Rico's Reviews

This is one of the strangest—and best-written—memoirs I’ve ever read. It tells the story of Michael’s aunt Harriet who, along with her husband Irving, is a very successful screenwriter. (She and Irving wrote Norma Rae, among other big movies.) Because Harriet has no children of her own, and because she senses “great potential” in Michael, she zeroes in on him when he’s still a very young child and essentially steals him (emotionally speaking) from his own family. Great awkwardness and emotional confusion follows. - Rico

A music journalist and lifelong classic rock fanatic, Hyden takes a sentimental, occasionally quirky trip through the genre he loves, revisiting the bands that have meant the most to him and to millions of other fans. As he says, he learned more about adult relationships from Fleetwood Mac’s album Rumours than he did from his own father. Now himself a husband and father, he ponders the state of classic rock as it enters its twilight years. Will it last after all its stars have passed on? If so, what will it mean to be a fan? - Rico

Kushner’s new novel opens with the main character Romy Hall on the way to prison to serve a life sentence for murder. As much the story of Hall’s life in prison, it’s the story of her past—her childhood on the streets of San Francisco, her experiences as an exotic dancer, and the circumstances surrounding her crime. Kushner writes effortlessly, with compassion for people struggling to survive in modern California’s darkest corners. - Rico

Trevor has long been one of my favorite short story writers. Like Thomas Hardy or Alice Munro, two writers he was often compared to, he could convey an entire life—its triumphs and sorrows—in a few deft sentences. When he died in 2016, the world lost one of its great artists. The stories collected here are the last he ever wrote. Each one makes clear the open-hearted, almost painful, compassion he felt for his characters. If you’ve yet to discover Trevor for yourself, this is a great place to start. - Rico

Kushner’s new novel is, in a word, devastating. It opens as the main character, Romy Hall, is on her way to prison to serve a life sentence for murder. Kushner writes so convincingly, with such compassion for people struggling to survive in modern California’s darkest corners, you’d think she has personally lived the life of her main character—and every other character in the book. - Rico

Like Thomas Hardy or Alice Munro, two writers he is often compared to, Trevor could convey an entire life—its triumphs and sorrows—in a few deft sentences. When he died in 2016 the world lost one of its great artists. Each of the stories collected here, the last he ever wrote, makes clear the open-hearted, almost painful, compassion he felt for his characters. - Rico

Munro is quite simply the best short-story writer ever. The recent Nobel Prize in Literature is just icing on the cake. This book brings together the best stories from the first half of her career, including my personal favorite “The Albanian Virgin.” Munro’s compassion and honesty will break your heart, and her artistry will leave you in awe. - Rico

“Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday.” It’s one of the most famous openings in world literature, kicking off one very strange (pun intended) and compelling read. Mersault’s life of detached mundanity, and the eventual tragedy he makes of it, is like a train wreck—you can’t look away. I’ve read this book five times and I can’t wait to read it again. - Rico

Though Lahiri has written other critically acclaimed and well-known books, this one, her first, is still my favorite. With its focus on people in transition, the stories collected here capture the promise, as well as the sense of dislocation and sadness, of those who try to pick up stakes and build a better life elsewhere. The prose is stunning, the characters heartbreaking. - Rico

In these six short stories (and “short” is relative here; a couple of these are novellas) Johnson spans the globe, from San Francisco to Germany, from post-Katrina New Orleans to North Korea, capturing the lives of ordinary people (and a couple of total weirdos) in extraordinary circumstances. This is quite simply one of the best short story collections of the 21^st century. - Rico