The Indextrious Reader

Hooked

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Hooked / Asako Yuzuki
trans. from the Japanese by Polly Barton
NY: Ecco, 2026, c2015.
400 p.

This is another Japanese novel that looks at unequal relationships and includes social media's unrealities as part of the story. But this is much longer than Idol Burning, which I just talked about yesterday.

In Hooked, Yuzuki follows Eriko, a young woman working for a fish importing company. She seems to have it all together - her career is successful (she even gets sent to Africa on a mission to find a Nile Perch processing plant for her company), she is well groomed and efficient, but there is something missing. She can not seem to connect with other women, despite really wanting a friend. She can be obsessive and overwhelm others, like her school friend who still lives nearby and seems to haunt her, showing up when least wanted, to remind Eriko of her previous actions.

But now Eriko has found a friend -- a popular blogger, Shoko, who she's been following for a while, carefully leaving comments and getting to know her online persona. Eriko figures out where this blogger will be at a specific time, thanks to her meticulous study of the blog, and "runs into" her casually. Their friendship starts to grow, with dinners and coffee dates -- but Shoko starts to feel like Eriko is more of a stalker than a friend, and puts her off, starting a new spiral for Eriko.

This was a great read, with some unhinged characters, and a look at personas and the realities beneath. Shoko's perfect blogging life, and her apparently solid marriage are shaken through these events; she's really not exactly who she says she is. And Eriko's facade is quickly shattered when she feels rejected. Lots of fascinating psychological content in both storylines!

There are metaphors related to the Nile Perch that Eriko imports (an invasive species) and to social media and self-presentation, and everything kind of twines together. It's a bit of a domestic drama, with frenemies and toxic behaviours in abundance. But still some sympathies for these imperfect characters. It kept moving in directions I wasn't expecting, and I had to pay attention -- I found it compelling reading, with the 400 pages feeling much shorter. I liked her writing style and aesthetic, so will definitely have to go back and read her first book Butter, a best-seller about food and a female murderer.

Idol Burning

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Idol Burning / Rin Usami
trans. from the Japanese by Asa Yoneda
NY: HarperVia, 2022, c2020.
144 p.

Another short novella, from a Japanese author interested in fandom and what it can do to a person's sense of self. I listened to this one, which I think worked really well - there are strings of social media comments included in the storyline and the way that the narrator read them made it seem so fresh and immediate. I know some readers haven't enjoyed this structural addition but as an audiobook I thought it was an interesting element.

The story follows Akari, a socially isolated teen with learning disabilities and difficult relationships. She withdraws from life, and from her family who struggles to help her. Her focus is on her 'oshi', Masaki, a pop idol. She writes a blog about him, scouring the internet and magazines for every detail about him, and has a following whose comments seem to give her the approval she needs. But then Masaki tumbles from his pedestal, accused of hitting a woman who is possibly his girlfriend.

The way that this intense fandom affects both Masaki and Akari is explored in the narrative - they don't know one another but Akari's need to justify his actions and thus her own, is part of the parasocial fixation she has with him. The book looks at mental health, online fandom & its spaces, loneliness, teen alienation from life and many other similar things, all through the lens of oshi culture.

I found it a good read, although some of the themes could have used a little more length in the narrative to be fleshed out, for more impact. Akari's life is described quietly, but gives the reader a strong impression of the crisis she's going through. Her isolation, partly self created, is dramatic and she finally has to hit bottom to realize it. I felt like the story mostly communicated this, although the reader has to be committed to the story arc as it does move a little slowly for such a short book. Still, I thought it illuminated a corner of life that I hadn't considered much before, and found lots to think about here.

The Woman Dies

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The Woman Dies / Aoka Matsuda
trans. from the Japanese by Polly Barton
NY: Europa, 2025, c2016.
160 p.

This was an entertaining read, a collection of 52 short stories (some only a few sentences long, flash fiction, really) all looking at the pervasive presence of sexism in Japanese society. Matsuda is not holding back, and tells her tales with both sharp edges and black humour. I really enjoyed this book, there were such clever structural elements to admire, and the stories were a bit off kilter, requiring the reader to stop short and sometimes read over a story again to get the commentary clear. I love a read that both amuses and makes you think about your perceptions.

I also enjoyed Matsuda's earlier collection of stories inspired by Japanese folklore, which I read in 2021 -- Where the Wild Ladies Are. That's a bit more traditional in format but has the same edge. I really recommend her books if you like a feminist sensibility that is both highly intelligent and sarcastic.

