René Steinke
René Steinke is the editor of The Literary Review and author of The Fires. Her recently published novel, Holy Skirts, reimagines the life of an eccentric poet-muse of preWorld War I New York City.
The House of Breath by William Goyen (Triquarterly, $16). The most gorgeous ode to Texas (and its native speech) that I know. Set in fictional Charity, the novel depicts the small town as a hothouse that grows beautiful outcasts and exotic prudes. In Goyen, the erotic is never far from the surface—no wonder the French have embraced him.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Underworld by Don DeLillo (Scribner, $16). DeLillo’s mammoth masterpiece about the power of history is also an exploration of “trash”—how it’s defined and destroyed, and how it’s recovered and given new value through memory and art. The sheer scope of the book is awe-inspiring, but I especially love one of the interwoven stories about the divorce and late blossoming of the cynical, smart Klara Sax.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (Harvest, $12). Woolf performs ingenious tricks with time in this novel about parents and children, first expanding moments in the casual activities of one day, then having years (and deaths) pass in a single paragraph—not unlike the way family life can distort one’s perception of time. And in the interior lives of these characters, she dramatizes how much power the unsaid can wield.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The End of the Story by Lydia Davis (Picador, $14). In this riveting novel, the writer-narrator struggles to get down the account of her love affair with a younger man, and in Davis’ hands, even the mundane rituals of the writing life become compelling. Her prose is psychologically exact as it follows the narrator’s always logical, but sometimes bumpy trains of thought.
Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (New Directions, $12). Barnes had an amazingly original, baroque style, praised by T.S. Eliot, who helped shepherd this novel to publication in the 1930s. I reread this novel often while writing Holy Skirts. Apparently based on Barnes’ painful affair with the artist Thelma Wood, the story explores obsessive love, through the dark, back alleys of bohemia.
Pnin
Lolita
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Nathan Harris’ 6 favorite books that turn adventures into revelationsFeature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McGuire, and more
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more