June’s here and it’s suddenly turned humid in our corner of the world. This isn’t all that surprising, but — for those who saver milder temperatures — it’s not exactly the best thing ever. And so, perhaps, it’s time to dub our June reads as ideal for reading in an air-conditioned room somewhere, or perhaps situated by a breezy outdoor spot. These books cover a lot of ground, from haunting memoirs to phantasmagorical fiction, as befits a time of constant change.
In our morning reading: new writing from Rupert Thomson, an interview with Chelsea Bieker, and more.
I’ve been an admirer of Rupert Thomson‘s work for many years now, ever since reading his 2007 novel Death of a Murderer. Thomson’s work encompasses psychological realism and surreal dystopias; there’s fiction rooted in history and fiction exploring the emotional consequences of technology. His latest novel, Katherine Carlyle, is about a young woman coming to terms with the death of her mother and her own family history. It’s a sprawling, emotionally rich work, and we spoke at length about it during Thomson’s […]
I started reading the novels of Rupert Thomson a few years ago, based on the fact that Maud Newton had very good things to say about his work. I wasn’t disappointed–his novels Death of a Murderer, The Book of Revelation, and Divided Kingdom are all atmospheric, morally-charged fictions that continue to haunt me now, years after I first read them.