This collection has a couple of longer pieces but mostly there are brief reflections and observations. The title refers to a piece remarking on the normalization of violence against women in film, which is something still seen in many films. The joy in this book was the structure and writing, for me, which added to the sense of social critique and skewed perspective. I thought the style and the content worked together to create a strong thematic line. Really liked this one, and raced through it, although I will probably go back and sit with some of the stories a bit longer to really reflect on them. After all, there are 52 pieces, one a week would be a good start to any intellectual week!

Taiwan Travelogue

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Taiwan Travelogue / Yang Shuang-Zi
trans. from the Mandarin by Lin King
read by Sarah Skaer
Old Saybrook, CT: Tantor, 2025, c2020.

I listened to the audiobook of this recent International Booker prize winner. It was pretty good, although some of the narrator's choices for voices of the different characters grated on me a bit. I got used to it after a while - it's long enough that you can become accustomed!

It's the story of Aoyama Chizuko, a Japanese journalist and novelist who been invited to Taiwan in 1938,by the ruling Japanese government. She wants to get an understanding of this region so plans to stay for a year to get the real feeling of it. As part of this, she is assigned an interpreter - Chizuro is a young woman about her age, who even shares some of the characters in her name. They both love eating, so travel around the country eating local foods, among the official visits and readings that Aoyama must do as part of her contract there. She is delighted with her interpreter and wants to become close friends with her, but there is something that Chizuro always holds back. It takes until the end of the story for Aoyama to grasp why.

This book was published in Mandarin, presenting itself as a translation of an old Japanese book. This is a clever way to distance the political climate of current Taiwan from Chinese politics but still make a strong point about colonialism and autonomy. It also shows clearly that colonialism is not only political or 'big picture' but that it affects intimate relationships just as much.

So much for the ideas behind the book. What was my experience reading it? I felt it was a slow burn -- there is so much about food that I found myself getting bored. I think you have to be a real foodie to follow along with Aoyama's culinary experiments with excitement. However, there was enough other detail in the story that I knew there would be a payoff, so continued. I'm glad I did. The last couple of chapters made it all worth it. I can understand how food and regional cooking are also reflections of colonialism, and a visceral, daily way to show its effects. But the lengthy descriptions of food are just not highly interesting to me personally.

Still, the characters and the relationships were worth following, and the book as a whole was a good read. Glad I was able to find this one to listen to this month!

Translation Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

It's Translation Thursday! Each Thursday this month I'm going to share the translation I'm currently reading plus a few more on my reading list. Here's today's list:

Currently Reading:

The Woman Dies / Aoko Matsuda
trans. from the Japanese by Polly Barton

To Read:

Five Blessings for a Wedding / Maiko Seo
trans. from the Japanese by Laurel Taylor

Sakura / Kanako Nishi
trans. from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell

How to Use 3,000 Yen / Hika Harada
trans. from the Japanese by Alison Watts

Letters From Klara

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Letters from Klara / Tove Jansson
trans. from the Swedish by Thomas Teal
read by Indira Varma
Copenhagen: Saga Egmont, 2024, c1991.

I like Tove Jansson's writing, and found this collection of short stories that I hadn't yet read; I'm glad I picked it up because I really enjoyed it. It contains 13 stories, and they are reflective of Jansson's concerns and style.

The stories tackle the awkwardness of relationships and of existing in the world - something I feel like she's particularly good at. I think it's her clear unsentimental look at people's weakness, foibles, and inner lives that I always appreciate. She can be sardonic and hard in some ways, but also has an eye for the wry humour of life, and never mocks her characters.

I thought all these stories were strong, with characters to draw you in, even though there was no strong thematic line to the collection. The settings are mainly in Finland but there a few which range across Europe, depending on the story. There are artists, mothers and daughters, old women who are still insisting on being a person, young men with existential crises, old schoolmates reuniting (with resulting cringe), and more. Each story was compelling but there were a couple that really stood out to me.

The title story was fun, although light - if you've read Virginia Evan's hit The Correspondent you'll appreciate this little story alongside that one. "Party Games" follows a group of women who reunite when one of them finds out that their girls school is closing - it's a handful of their classmates having tea at one person's apartment and it is as awkward as you might imagine, with, as Jansson puts it, "do you remembers" taking over a lot of the conversation. But their girlhood likes and dislikes also reappear. So understandable! "Trip to the Riviera" follows a cantankerous older woman and her daughter, who've gone on vacation to a cheap pension on the Riviera, where they are definitely fish out of water, but the older woman is determined to be herself.

