INSIDE JOBS by Ben H. Winters
Fun, quick, and entertaining tales of life (and occasional death) in the midst of a pandemic. The three stories collected are of varying levels of excellence but they all get the job done, creating an old-school crime atmosphere while embracing the peculiarities of a very specific moment. The first and last stories are the strongest, probably because with these tales Winters embraces a kind of goofy situational comedy that adds spice to the rather old-fashioned setups. Well worth a listen.
PASSING by Nella Larsen
Published in 1929, Passing is a quick, tightly written piece that reminded me of Katherine Mansfield, with a well-rendered mix of interior struggles, interpersonal cruelty, and a thoughtful exploration of the intricacies of racial identity in America. A breezy read that is never unengaging, though the ending wraps up in a sort of pat and typical fashion that is neither satisfying nor surprising. I’m am surprised that I never read this in high school or college (read a good share of Harlem Renaissance literature), I’m glad to see it is getting some well-deserved attention recently. I listened to the Tessa Thompson-read audiobook and her delivery was expert and nuanced.
THE PRESTIGE by Christopher Priest
Like many people I came to this novel by way of the Christopher Nolan film adaptation from 2006, the original book is a far shaggier and sprawling tale but still has a brilliant premise, memorable characters, lots of fun quirks, and even some tricks up its sleeve. Christopher Priest has plenty of fun with the epistolary novel format and does some neat literary trickery throughout, and this is definitely worth a read. In the end this novel is probably a bit too all over the place, and after reading it I come away even more impressed by the adaption job Christopher and Jonathan Nolan did in bringing this to the screen, and in my opinion certainly improving on the already pretty impressive source material.
WISE BLOOD by Flannery O’Connor
Flannery O’Connor’s first novel is as raw, cruel, nasty, fascinating, and darkly comic as anything I can recall reading. A short but deep portrait of lost individuals and a corrupt society.
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY by Patricia Highsmith
Excellent. I can see why Tom Ripley has become an iconic character, he’s truly a dark, deep, sad, bizarre, and complex figure.
