Month: August 2025

“The present changes the past.”

A review of “The Inheritance of Loss” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Let’s just say that you wanted to write a novel that was built around that idea that “the present changes the past.”  How would you structure it? Would you tell the story chronologically? Illustrate your idea through … Read More

“An American friend of mine in New York once fumed to me about a female colleague of his who was asking to work part-time from home after having children.”

A review of “The Nordic Theory of Everything” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

How does an author strike a balance between writing about political science and writing a personal narrative? There are so many ways it could go wrong: Too much angst and emotion can become gonzo journalism. Too … Read More

“You put all the [decoy] mallards out there, but if you’re going hunting you need something like this egret, for a confidence decoy.”

A review of “The New Yorker Stories” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

How did she do that? Readers often ask this after reading an Ann Beattie story. Just when it seems as though not much is happening, boom! The story explodes. For example, in the final long paragraph … Read More