator at the start of the story. One of the novel's most impressive features is the way the heat and dust are depicted—you can almost feel it. The hot, dusty countryside of Satipur transforms the beautiful and adoring Olivia into the harem lady of a corrupt and wasted Nawab. Two generations after Olivia, the narrator readily absorbs the various "characteristic odors of India," such as spices, urine, and betel.
Whether or not the novel accurately portrays Indian reality, it is effective in its story of love and becoming a part of India.

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Mystery, Bach & Aristotle

Personae 

by Sergio de la Pava

"Creation is often a nebulous process, not susceptible to easy categorization, at the end of which a prototypical single creator emerges." - Sergio De La Plava

For the simple reason that De La Pava isn't attempting to write a simple book, Personae isn't the easiest to read. For instance, it is assumed that the reader will understand how Aristotle's energeia relates to the paired narratives that conclude the book. The reference to Bach helps; however, the play in the middle of the book, which has the same title as the book, is the elephant in the room ("The writer displayed zero reticence about using others' titles, as will be apparent to the discerning reader upon further development"). I find it difficult to decide how to handle this, but it is intriguing, and that is something I welcome in a novel

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Dostoevsky

The Grand Inquisitor

Ivan Karamazov tells his younger brother Alyosha the well-known parable "The Grand Inquisitor" in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. It examines the deep conflicts between freedom and authority and is set in 16th-century Seville during the Spanish Inquisition. 

The Return of Christ is one of the main narratives and arguments. Jesus comes back to earth and works miracles, like raising a dead child. The crowd instantly recognizes him, but the 90-year-old Grand Inquisitor orders his arrest.

The Inquisitor's Indictment: The Inquisitor makes the case in a lengthy monologue that the Church's work is hampered by Christ's return. He contends that by granting people the freedom of choice—a burden that the weak majority cannot bear—Christ overestimated human nature.

The Three Temptations: The Inquisitor uses Christ's three desert temptations as the foundation for his criticism.

Bread (Materialism): People prefer security and "earthly bread" over "heavenly bread"; Christ ought to have transformed stones into bread.

Miracles (Certainty): The Inquisitor contends that people require miracles to maintain their faith, but Christ declined to perform a miracle to demonstrate His divinity.

Power (Authority): By using Caesar's sword to establish a stable, "happy" order for the masses, the Church has "corrected" Christ's rejection of earthly rule.

Christ doesn't say anything during the speech. He merely gives the Inquisitor a "bloodless lips" kiss at the conclusion. The astonished Inquisitor lets him go but orders him never to come back.

- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The End of the World

On the Beach 

by Nevil Shute

“It's not the end of the world at all," he said. "It's only the end for us. The world will go on just the same, only we shan't be in it. I dare say it will get along all right without us.”

― Nevil Shute, On the Beach

The post-nuclear holocaust future portrayed in this book hasn't yet come to pass in the real world. The survivors' actions, feelings, and fears are expertly portrayed by the author. Suspense is created by the activities of a submarine commander and the continuous search for evidence of life in the northern hemisphere. This Australian setting masterfully captures the real lives of those survivors while they wait for the arrival of the nuclear cloud. This book still challenges you to think about the possibility of nuclear annihilation. Commander Dwight Towers, an American submarine captain, clings to the illusion that his family in Connecticut is still alive, even purchasing gifts for a homecoming he knows will never occur. Shute focuses on how common people interpret the unimaginable through a "stiff-upper-lip" lens. When radiation sickness strikes Moira Davidson, a young woman who first attempts to drown her despair in alcohol before developing a close, platonic bond with Towers, Peter and Mary Holmes, a young Australian couple, struggle to maintain normalcy for their infant daughter while debating the agonizing necessity of euthanizing her.
A scientist named John Osborne spends his last months racing a Ferrari in the final Australian Grand Prix, a dream he has had all his life.

The story's "Slow Burn" Effect has a subdued, objective tone. This eerie calm and the characters' insistence on caring for gardens they will never see bloom are exactly what make the absence of "action" or "rioting" gradually transform into a horror. I found the story to be emotionally compelling.

