London Review of Books

Blake Morrison · Sudden Breadknife Frenzy: ‘Black Bag’

Blake Morrison on Black Bag by Luke Kennard

Ian Penman · AB Fab: Anthony Burgess heads south

Ian Penman on Tremor of Intent by Anthony Burgess

Like Buying a Bag of Mints

We are left, a third of the way through The Disappearers, with a feeling of absolute outrage, when outrage is no more than anger in the key of helplessness. Outrage leads nowhere; violence freezes time for the victim; self-hatred paralyses every other emotion. These are all problems for a long…

Adam Mars-Jones on The Disappearers by Marlon James

Where to Put Your Husband

‘What people eat and how they serve it’ fascinated Colwin, and not only because (as she once noted) she’d learned about the cultural significance of ‘daily things’ in Anthropology 101. Her sharp and nuanced descriptions of eating, preparing and shopping for meals are psychologically and socially…

Kasia Boddy on Happy All the Time, Family Happiness, A Big Storm Knocked It Over and Shine on, Bright and Dangerous Object by Laurie Colwin

Emily Witt · Proust is in the room: Rachel Cusk’s Celebrity Crush

Emily Witt on Life of M by Rachel Cusk

Chris Power · Egg in an Eggcup: Francis Spufford’s ‘Nonesuch’

Chris Power on Nonesuch by Francis Spufford

Edmund Gordon · Uncanny Little Blighter: M. John Harrison’s​ ‘The End of Everything’

Edmund Gordon on The End of Everything by M. John Harrison

Blake Morrison · Swimmy Head: Elizabeth Strout’s ‘The Things We Never Say’

Blake Morrison on The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Raymond N. MacKenzie · Platinum Noses: Jules Verne’s Fantasy

Raymond N. MacKenzie on Journey to the Moon by Jules Verne