Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (2019)

The animators

Kayla Rae Whitaker

2016 · 372 pages · 1 review

Others: Negative

"In their first year of college, two young women, one from a Florida swamp, the other from a Kentucky holler, both outsiders at their prestigious east coast college, meet in "Introduction to Sketch" and become instant best friends. A decade later, Mel and Sharon's lives remain intertwined, but so much else has changed. Now a semi-famous New York filmmaking duo, they draw upon their own pasts to make intimate animated movies, a process that has left their personal lives--including their friendship--in tatters. When tragedy strikes, Mel and Sharon must return to their home states to confront long-buried secrets and try to restore damaged relationships with their families, lovers, and each other" --

The Swimmers

Julie Otsuka

2022 · 144 pages · 1 review

Others: Mixed

From the award winning author of The Buddha in the Attic and When the Emperor Was Divine, a tour de force of economy, precision, and emotional power about what happens to a group of obsessed recreational swimmers when a crack appears at the bottom of their local pool. The swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world without comfort or relief. One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese internment camp in which she spent the war. Narrated by Alice's daughter, who witnesses her stark and devastating decline, The Swimmers is a searing, intimate story of mothers and daughters, and the sorrows of implacable loss, written in spellbinding, incantatory prose. The most commanding and unforgettable work yet from a modern master.

Mouthful of Birds

Samanta Schweblin

2008 · 240 pages · 2 reviews

Others: Neutral

"Pájaros en la boca y otros cuentos supone la mejor vía de entrada al fascinante universo de quien, tras su nominación al Man Booker International Prize en 2017 con Distancia de rescate, es una de las voces de las letras hispanas con más proyección en el actual panorama literario internacional. Heredera de la más prestigiosa tradición literaria, en la línea de Raymond Carver y Flannery O'Connor, Schweblin maneja el lenguaje de una forma extraordinaria, con una prosa sobria y eficaz al servicio de historias que se mueven en el límite entre lo real y lo fantástico. Los cuentos de Schweblin, perturbadores y desconcertantes, plantean un enigma que provoca y atrapa profundamente al lector." --Back cover.

The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen

2001 · 576 pages · 2 reviews

Others: Mixed

Like bookends of the past half century, the two generations of the Lambert family represent two very different aspects of America. Alfred, the patriarch, is a distant, puritanical company man; he is also slipping into Parkinson's-induced dementia. His wife, Enid, is a model Midwestern housewife, at once deferential and controlling. Their three children--Gary, an uptight banker, baffled by his own persistent unhappiness; Chip, and ex-professor now failing as a screenwriter; and Denise, and up-and-coming chief in a hot new restaurant--have little time for Enid and Alfred. But when Enid calls for one last Christmas at the family home, the trajectories of five American lifetimes converge. With this important, profoundly affecting work, Jonathan Franzen confirms his place in the top tier of American novelists. His unique blend of subversive humor and full-blooded realism makes The Corrections a grandly entertaining family saga.

The Regrets

Amy Bonnaffons

2020 · 1 review

Others: Negative

The Wall

John Lanchester

2019 · 280 pages · 1 review

Others: Neutral

Tras el colapso climático, un país levanta un enorme muro para protegerse del exterior. Los jóvenes deben vigilarlo constantemente. Una historia sobre miedo, fronteras y las consecuencias de los errores de generaciones pasadas.