book review Archives - Slow Culture Magazine

Susan Uehara Rakstang, Cooking for Her Eyes – BOOK REVIEW #13

8 November 20208 November 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Susan Uehara Rakstang’s Cooking for Her Eyes was released in October 2020, seven years after Julian Barnes’ critically-acclaimed Levels of Life, a title of a similar nature.

In Cooking for Her Eyes, Susan Uehara Rakstang contemplates the different emotional levels of her own past. The book succeeds where most authors and thinkers fail: context matters, and context is a central notion in the book.

To avoid spoilers, we’ll base our review on the first half of the book. Don’t get us wrong: the other half is where the magic happens too.

Evan Guilford-Blake, American Blues – BOOK REVIEW #12

28 June 202020 September 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

In 2016, Holland House Books released Evan Guilford-Blake’s American Blues. Four years have passed since, but once we got invited to dive into it, the notion of time definitely disappeared.

Time definitely flew by once we started reading the five stories forming the book. Seduced by the narrative and the author’s active curiosity, we’re delighted to share with you some of our thoughts today.

Kate Leaver, The Friendship Cure – BOOK REVIEW #11

22 May 202022 May 2020Book Reviews, Interviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

The Friendship Cure is the result of astonishing and comprehensive research led by journalist Kate Leaver. An ambitious project now organized and cemented for everyone’s pleasure.

A few days ago, Paper Sparrows taught us about family and its many dynamics. This week, The Friendship Cure enlightens us on the notion of friendship and its many faces, even the most unexpected and obscure.

Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, Paper Sparrows – BOOK REVIEW #10

3 May 20203 May 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Paper Sparrows, written by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi (find her Why I Write here) could be your moving cure in these time of stillness and uncertainty.

In a few words: Layla, a 19 year old music undergraduate, travels from London back to Lebanon for the summer holidays, only to find that her brother has gone missing. Without a second thought, she sets off to find him in Beirut.

This book is a tale of youth, a tale of war, a tale of links, a tale of truth. A noble cocktail of feelings, rebounds and profound reality set in the summer of 2006.

– On another note, our friend Gabriel Birnbaum just released the excellent Ambien Jukebox album. If you like to improve your reading experience with solid soundtracks, this suggestion could be perfect for you.

But for now… back to Paper Sparrows!

Benjamin DeVos, Human Fish (Eraserhead Press) – BOOK REVIEW #9

5 April 20203 May 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Benjamin DeVos is back with his book Human Fish after having impressed us in 2019 with Madness Has a Moment and Then Vanishes Before Returning Again (Dostoyevsky Wannabe). Good news: Human Fish impressed us with a stronger force, a force perceivable from the first lines of the book.

The plot, hilarious at first sight, hides a striking journey of initiation. Find the full plot at the end of this review. For now, read the review and get the book as fast as you can.

Sarah Elaine Smith, Marilou is Everywhere (Penguin Random House) – BOOK REVIEW #8

17 March 20203 May 2020Book Reviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Sarah Elaine Smith’s Marilou is Everywhere was published a few months ago, and is now getting a due and essential reissue.

The plot of the book is not revolutionary itself, but the reader’s experience is the true and spectacular value delivered by the author.

Consumed by the longing for a different life, a teenager flees her family and carefully slips into another — replacing a girl whose own sudden disappearance still haunts the town.
– Excerpt from the press release.

Do not expect a dark and depressing ride. Marilou is Everywhere is an excellent reminder of the human condition, and of the humans’ shared desires. This piece is the perfect balance between Louisa Luna’s Brave New Girl and Juliet Escoria’s Juliet The Maniac.

Three keywords to describe the book: growth, adventure, consciousness.