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Open Letters Review

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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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October 13, 2023

Tremor by Teju Cole

October 13, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Tremor by Teju Cole

A re-readable contemporary novel by Nigerian-American author Teju Cole.

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October 13, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Tremor, Teju Cole, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
October 07, 2023

Penance by Eliza Clark

October 07, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Penance by Eliza Clark

Past evils come to light in Eliza Clark’s sophomore novel.

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October 07, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
Penance, Eliza Clark, fiction, contemporary fiction, Steve Donoghue, 2023
September 30, 2023

Places We Left Behind by Jennifer Lang

September 30, 2023/ Rey Katz
Places We Left Behind by Jennifer Lang

Poetic snapshots of a twenty-year incompatible yet loving marriage.

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September 30, 2023/ Rey Katz/
Literary Fiction
Places We Left Behind, Jennifer Lang, poetry, creative nonfiction, Rey Katz, 2023
September 19, 2023

The Pole by J.M. Coetzee

September 19, 2023/ Tom LeClair
The Pole by J.M. Coetzee

A review of JM Coetzee’s provocative new novel.

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September 19, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
The Pole, JM Coetzee, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, literary fiction, 2023
August 11, 2023

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

August 11, 2023/ Tyler Altman
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

A review of Paul Murray’s big new Booker-longlisted novel.

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August 11, 2023/ Tyler Altman/
Literary Fiction
The Bee Sting, Paul Murray, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tyler Altman, 2023
August 02, 2023

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

August 02, 2023/ Tom LeClair
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

A review of James McBride’s new novel.

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August 02, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, James McBride, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
July 10, 2023

The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell

July 10, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell

A new novel about two young men falling in love in Edwardian England

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July 10, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction
The Boy in the Rain, Stephanie Cowell, fiction, gay fiction, historical fiction, Steve Donoghue, 2023
July 08, 2023

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

July 08, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead’s follow-up to “Harlem Shuffle”.

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July 08, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Colson Whitehead, Crook Manifesto, American fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
July 06, 2023

Chaotic Good by Lee Klein

July 06, 2023/ Eric Bies
Chaotic Good by Lee Klein

Lee Klein’s new novel varies between the piquant and the pedestrian.

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July 06, 2023/ Eric Bies/
Literary Fiction
Lee Klein, Chaotic Good, fiction, contemporary fiction, Eric Bies, 2023
July 05, 2023

Yellowface by RF Kuang and The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

July 05, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Yellowface by RF Kuang and The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

A pair of much-discussed and much-reviewed new American novels.

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July 05, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Yellowface, RF Kuang, The Late Americans, Brandon Taylor, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
June 20, 2023

Chain-Gang All-Stars

June 20, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Chain-Gang All-Stars

A review of Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s new dystopian novel.

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June 20, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
June 06, 2023

Be Mine by Richard Ford

June 06, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Be Mine by Richard Ford

A review of Richard Ford’s new Frank Bascombe novel.

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June 06, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Be Mine, Richard Ford, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
May 24, 2023

Close to Home by Michael Magee

May 24, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Close to Home by Michael Magee

A debut novel in which a young man tries to escape his past.

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May 24, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Debut, Literary Fiction
Close to Home, Michael Magee, contemporary fiction, debut novel, Irish literature, Steve Donoghue, 2023
April 25, 2023

Biography of X by Catherine Lacey

April 25, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey

Catherine Lacy’s new novel is full of literary ambition and game-playing — but does it work?

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April 25, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Biography of X, Catherine Lacey, Tom LeClair, 2023, literary fiction
March 29, 2023

Y/N by Esther Yi

March 29, 2023/ Kiran Gill
Y/N by Esther Yi

Esther Yi’s debut novel tries to be a reflection of the fandom experience of our time.

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March 29, 2023/ Kiran Gill/
Literary Fiction
debut novels, Kiran Gill, Esther Yi, literary fiction, 2023
February 14, 2023

The Passenger and Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy

February 14, 2023/ Tom LeClair
The Passenger and Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy

After a long hiatus, Cormac McCarthy brings out a pair of linked novels.

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February 14, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Cormac McCarthy, The Passenger, Stella Maris, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, literary fiction, 2022
February 04, 2023

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

February 04, 2023/ Tom LeClair
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

An opinionated central character dominates Tess Gunty’s promising debut novel.

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February 04, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
The Rabbit Hutch, Tess Gunty, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, literary fiction, 2022
January 22, 2023

The Unfolding by AM Homes

January 22, 2023/ Tom LeClair
The Unfolding by AM Homes

A 2022 novel about the chaotic state of US politics.

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January 22, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Tom LeClair, AM Homes, The Unfolding, contemporary fiction, 2023
October 01, 2022

A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt

October 01, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt

A slim debut about a man going through a quarter-life crisis at college.

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October 01, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction
A Minor Chorus, Billy-Ray Belcourt, fiction, debut fiction, Steve Donoghue, LGBTQ
July 05, 2022

Captain Ni'mat's Last Battle by Mohamed Leftah

July 05, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
Captain Ni'mat's Last Battle by Mohamed Leftah

The late Mohamed Leftah’s postumous 2008 novel about forbidden love gets an English-language translation.

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July 05, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Debut, Literary Fiction, Fiction-Translated
Captain Ni'mat's Last Battle, Mohamed Leftah, Lara Vergnaud, fiction, gay fiction, Arab fiction, Steve Donoghue, translations
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
Britta Böhler
____________________

Eric Karl Anderson
Olive Fellows
Jack Hanson
Jennifer Helinek
Justin Hickey
Hannah Joyner
Zach Rabiroff
Jessica Tvordi

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