"Emmelina" was the one that I was most drawn into. In this one, a strange young woman inherits a flat from a woman who has just died. The man living below her is having a crisis and befriends Emmelina, although she seems to be there just as a receptacle for all his angst. But when he finally decides to move on from his depression and face life again, Emmelina leaves, telling him she won't be back for a long time. She's uncanny and this story was a delight, with the side characters being some of the best parts.

There are never heavy plots to these stories, they are more about people just living a bit, vignette style. I enjoy this a lot, and this collection delivered. If you like more contemplative stories looking at a slice of life, often without any real conclusions to be drawn, you'll like this too.

Killing Stella

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Killing Stella / Marlen Haushofer
trans. from the German by Shaun Whiteside
NY: New Directions, 2025, c1958.
88 p.

Another novella which I found through my library! This one was a must read for me since I read The Wall in 2024 and haven't stop thinking about it since.

This is an earlier story by Haushofer, and it's both shorter and more traditional. So, not quite as much of an impact, but still a lot to think about in such a brief narrative. It feels like a story from the 50s, with its traditional roles of accepting housewife to a rich, philandering man leading the storyline.

But it also condemns this self-satisfied pampered life, highlighting the harms caused by self-absorbed rich people keeping their heads down to make their own lives easier. Still timely somehow.

Anna, the housewife, is the narrator, and so we only have her view of things. She's married to Richard, and they have two children - Annette, who is very much like Richard, and Wolfgang, the son who Anna smothers with her displaced need for affection and companionship.

Into this household comes Stella, an awkward and naive 19 year old, the daughter of Anna's old friend - actually a frenemy as Anna admits she really can't stand her. Stella needs a place to live while attending school and so moves into their spare room. Anna finds her mousy and retiring, and encourages her to dress more prettily, to become more attractive. And inevitably, Richard takes advantage of this (a question to the reader: does Anna know this will happen? Is she preparing Stella for Richard? As Anna is telling the tale, she of course sounds blameless).

But Richard's attentions are fickle and short-lived, and soon Stella is distraught, unable to say anything to anyone, since Anna is her only confidant. And shortly after that, Stella dies in a traffic accident. Of course it was an accident.

The story is one long letter of justification, of Anna rewriting the events to explain and understand what happened. She does reflect a little and takes some of the blame, but it's clear throughout that she is defending herself and her decades long patterns of compliance and inaction. And there may be a nod or two the wider effects of both of these habits, in the German setting during the previous decade of wartime (the book was published in 1958). This narrative setup gives a sense of claustrophobia, Anna rarely mentioning anything outside her domestic sphere.

It's interesting to read this and compare some of the author's themes to her later masterpiece The Wall. Anna being left alone emotionally even in the midst of a household is made more explicit in The Wall, with the main character a woman who is literally alone, the last person in the world as far as she knows. In any case, I did find this read had a lot to dig into and enjoyed reading more by this author.

Dead Weight

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Dead Weight / Hildur Knutsdottir
translated from the Icelandic by Mary Robinette Kowal
NY: Tor, 2026, c2025.
152 p.

This was a very unexpected read, a short novel that I found in my library system and grabbed because of WIT Month. It's an Icelandic story but an author who is new to me.

Sometimes these random discoveries are just the thing! I was shocked and surprised by this one, all in the best ways. For something so short, it really packed a wallop, and the ending was on point.

Unnur is a solitary woman, happy with her job and single life, but one day a cat appears in her apartment. She puts it out but it appears again. And as it turns out, it's a pregnant cat who gives birth to just one kitten in her bedroom.

Unnur tries to do the right thing and find the owner, to return this cat who's decided that Unnur's home is a great place to settle into. She discovers that the owner is a young woman, Asta, who desperately wants her cat but thinks it would be safer with Unnur. Why? Asta's home life is unsettled, to say the least.

Unnur doesn't have many friends, and Asta needs one - they start developing a kind of friendship, with Unnur feeling protective of both Asta and her cat. She starts to realize that Asta's boyfriend is a problem. And in her mind, problems need to be dealt with.

I didn't predict this storyline, and was genuinely surprised by the plot as it progressed. I really liked the characters - the story is told from Unnur's perspective alone, we are inside her head for the whole book and so things surprise us as much as they do her. This has been called a "cathartic horror story" in publisher blurbs, and I think they got that spot on. The female rage driving the action, and Unnur's no-nonsense reactions feel believable and satisfying. I read this in one go - you can't stop, the story is plainly told but propulsive. It's definitely a one-sitting read. Recommended!

