Fifty Shades of Terracotta
A simple question, ladies of the women’s prize for fiction jury. And you should think carefully before you answer. Make sure you take all the time you need. Ready? Then … Continued
Articles
Slade House by David Mitchell
“Tonight feels like a board game co-designed by MC Escher on a bender and Stephen King in a fever,” observes a spooked member of a university’s paranormal society in David Mitchell’s manically ingenious … Continued
The Prophets of Eternal Fjord by Kim Leine
Now out in English, Leine’s astonishing, hallucinatory journey into the frozen heart of Denmark’s colonial darkness is inspired by events during the reign of the mad Danish king, Christian … Continued
A Funny, Creepy Voyage for All Ages
Liz Jensen writes: In darkly interesting times, authors who can satisfy a previously unidentified hunger have the world at their feet. Writing as Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler gave young readers a … Continued
Jamie Dornan as Dr Pascal and Sarah Gadon as Natalie Drax
Liz Jensen posts: Photos from the set in Vancouver, December 2014.
How did she Fall?
Liz Jensen writes: The inspiration for Louis Drax came from my own grandmother’s death in Switzerland in the 1930s. Her body was found at the bottom of a cliff, three … Continued
Top 10 Environmental Disasters
Liz Jensen writes: “Drastic change, danger, mass destruction, lives upended, radical re-thinkings of the status quo, new societal rules, moral dilemmas, the grinding physicality of daily survival … what’s not … Continued
The Rule of Cruel Optimism: Truth v. Lies
One of my favourite jokes goes like this: There’s an optimist and a pessimist. The pessimist puts his head in his hands and says, “Oh no, things can’t get any … Continued
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman
In literature, nothing dates like tomorrow. The hypothetical readers of the late 21st century may look back on the Armageddon fixation of some of today’s dystopic fiction with an indulgent … Continued
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
“I wanted you to have an extraordinary life,” confesses Rosemary’s mother in Karen Joy Fowler’s wise, provocative and wildly endearing take on family love. Did no one warn Mrs Cooke … Continued