One recent morning I almost committed a crime. I was desperate for a hot cup of coffee and the flashing OPEN sign almost escaped me. The mysterious-looking logo near it didn’t help. I came very close to missing it. What is that? I said to my companion, a fellow scooter-rider, also desperate for coffee. Only one way to find out. That’s how we discovered Coastars, a new … [Read more...]
Chris Bohjalian, novelist of empathy
Empathy pays. In a confessional age, when the memoir has replaced the novel as the primary literary form, Chris Bohjalian is a bit of an anachronism. In one bestselling novel after another, he wields that always rare literary gift, the ability to create believable characters far removed from his own background and experience. Black children, transsexuals, homeless people, … [Read more...]