Only a Little While Here

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Only a Little While Here / Maria Ospina
trans. from the Spanish by Heather Cleary
NY: Scribner, 2026, c2023.
205 p.

I read Ospina's first collection of stories, Variations on the Body, in 2021 and was very impressed with it. So I was glad to see that this novel was available in time for this year's WIT Month reading. This is a quiet book, which I'd call a collection of linked short stories, more than a novel. But it was also a read that I appreciated and admired.

It looks at the natural world, and how we are all one -- humans, bugs, birds, animals whether domestic or wild -- it's all one. It has a philosophical bent, a quiet narrative that is still honest and full of the natural violence of nature. Another element she investigates through this look at animal life is migration - what are borders, really, and who belongs where? Some of our characters are also migrants, and this plays into the overall shape of this book.

Each section opens with a selection of poems, excerpts etc from many writers who illustrate her points. The first, and where the title comes from, is a poem by the Aztec King Nezahualcóyotl.

“Truly do we live on earth?
Not forever on earth; only a little while here.
Although it be jade, it will be broken,
Although it be gold, it is crushed,
Although it be quetzal feather, it is torn asunder.
Not forever on earth; only a little while here.”

I've never seen this poem before, but it really hit me. It's such a beautiful way to describe the essence of our life here. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, in its sense that life is short and impermanent, and should be honoured and appreciated.

The four sections of this book follow a migrating tanager, a beetle, a porcupine, and two dogs. And we see some of them as passing characters in the others' stories. The themes are carried through each story, with the characters slowly connecting for the reader, although the characters don't see it. But then that's kind of the point: we don't necessarily see the connections that exist in our daily lives, but we are all intimately connected, linked, a part of nature and everything we do is a part of the world. And as humans we often think that we are the only ones who live here and can do whatever we like without any thought of other lives. This book gently points that out and reminds us that we are also at the mercy of our planet.

There is both melancholy and hope in many of the stories, and it's so beautiful -- you need to take this one slowly and savour it. If you love skilled writing and thoughtful reflection on life and impermanence, this is one for you.

Sea Now: a Dutch disaster novel

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Sea Now / Eva Meijer
trans. from the Dutch by Anne Thompson Melo
San Francisco, CA: Two Lines Press, 2025, c2022.
180 p.

I found this book in my library system -- I have not heard of it anywhere and was surprised by it. It's set in the Netherlands, where the sea has reached full tide but is not retreating. In fact it's getting higher and higher, by about a kilometer a day.

This is downplayed for a while, until it becomes clear that Something is going on. The government reacts, finally, but too late to save low-lying areas. Internal refugees are everywhere, but then they have to keep moving -- some to Germany and France, some to family elsewhere, but the key is that they can not stay in the Netherlands. Even the big cities with all their art, culture, and population, are going to end up underwater.

Despite this crisis event, the narrative itself is very calm and told quietly, almost bureaucratically, in the first half. The reactions of people vary, from those leaving immediately, to those who call themselves "The Remainers", and believe that the government info is all a conspiracy and they'll stay where they are. There is a group of young people who start up a protest group, "Sea Now!", which eventually peters out when the sea itself proves undeniably unstoppable.

The second part of the book follows a few of the characters who decide to go back into the flooded areas to look for family members. They meet some Remainers who are living on tall rooftops and looking after themselves, and other stragglers on ships. They feel the strangeness of the sea and a city's infrastructure underwater. The new ocean seems to be a little more self-aware than before, too, with all sorts of odd and unusual things happening on this journey.

It's a fascinating read, with an ending that I wasn't expecting. The rhythms of the story follow the relentless flow of the water, and the ending does too. There isn't a clear political message to the story -- to me it feels more like a quiet apocalypse, a change that humans aren't asked about or considered in. I couldn't stop reading it, and noted a few passages to copy out - the writing is reflective and yet slightly acerbic, a mix that caught me right away. This was a great accidental find, I would recommend it for the thoughtful reader who enjoys character and writing style; there is a lot to talk about here.

Repetition by Vigdis Hjorth

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Repetition / Vigdis Hjorth
trans. from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund
NY: Verso Books, 2026, c2023.
144 p.

This is a short novel by Hjorth, featuring a narrator looking back at her 16th year, when her home life is constrained by an overbearing, demanding mother whose extreme anxiety overshadows the narrator's experiences.