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Two Lives

Twist 

by Colum McCann

“Not a single atom in our bodies today was there when we were children. Every bit of us has been replaced many times over. We flake away and become new. Whatever we are now, we are not the stuff from which we were originally made. All the people we once were. All the people we had once hoped to be.”

― Colum McCann, Twist

An authentic story of two lives—that of a diver and a writer—whose paths cross in a world where one gets "all of the truth but none of the honesty"—an adventure story worthy of Joseph Conrad, but more. I was slowly but surely enthralled by journalist Fennel's elegy of a real, creative, and beautiful person named John A. Conway. As a reader who values good writing, this book captured my attention in a manner I don't often experience. In the realm of imagination that leads one down unexpected but ultimately familiar paths, on the sea, and at the edge of existence, humanity is amazed. I think this might be the best book I've read this year.

Anthony Fennell, a struggling Irish journalist, is the protagonist of the story. He was given the task of writing a profile on the crews that fix the enormous underwater fiber-optic cables that transport digital data around the globe. Fennell develops an obsession with the mission's leader, the mysterious diver and engineer John Conway, while on board the repair ship Georges Lecointe off the coast of West Africa.

The irony that people can still be incredibly lonely in a "hyper-connected" world is examined in the book. Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness share many similarities. However, the storyline includes aspects of environmental activism and the susceptibility of global infrastructure to sabotage.

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Dense Parable

The Sibyl 

by Pär Lagerkvist

“Nothing is more foreign than the world of one's childhood when one has truly left it.”

― Pär Lagerkvist, The Sibyl

Pär Lagerkvist’s The Sibyl is a dense, poetic parable that explores the "inhuman" and "capricious" nature of the divine. The novel, written by the 1951 Nobel Prize winner, is noted for its spare but lyrical style and its unsettling comparison between Christian and pagan concepts of God.

The story follows Ahasuerus (the Wandering Jew), who is cursed by Jesus to eternal life without rest, and an aging Sibyl (a former Pythia of Delphi) who lives in disgrace in the mountains. Unlike traditional portrayals of a compassionate deity, Lagerkvist’s God is described by the characters as "alien," "repellent," and "wild as lightning." The Sibyl views her service to Apollo as a form of "ecstasy" that was ultimately a "betrayal" of her humanity.

A central and mysterious figure is the Sibyl's son, a mute, mentally disabled man with a perpetual "enigmatic smile". Reviews often interpret him as a "meaningless" but "divine" mirror of God—a paradoxical being who is both "matter" and "consciousness." I found the "lucid simplicity" of the narrative and its "heightened, surging lyricism" appealing and fitting for the parable-like story.

While some find the book "scathing" or "depressing" because it rejects the idea of a comforting faith, suggesting instead that "fate will be forever bound up with god" regardless of one's actions, I did not experience the narrative in that way. It is often grouped with Lagerkvist’s other "god-struck" novels like Barabbas and my favorite Dwarf, for its focus on isolation, guilt, and the "futility of life without loyalty to God".

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Evil

The Exorcist 

by William Peter Blatty

“Perhaps evil is the crucible of goodness... and perhaps even Satan - Satan, in spite of himself - somehow serves to work out the will of God.”

― William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist

This book, in my opinion, is a "slow descent into hell," with a steady tempo that creates fear through scientific and clinical research before the supernatural aspects take over. One of the main strengths is the characters. Chris MacNeil is a compelling, desperate mother, and Father Karras shows a relatable struggle between faith and science. The philosophical queries raised in the book concerning the existence of God and the nature of evil are terrifying. Many readers may find the novel's graphic depictions upsetting and offensive, and it is intentionally raw and profane. Detective Kinderman offers a much-needed respite from the stress. Overall, I liked the novel's theological and philosophical elements as well as the tension that underpins the plot's development.

