The Cleverest Rat In The Maze: On Raymond Queneau’s "The Blue Flowers"
In an age where many modern writers strive for profundity in their themes and characters at the expense of formal invention, Queneau's works reminds us that style possesses its own kind of depth. Precision can be a gateway to enlightenment.
"My theory was I was a piece of shit and deserved it when bad things happened to me": On Nico Walker’s "Cherry"
A beautiful 317-page gut punch, the Great Cleveland Novel if Cleveland will have it, Walker’s book is both a wistful eulogy and a searing indictment, one which stops short of proposing solutions because are you fucking kidding me?
Interrupting the Myth: On Elizabeth Catte's "What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia"
It is impossible to paint a complete portrait of any portion of reality, whether it be a group of people or a region. But that doesn’t stop people from both doing so and making impactful decisions based on these portraits.