She has a group of girlfriends that she is able to still do normal teenage things with, if she organizes and hides their activities under a shell of studying in 'no-boy' zones. But of course they are really going out to parties and getting drunk and making out with random older boys.

Our narrator finds herself a boyfriend of a kind, and they make out a few times, with one of the most awkward sex scenes ever concluding their short-lived relationship. This is discovered by her parents, causing a violent, emotional flare-up, and a permanent crack in their family life. She is isolated, even though she still lives at home for a few more years, and kept from a relationship with her siblings as well - there is nobody to talk to and get any sense of their interpretations of the parental behaviours.

There is a dark secret in the family past that this book circles around, avoiding naming it although it's clear to the reader. This shorter story is another approach to the story told in Will & Testament, and probably has more resonance if you've read that one. But it does stand alone, and the atmosphere of the story really evokes the suffocating sense of being 16 and in uncongenial circumstances, testing things out, trying to find yourself, understand life, and so on. The title is reflected both in the repeated routines of her days, and of the repeated family patterns shown through the story. The writing also reflects this, with certain phrases and images used again and again.

I found it absorbing, as a real character study with lots of internal movement even if the outer world seemed static and repetitive. Really interesting.

Translation Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

It's Translation Thursday! Each Thursday this month I'm going to share the translation I'm currently reading plus a few more on my reading list. Here's today's list:

Currently Reading:

Taiwan Travelogue / Yang Shuang-Zi
trans. from the Mandarin by Lin King

To Read:

Small Comfort / Ia Genberg
trans. from the Swedish by Kira Josefsson

Heart Lamp / Banu Mushtaq
trans. from the Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi

A System so Magnificent it is Blinding / Amanda Svensson
trans. from the Swedish by Nichola Smalley

She Who Remains

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

She Who Remains / Rene Karabash
trans. from the Bulgarian by Izidora Angel
Southport, ME: Sandorf Passage, 2026, c2018.
152 p.

This was a shortlisted title on the International Booker list this year, which is how I first came across it. It's a novella written in Bulgarian and set in Albania, in the mountains where the strict rule of the Kanun shapes the lives of families, Bekija escapes an unwanted arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin. This is a status in which a woman gives up all her womanly attributes and swears lifelong celibacy, to live as a man.

This decision destroys up her family, divides her from the person she loves, and creates a dark and lonely life for many years. The story begins as Bekija, now Matija, is telling their life story to a journalist who has travelled to their village to interview the last known Sworn Virgin. The narrative is thus quite stream of consciousness, or confessional, jumping around in time and focusing in on Matija's life and experiences.

We slowly get a wider picture of everything that led to the present, and in the end get a glimpse into a new future for Matija as well. This story was so unfamiliar, and so beautifully written, that I just couldn't stop reading. It was shocking and eventful, without becoming melodramatic. It was packed with strong feeling and repressed emotion. And I felt that this character was explored deeply, even in the constraints of the short length of the novel. This is the author's debut novel, although she is an experienced screenwriter and actor. You can feel the influence of those here, as the book has sharp and unforgettable imagery along with the narrative line. Really impressed by this one, so much in such a short book.

The Wax Child

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The Wax Child / Olga Ravn
trans. from the Danish by Martin Aitken
TO: Book*hug Press, 2025, c2023.
200 p.

Another book on the International Booker longlist, I wanted to read this because of the author - I've read her speculative novel The Employees and was curious how she'd write a historical novel.

The Wax Child is inspired by a real-life witch trial in the 17th century. The text incorporates quotes from letters, manuals, court documents and grimoires from that time. The writing is dense, full of imagery and visceral detail, and grounds the reader in the era.

This is the story of Christenze Kruckow, an unmarried noblewoman who is accused of witchcraft along with a circle of other women. She is accused of all sorts of things, even of making a wax child, a dark magic. The book is narrated by the wax child, observing her maker and all the others before and while they go through the trials. This technique of a removed observer works well here, allowing a broader perspective than just that of Christenze, but it also creates uncertainty in the reader -- if the wax child is telling us this story, how much of the activity of witchcraft that they are accused of actually happened? Was there something going on, or is this just another example of men upset by women finding strength and solidarity together?

I thought this was a great read. It's dark, and hard to read in parts, but the setting and the writing itself are both so powerful. Ravn recreates the suffocating atmosphere of this trial, and of women's lives, particularly unmarried women's lives, in this era. And she shows how these elements are still relevant to contemporary readers, but not in an obvious or didactic way -- it just comes through in the writing. This was a memorable read, one that has stuck with me.

