Gwyn Sise - Bookseller in Saratoga Springs
Submitted by gsise_71181 on Mon, 01/01/1990 - 12:00am
“I tend to think life is pastiche: I'm not sure what it's a pastiche of - we haven't found out yet.”― Edward Gorey
“I tend to think life is pastiche: I'm not sure what it's a pastiche of - we haven't found out yet.”
Fatalistic and darkly funny, this imaginative collection by Japanese punk sci-fi icon Izumi Suzuki deals in ambivalence and disaffection in all directions (and on all planets). Originally written in the 1980s, these stories feel particularly prescient in our current age of burnout and isolation, but that doesn't make them any less of a good time. ~ Reviewed by Gwyn Sise
A defiant script flip of the classic American road trip story, Nevada is a novel that follows Maria Griffiths, a punk rocker who travels west from New York City after she loses her girlfriend and her job. In describing her approach, Binnie has said she intended it as "a transgender story written for trans women," and this is reflected in the story's refusal to follow conventional (and often reductive) narratives concerning gender and self-discovery. Edgy, vulnerable, and funny, with spiky prose that is at once fresh and familiar, it is immediately apparent why Nevada has risen to cult status since its original publication in 2013. ~ Reviewed by Gwyn Sise
As always, Baldwin's prose is evocative, lyrical, and arresting in this brief but devastating tragedy about an American expatriate in France who finds himself drawn to a bartender named Giovanni. This novel is a layered meditation on queer desire, shame, and the struggle to honor one's true self when it is at odds with societal expectations. It is an all-time favorite that I often find myself revisiting - I cannot recommend it enough. ~ Reviewed by Gwyn Sise
One of few Kurdish novels translated into English, The Last Pomegranate Tree tells the story of a Peshmerga fighter searching for his son after 21 years in isolation as a prisoner of war. In his search he learns that his son was one of three boys with the same name whose lives intertwined in surprising ways. In his journey he discovers a winding tale featuring a man with a glass heart who dies of heartbreak, a mysterious duo of sisters who only wear white, and a pomegranate tree. Kaleidoscopic, lyrical, and deeply moving, this novel explores life, death, and all that lies between. ~ Reviewed by Gwyn Sise
A sharp novel with a chorus of vivid and wholly unique voices, Outline is unconcerned with narrative. Instead, in what reads as one long audition of potential characters for a future novel, Cusk weaves together a series of conversations between an incredibly observant narrator and the various people she meets on her trip to Greece to lead a writing workshop. The result is a sharp and devastating exploration of the inherent distance between people and the way personal storytelling informs how we relate to each other. ~ Reviewed by Gwyn Sise
