‘Do you think I’m a whore?’ Harry pulled over to the side of the road and turned to me. ‘I think you’re brilliant. I think you’re tough. And I think the word whore is something ignorant people throw around when they have nothing else.’ I listened to him and then turned my head to look…Continue Reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
“There are plenty of things that a teenage boy doesn’t tell his mother. As we get older, there are more and more things we hold back, things too hard to say or too embarrassing to explain. We do this to protect our mothers as much as ourselves, because let’s face it – most of our…Continue Reading The Impossible Fortress
Sometimes I dream that I’m drowning. It’s always in a big, blue ocean that’s too deep for me to see the bottom. But I tell myself I’m not going to die no matter how much water gets in my lungs or how deep I sink, I am not going to die. Because I say so.Suddenly,…Continue Reading On The Come Up
“Pablo Escobar had turned himself in at the exact moment the law making extradition illegal had passed. Some believed he had been inside the Government Palace, the reporter said, begging the question: who, really, is the president? Petrona was blowing a bubble of pink gum. Mamá pointed to the passing cars and noted that…Continue Reading Fruit of the Drunken Tree
” ‘Each maji was born with white hair, the sign of the gods’ touch. They used their gifts to care for the people of Orïsha and were revered throughout the nation. But not everyone was gifted by the gods.’ Mama Agba gestures around the room. ‘Because of this, every time new maji were born, entire…Continue Reading Children of Blood and Bone
“By his forties, all he had managed to grow is a gentle sense of himself, akin to the transparent carapace of a soft-shelled crab. A mediocre review or careless slight can no longer harm him, but heartbreak, real true heartbreak, can pierce his thin hide and bring out the same shade of blood as ever. …Continue Reading Less
We had the first meeting of the school year of the library’s Book Club at the Brew Pub on September 26th. Good food and drinks were had by all, but more importantly, a great discussion about a debut novel by Weike Wang: Chemistry. Chemistry follows our main character as she is trying to finish up her PhD…Continue Reading Book Club Selection – Chemistry
When I returned to Saudi Arabia, so many of the old rules, the rules I had once slavishly followed, no longer seemed to make sense. For years, I had blamed Aramco for the restrictions and the discrimination I endured, but now I saw that what I was chafing against was Saudi society itself. Every restrictive…Continue Reading Daring to Drive
Even the circus freak side of my face-my damaged half-was better than the alternative, which would have meant death by fire. I didn’t burn to ashes. I emerged from the flames like a little phoenix. I ran my fingers over the scar tissue, caressing the contours. I didn’t burn, Mummy, I thought. I walked through…Continue Reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
‘Until that moment, she had always been there. No matter how much I appeared to have changed – how illustrious my education, how altered my appearance – I was still her. At best, I was two people, a fractured mind. She was inside, and emerged whenever I crossed the threshold of my father’s house. That night I called on…Continue Reading Educated
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