The Book Censor's Library

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The Book Censor's Library / Bothayna Al-Essa
trans. from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman & Sawad Hussain
Read by Cindy Kay
Old Saybrook, CT: Tantor Media, 2024, c2019.

I listened to this one; it's a fever dream of a book in which a man in an unnamed dictatorship finds a job as a book censor. But his own young daughter is full of imagination and stories, causing him no end of trouble and angst. Imagination and whimsy is forbidden in this unnamed dictatorship. Only sensible (ie: government approved) information and behaviour is permitted.

Another novel in an unintended streak of magical realist stories, this one was good but turned in a direction I was really not expecting. Our main character is a government employee who is placed in a book censor position. He must read books, searching out unwanted examples of imagination and other elements that the government thinks will distract citizens from daily reality (or give them ideas...). All history of the 'past world' is to be erased, denied and rewritten. Books that might place readers in the context of a past are considered unhealthy and need to be censored.

The first job that our book censor is assigned is to read a new edition of Zorba the Greek and make his recommendation for censoring or not. This is considered an easy assignment, after all, many previous editions have already been banned. But our censor discovers through this book that he is after all a reader; the emotions and actions of Zorba inspire him and he can't stop reading.

The story incorporates other novels, each with their own motifs and meanings that shape the book censor. Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, even Pinocchio -- many books are read and dissected by this character, even though this is a relatively short novel. The storyline does follow the outlines of 1984 -- if you've read it you may recognize some similar themes and stylistic choices. But it's a bit stranger, for me -- for example there are rabbits everywhere, even in the censorship building, and they seem to have a purpose. Our character finds an underground resistance movement, which even includes a vast subterranean library. But then his young daughter is taken away for reeducation, and everything spirals out of control.

The ending was a bit unexpected, and throws a new light on everything that came before. But the story brought up so many issues of freedom of expression, the power of reading, how a healthy society must include the freedom of the mind, and so on. And of course a book that discusses so many other books is always something I will find interesting. While I found it a little uneven, and a little strange that all the literature discussed is by men, it was still an intriguing read. Written by a Kuwaiti bookseller with experiences of her own of governmental censorship, it feels real, and communicates her love of books very strongly.

Women Without Men

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Women Without Men / Shahrnush Parsipur
trans. from the Persian by Faridoun Farrokh
NY: Feminist Press at CUNY, 2012, c1989.
192 p.

I picked up this book thanks to the International Booker - a new 2026 edition was on the longlist, and then I found this 2012 edition, and discovered it was first published in 1989. So the subtitle, "a novel of Modern Iran" has to be taken in context.

It's a tale of a group of five women who all face extreme misogyny in their homes, their towns, their entire setting. So they decide to leave, and all end up in the same place, walking the road to Tehran but finding a place to stay on the outskirts, in the home and garden of one lone woman. They have different roles and different experiences; one is happy to settle in with another man, the gardener, one keeps house, one decides to plant herself and turn into a tree. This is definitely the most unexpected part of the story, and it was a little bit of random magical realism for me -- but looking into the role of trees in Iran, they are one of the oldest cultures to treat trees as sacred beings. So I'm sure that once again I am missing many of the context clues to the deeper meanings in this story.

In any case, many readers might be familiar with this book because of its Booker nomination, well, at least passingly familiar. I thought it was interesting but unfortunately didn't get drawn in completely. The characters were a bit too sketched out for me, I couldn't quite understand how they fit together in their new setting, and the ending was both unexpected and a bit unsatisfying. So I'm glad I read it but it was a bit difficult, and I think I'd need to study it a bit more closely to really get a lot out of it.

A Hamlet Called America

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The Hamlet Called America / Khrystia Vengryniuk
trans. from the Ukrainian by Kate Tsurkan & Dmytro Kyyan
South Portland, ME: Sandorf Passage, c2026
224 p.

I was sent an advanced reading copy of this book by the publisher; it will be released mid-October of this year. I'm obviously quite interested in this thanks to it being a Ukrainian novel, newly translated.

It's an intriguing read, something quite different from my recent reading. It's set in the near past, no mention of the war here, but focuses on the lives of a small group of eccentric villagers.

I saw someone describe it as a Ukrainian version of the village of Macondo from 100 Years of Solitude, and I guess I could see that connection - it does have an element of magical realism, with a few inexplicable things going on that people seem to just accept. And there is a long history to the hamlet, where time seems a little unreliable.

