© 2020 West Trade Review
Reviews
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© 2020 West Trade Review
© 2022 West Trade Review
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"Yu pulls back the curtain on her own human contradictions, confessing love one moment and fury the next, and thus captures exactly what it is to be human, to be lonely, and to be lost."
"Love, Nature, and Honesty: Moonlight Rests on My Left Palm by Yu Xiuhua, Translated by Fiona Sze-Lorrain"
by Samantha Joslin
September 28, 2021
"Ruth Ozeki’s fourth novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness, considers a plethora of issues within its many pages, not least of which is the idea that all things in this world have a story, and that stories, much like the objects and people they inhabit, are best treated with compassion. The novel riffs on the Shinto belief that all things, living and not, have a spirit that should be shown gratitude and respect. The story intertwines human grief with the ability of objects to contain memory and longing—ours and, as it turns out, their own."
by Gianni Washington
September 21, 2021
"The War For Gloria is designed to be a slow burn, captivating us with gorgeous descriptions of place and character rather than surprising us with twists and turns of plot. In this way, the novel very clearly imitates life: Corey is believably a teenager, living at a teenager’s pace, and we experience life along with him."
by Joanna Acevedo
September 8, 2021
POETRY REVIEW
FICTION REVIEW
FICTION REVIEW
"A clear line can be drawn between the heightened political turmoil the world has experienced over the last few years and the in-universe conflict between magical beings and humans. In particular, the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the strife endured by LGBTQ+ communities are clear parallels to the story of the self-professed 'monsters' in the book who seek equal treatment, protection, and the right to exist out in the open."
by Gianni Washington
September 7, 2021
FICTION REVIEW
"Winner of the Raz/Shumaker Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction, the stories in What Isn’t Remembered explore the burden, the power, and the nature of love between people who often feel misplaced and estranged from their deepest selves and the world, where they cannot find a home."
by Corrine Watson
September 2, 2021
FICTION REVIEW
"Nguyen has stated on her personal website that her poetry is 'often interested in the body: how geography, history, and trauma leave markers, both visible and invisible.' This is certainly true throughout Dear Diaspora."
by Paulina Freedman
September 1, 2021
POETRY REVIEW
"Inside of Murray’s words, we are invited to explore a portrayal of Manila, a place tied so closely to Ting’s identity, in a way that is unpredictable, candid, and, at times, heartbreaking."
by Averi Long
August 13, 2021
FICTION REVIEW
"Pilgrim Bell moves you: to a boy’s bedroom with his brother, where his father comes to know English through Rolling Stone’s lyrics, a place where the speaker is so vulnerable it feels like you’re bleeding."
by Laura Ohlmann
August 5, 2021
POETRY REVIEW
"As the world we live in splits open to reveal what many painstakingly experience, Christy Lefteri’s new novel Songbirds uncovers the deep wounds hasty judgment, unfounded prejudice, and sweeping generalization can create ...This brilliant and beautiful story invites readers into deep explorations of our Earth’s creatures, colors, landscapes, grounding them in the harsh realities of systemic racism, entrapment, and violence against women."
by Tara E. Friedman
July 27, 2021
FICTION REVIEW
"Much like those comprising her debut collection, Drenched, This story burrows down into the granular of the human condition, zeroing in on the small gestures and quiet moments of a romantic relationship while letting the world rage wild around it. Although her world-building is complete and her setting full-bodied, Matarazzo never turns the camera to the crumbling cityscape her characters navigate, instead serve as a vibrant, if rather understated, backdrop to a swift and compelling human-centered narrative."
by D.W. White
July 23, 2021
FICTION REVIEW
