The Debut by Anita Brookner

Who would pick her up? Such a dull background, such a drabbled and muddy cover that I was unable to find a single online image to share. Treating it simply as an object, I stared at the book for a while in the library before deciding to check out The Debut. This 1981 Linden Press [...]

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The Secret Scripture

Any delving into the relationship between patients and their doctors, patients and other patients, physicians and colleagues, is fertile soil for fiction authors. Countless stories spring to mind, chief among them as I write is Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood’s 1996 novel that pits the wits of prisoner-patient Grace Marks against those of her equally clever [...]

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My Mother’s House and Sido – Colette

What glory can there be in snapping green beans? A few weeks ago, I was given a large bag along with the inherent task of discovering just that. The beans were dirty, and more numerous than I hoped. They also had some spots that would need pruning before the whole bunch could be washed and [...]

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