The hamlet is isolated and sticks to itself; the exception is the priest up the hill, a healer who draws people to area. One of our villagers ends up there herself near the end, with an unusual health status to be managed.

There are characters who come and go, as well, mainly the younger family members of the residents. A grandson or granddaughter here, a bevy of daughters there, coming for visits from the city. There is even a beautiful stranger dumped on the road at night and taken in by one of them. Lots of intrigue to follow.

It reads like a heightened folktale, with stock characters who are somehow made into complex people in their own right. There are bits of superstition, folklore, unexplained moments, and a bit too much familial togetherness. In some ways I found it reminiscent of Tanja Maljartschuk's Biography of a Chance Miracle -- that novel also plays with expectations of reality, and it is set in a Ukrainian town named San Francisco. But while that novel has a main character, this one really has a cast of characters all as important as the next. Their stories intertwine and depend on one another's stories to exist.

It's an unusual, earthy read, with a lot of the story so dependent on the setting and the characters' life stories. I am sure I missed some of the nuance because I'm not as familiar with the context. But it was a compelling read that I had to finish. Look for it in October!

A Brief History of a Long War

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

A Brief History of a Long War / Mariam Naiem
illus. by Yulia Vus & Ivan Kypibida
trans. from the Ukrainian by Nata Hrytsenko
New York : Ten Speed Graphic, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, ©2026
105 p.

This is a short graphic novel that aims to give an overview of how long Ukraine has been resisting Russian aggression, for those who don't know Ukrainian history. Hint: this book starts in the Middle Ages and moves up to 2022 and the start of the most recent Russian attacks on the country.

Written by an award-winning journalist, scholar and activist, it covers a variety of flashpoints in Ukrainian history. The illustrations are all done in tones of black/grey, white and orange, which reflects the role of the colour orange in freedom movements that the reader will learn about -- it also reflects the nighttime fire and destruction wrought by war.

For those new to Ukrainian history, this will be a good introduction to the fact that Russia has been oppressing and attacking the country for a very long time. Moving from the middle ages and the rise of the Cossacks, to 19th C. Imperial decrees banning the Ukrainian language in a linguicide, then to the 30s and the Stalin-led Holodomor (death by famine), and continuing into the present invasion, this book will give a sense of Ukraine and all it has stood against for centuries.

There is a bibliography, noting some of the writing that Naiem consulted for this book, including a couple of very respected Ukrainian historians - and one Ukrainian-Canadian one, too. This provides good resources for readers who are interested enough to read further and find out more about any of the things she shares in this graphic novel.

I found that the text and imagery in this book worked well together; it was memorable and covered all the information without sounding like a dry list or textbook. There is a focus on the experiences of people during these events and what current wartime is like. Really solid intro, not too overwhelming.

A short interview with the author, about creating this book, can be found at DTF Magazine.

Translation Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

It's Translation Thursday! Each Thursday this month I'm going to share the translation I'm currently reading plus a few more on my reading list. Here's today's list:

Currently Reading:

The Hamlet Called America / Khrystia Vengryniuk
trans. from the Ukrainian by Kate Tsurkan & Dmytro Kyyan

To Read:

Take Six: Six Ukrainian Women Writers / ed. by Steve Komarnyckyj
trans. from the Ukrainian by Steve Komarnyckyj

Girl with a Bullet / Anna Malihon
trans. from the Ukrainian by Olena Jennings

Women and War / ed. and trans.
from the Ukrainian by Aurélie Bros

Stacks for #WITMonth

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

This #WITMonth I have a pretty small stack of potential To-Reads. I currently have a couple on the go, and a few more that I've finished over the last month that I will be sharing during August.

I have many books on my own shelves to read, and have made a stack of the ones I am actively reading and/or planning on diving into this month. These are some titles that I've had for a while, almost entirely some ARCs that I never got around to reading!

I'm going to be sharing reviews this month of books I've finished over the last few weeks as well as reading some more, and of course, adding to my never-ending TBR thanks to other #WIT Month reviews -- I always find great suggestions during this month, plenty to keep my going throughout the rest of the year.

Reading in Translation: Library Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Along with my regular reading and reviewing here on the blog, I've also read a number of women in translation for my professional work. These were reviews for Library Journal, and so I can't really talk in depth about them here. But these are the titles I covered since last August.

