Jo Hamyas The HypocriteYoko Ogawa’s Mina’s Matchboxand Richard J. Evans’ Hitler’s people They are all among the best-reviewed books of the week.
fiction
1. The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya
(Pantheon)
6 enthusiastic • 6 positive
“Slides between time frames and perspectives … Formal complexity is what elevates The Hypocrite from a straightforward novel of accusation and refutation… is instead focused on the phenomenon of subjectivity, portraying a world of mutual self-absorption in which people are not only driven but tragically blinded by their individual truths. The Hypocriteputs style above argument, and the pleasure lies in the quick, agile way in which Ms. Hamya jumps back and forth between the characters’ thoughts and the past and present.”
–Sam Sacks (The Wall Street Journal)
2. Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen B. Snyder
(Pantheon)
7 Raves
“Not only is it a gripping story, but it is also beautifully written and constructed. The prose is clear, graceful, and engaging. Ogawa skillfully weaves various motifs and themes throughout the novel.”
–Ariel Balter (The New York Journal of Books)
3. The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
(Europa Editions)
4 enthusiastic • 1 positive • 1 mixed
“Inventive and well-executed… Despite this feel-good premise, Chidgey’s fable is tragic at its core. Disappointment, fear, and trauma shape most of the human and non-human relationships in the novel… Chidgey elegantly weaves together social criticism, magical realism, folklore, and myth, and skilfully handles serious themes. The language is poetic without being over the top. The Axeman’s Carnival is a deeply gripping novel with an original and remarkably charming star.”
–Chris Cusack (The Irish period)
**
Non-fiction
1. A Wilder Shore: The Romantic Odyssey of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson by Camille Peri
(Vikings)
4 enthusiastic • 2 positive
Read an excerpt from A wilder coast Here
“Captivating…Her thoroughly researched and vivid double portrait makes it clear that Fanny accomplished a rare feat: she allowed Louis’ genius to mature while simultaneously releasing his boyish energy…Peri does not often venture into detailed discussions of Louis’ literary work, but when she does, it can be fascinating…I am grateful to Peri for telling the story of their marriage in all its complexity with sympathy and verve.”
–Phyllis Rose (The Atlantic)
2. Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans
(Penguin Press)
4 enthusiastic • 1 positive
“His earlier books, including a masterful trilogy on the rise, rule and destruction of the Nazi movement, are textbook examples of historical literature… Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich is similar in its elegance and power. But the motivation and purpose of this latest work, a comprehensive examination of Adolf Hitler and his subordinates and subjects, are more utilitarian in nature… He therefore positions his extensive new work as much a tool as a history and analysis.”
–David M. Shribman (The Boston Globe)
3. In depth in France: The long history of a house, a mountain town and a people by TD Allman
(Atlantic Monthly Press)
2 enthusiastic • 2 positive
“Its perspectives are great, the story deep, the narration conversational and enthusiastic… This rich but convoluted origin story comes alive through Allman’s personal exploration of Lauzerte and its surroundings.”
–Dominic Green (The Wall Street Journal)
