Ishiguro’s newest novel is a brilliant undertaking: on one level, a simple story about an elderly couple seeking lost memories and their long-departed son, on another, it is a post-Arthurian adventure story of knights, dragons, ogres, and bloody warfare, with sly touches of Cervantes, Beowulf, Dante’s Inferno, and other classics thrown in. But ultimately, The Buried Giant is a profound allegory on the state of the world today. The plot begins simply enough in the period following the end of King Arthur’s reign. The wars […]
Wars, treason and homosexuality in 18th century England
An offshoot of the original Outlander series, the Lord John novels deal with Lord John Grey, a British nobleman, a soldier and a patriot in the time of the Seven Years War in 18th century Europe. He is also a secret homosexual, at a time when coming out would not only destroy his career, his reputation and that of his family, but would very likely lead to his exile, jailing, or possibly even execution. Despite the fact that homosexuality is pervasive during these times, and […]
A beautiful introduction to the silent among us
aThis book is a must-read, written by a man whose formative years during the Great Depression were made unique by the fact that he was a hearing child raised by two deaf parents. Hands of My Father is both a poignant memoir, a loving testament to his courageous parents, and a fascinating glimpse into growing up during those politically and economically tumultuous times. Louis and Silvia Uhlberg were each the children of large immigrant families in Brooklyn who had neither the time nor the skills […]
The True Story of an American Revolutionary
A fascinating true story of a revolutionary figure in the history of American medicine who has for some reason remained in obscurity – until now. Aptowicz’s well-researched and, even more importantly, well-written biography of Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter has all the excitement of a true thriller. Clearly entranced by her subject. Aptowicz introduces us to a dazzling innovator in the field of medicine, who not only saved countless lives with his introduction into the U.S. of the virtually non-existent field of “radical surgery” (what we […]
A frequently failed fictional foray into Shakespeare’s Macbeth
After the fun romp of Interred with their Bones, I was looking forward to Carrell’s next Shakespearean mystery with great anticipation. I wasn’t disappointed to learn that the focus of her second novel is on Macbeth, one of my favorite plays. However, after finally finishing the novel, I am very divided as to my feelings about Haunt Me Still. On the one hand, I was thrilled to get an inkling into some of the real history behind the plot of Macbeth, which added another whole […]
An Islamic adventure story filled with djinn and revolution
This highly imaginative debut novel by an American-born convert to Muslim has garnered praise from all and sundry. Part fantasy, part mythology, part religious tract and part political tract, Alif the Unseen is as hard to pin down as it is fun to experience. It is the story of a young half-Arab/half-Indian man living in an unidentified Arab sheikdom known as “The City.” Alif (his “label”) is a computer hacker par excellence, and from his mother’s apartment is happy to sell his services to any […]
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