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Climate Change

Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress 

by Roy Scranton

This is a searing investigation of the state of the world vis a vis climate change. It details information and opinions that suggest we have reached an important moment that will determine what happens to the world in the not too distant future. The author's central argument is that our "dogmatic faith in progress" is the primary obstacle to addressing climate catastrophe. He contends that the "impasse" we face is not just political, but existential and cognitive—our brains and narratives are fundamentally unequipped to grasp the scale of the crisis.

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Human Art

 

Art of Humanism 

by Kenneth M. Clark

“Ruskin said: ‘Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts, the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art. - Kenneth Clark






Kenneth Clark's 1983 book The Art of Humanism is a succinct examination of the Italian Renaissance of the fifteenth century from a humanistic perspective. Clark, who is most known for his seminal series Civilization, explores how the visual arts were transformed by a renewed sense of human greatness and potential. The book focuses on five major masters of the era: Andrea Mantegna: Classical antiquity and the heroic figure; Paolo Uccello: The compulsive, scientific study of perspective; Donatello: Human emotion and drama in sculpture; and Leon Battista Alberti: Architecture and the mathematical foundation of beauty.
Sandro Botticelli: Humanism's poetic and spiritual side.

"Belief in the greatness of man and the supremacy of human values" is how Clark characterizes humanism. He contends that these artists were philosophers who gave these new ideals shape in addition to being expert craftsmen. Clark's "patrician self-confidence" and "great man" approach to art history, which emphasizes individual brilliance over larger social movements, are frequently highlighted in reviews of his larger body of work. In keeping with that model, this book offers a close-knit, knowledgeable tour of particular masterpieces.

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Some Kind of Journey

The Folded Leaf 

by William Maxwell

“But to live in the world at all is to be committed to some kind of a journey.”

― William Maxwell, The Folded Leaf

When I first came across this book in college, I really liked the plot and the author's style. In the Midwest in the 1920s, when childhood lasted longer than it does now and even adults were more naive about what life could bring, two boys find each other in the quietly observed but profoundly moving tale The Folded Leaf. The narrative centers on Lymie and Spud, two young boys who, despite their apparent differences, have a close friendship. The majority of the book is told from the viewpoint of Lymie, a quiet, reserved, introverted, and extremely sensitive young man who adores Spud. On the other hand, Spud is a little stronger and an athlete who is able to recognize his friend's sensitivity while not really understanding. They work well together, with Spud drawing strength from his friend and Lymie taking security from Spud's strength.

When they fall in love with the same girl, Sally Forbes, their intense, almost symbiotic high school friendship turns into a tense college rivalry. A dramatic and possibly tragic climax results from the tension that follows. The book has overtly homoerotic undertones, despite Maxwell's refusal to call it "gay fiction." Readers today see the boys' frequent bed sharing and physical intimacy through a queer lens. Because of the author's poetic prose, emotional accuracy, and psychological realism, I have read this again since I was in college.

It is a classic book written by one of our most esteemed authors, who has written such well-known books as So Long, See You Tomorrow and All the Days and Nights. These novels demonstrate why William Maxwell is among the greatest authors I have ever come across.

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Desire to be Real

Great Expectations 

by Vinson Cunningham

“...I wanted to be more than a Rorschach, more legible than a symbol, more vivid and musical, at least to the kid, than even the most laureled statue could ever be. I wanted to be real in a way that history wasn't...”

― Vinson Cunningham, Great Expectations

Vinson Cunningham’s debut novel, Great Expectations, is a coming-of-age story that follows David Hammond, a young Black man working as a fundraiser for a charismatic junior senator's 2008 presidential campaign. While some critics praised the book for its intellectual depth and elegant prose, others noted its unconventional, ambivalent narrative voice. As for me, this book let me down for a number of reasons. Many passages are merely a springboard for cultural criticism and have nothing novel or even intriguing to say. The narrator, David, has a biographical background, but the combination of personal memories and political campaigning insight is occasionally weak and uninteresting. I continually found I was forcing myself to continue due to my lack of interest in the narrative.

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