Dams / Irene Sola
trans. from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem

The Friday Bookshop / Sawako Natori
trans. from the Japanese by Yui Kajita

Welcome to the Kokoro Cat Clinic / Syou Ishida
trans. from the Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda

Beautiful Distance / Nao-Cola Yamazaki
trans. from the Japanese by Charlotte Goff

Mount Verity / Therese Bohman
trans. from the Swedish by Marlaine Delargy

Reading in Translation: More Books Read since last year!

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I did read and review a few books from languages other than Japanese or Korean over the last year, too! These are the handful I got reviewed. Lots more coming this month!

Brightly Shining / Ingvild Rishoi

Fair Play / Tove Jansson

Forgotten on Sunday / Valerie Perrin

Reading in Translation Month: Japanese & Korean Books read since August 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I have been attempting to read more women in translation year round, ever since I started participating in #WITMonth way back in 2015. Some years I get a lot read and reviewed, sometimes I don't get much read, sometimes I read a fair bit but don't review!

This year I've read a lot of Japanese and Korean books - here are the ones written by women that I've both read and reviewed since last August. Some of my unreviewed titles will be showing up this month as well :)

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat / Syou Ishida

The Lantern of Lost Memories / Sanaka Hiiragi

Dinner at the Night Library / Hika Harada

Every Day I Read / Hwang Bo-Reum

Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop / Mai Mochizuki

Women in Translation Month is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000

August brings one of my favourite reading celebrations of the year -- Women in Translation Month. All the info on how this project started & the stats behind it can be found on the Women in Translation website. But this year, most of what's happening can be found on Instagram, under the @readwit account.

For readers, though, the essential joy of this month is reading more books by women that have been translated from any language that isn't English. And of course sharing your encounters with said books. It's a wonderful summertime reading project.

Some years I read a lot, and review something every day but it is absolutely fine to read just one book this month, you are still participating. I will have more to share on both my plans and the last year's readings this week. Happy Women in Translation Month!

This Book Made Me Think of You

noreply@blogger.com (Melwyk) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0000

This Book Made Me Think of You / Libby Page
New York : Berkley, 2026.
407 p.

A novel about reading and how it saves the life of a young widow, this was light and serious at the same time - and unfortunately, a little sentimental, a risk I see in many of these reads.

But, there were some engaging things, too, and any bookish reader will be interested in finding out which books play a role in the storyline! The plot is as follows: Tilly Nightingale is a new widow; it's been a few months since her beloved Joe died. But for her birthday in January, she gets a call from a bookshop nearby - there's a gift for her there, from Joe. Before he passed away, he'd arranged with the bookshop's owner, Alfie, to give Tille a book each month for a year, with a message for her included. He is trying to get her to live again.

At first Tillie resists this but as the books continue monthly, she is pushed to expand her life again, to return to books, to cooking, to travel, and to making new friends -- the employees (and cat) at Book Lane. Joe has thoughtfully chosen a series of books to get her moving back into life.

There is a lot of grief talk in this book (spouses dying is one of the hardest things for me to read) but it's leavened with hope and forward movement, and some romance as well. That's the part that I was kind of "eh" about but I see where she was going with it.

I was a bit so-so on the sentimental bits (a bit heavy in parts), but enjoyed the story of the trajectory of Tillie's return to life -- and of course, the books, and the bookshop. The author has a list of all the books mentioned in this novel at her website - both the books that Tillie is given monthly, and all the other titles mentioned in between. It's quite a bookish read!

The Indextrious Reader

Hooked

Idol Burning

The Woman Dies

Taiwan Travelogue

Translation Thursday

Letters From Klara

Killing Stella

Dead Weight

Only a Little While Here

“Truly do we live on earth?Not forever on earth; only a little while here.Although it be jade, it will be broken,Although it be gold, it is crushed,Although it be quetzal feather, it is torn asunder.Not forever on earth; only a little while here.”

Sea Now: a Dutch disaster novel

Repetition by Vigdis Hjorth

Translation Thursday

She Who Remains

The Wax Child

The Book Censor's Library

Women Without Men

A Hamlet Called America

A Brief History of a Long War

Translation Thursday

Stacks for #WITMonth

Reading in Translation: Library Reviews

Reading in Translation: More Books Read since last year!

Reading in Translation Month: Japanese & Korean Books read since August 2025

Women in Translation Month is here!

This Book Made Me Think of You

“Truly do we live on earth?
Not forever on earth; only a little while here.
Although it be jade, it will be broken,
Although it be gold, it is crushed,
Although it be quetzal feather, it is torn asunder.
Not forever on earth; only a little while here.”