Author: T.C. Boyle Publisher: Ecco and Harper Collins, New York Pages: 288 Price: $15.90 (Paperback) Still hammering away at the keyboard at age 74, T.C. Boyle still maintains his place as America’s grand poobah of literary fiction, particularly displaying his mastery in the short story genre; and this most recent collection of 13 tightly crafted slices of life intermixed with occasional forays into his beloved magical realism prove that he is still at the top of his game. Possessing the investigative instincts of a homicide detective, Boyle so believably inhabits the psyches of his characters that you either commiserate with them or come to hate them. Take for example, The Shape of a Teardrop, where the narrators are a middle-aged woman and her 31-year-old son who lives at home and has elevated mooching to an art form. Disgusted by his lack of contribution, his refusal to recognize his own child, her one…
Author: Allison Margolin Publisher: North Atlantic Books Paperback: 272 pages Price: $ 16.95 Allison Margolin, the daughter of famed marijuana defence attorney Bruce…
A WHISPER Joseph Cohen stared absent-mindedly at the abstract painting on the wall, while Henry continued his monologue about some upcoming financial crisis. If…
Fresh off their lavish private jets that had just flown them back from a climate change summit, perhaps with a stop off at one…
“At the Canal Saint-Martin . . .” Leon holds his hand up, attempting to cut off Trevon from saying another word. The pigeons swarm…
Five decades ago with some money borrowed from a few friends I had left my house on a mighty river called Brahmaputra in search…
When death is inevitable, why do we fear death? Is it natural or unnatural? As birth is normal, death is also normal. Despite that,…
Kasi left his office for the bus stand to catch a bus to his native place. His father insisted that Kasi has to be…
Satish was now in his thirties and introspecting about his life. In college he had an overflowing confidence with a ‘could not care less…
It is a full moon night. In the distance, there is a large mountain, with rocks and boulders. At the bottom, there is a…