Tag: Literary Fiction

Laura Sintija Cerniauskaite – Breathing Into Marble | Review

Title: Breathing Into Marble

Author: Laura Sintija Cerniauskaite

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 188

Rating: 4*/5

 

Laura Sintija Cerniauskaite - Breathing Into Marble

Laura Sintija Cerniauskaite – Breathing Into Marble

 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

This book is different to almost anything else you’re likely to find. It’s a beautifully told piece of literary fiction that features a twist on the “boy meets girl” tale by subverting it into a “boy meets mum” story about an adopted kid with some mental health issues.

Translated into English from Lithuanian, the language in which the original piece was a bestseller, it’s almost like a modern day revival of Hemingway and Graham Greene, or even Burroughs or Kerouac.

Just as it is, it’s a very good book. But it’s made more impressive by the way that it translates so easily – the story itself could take place almost anywhere, and that alone makes it relatable. That’s boosted by the beauty of the language and the little thoughts that Laura’s characters have. It’s full of little observations that leave you nodding your head and smiling, and it’s also entertaining.

 

Laura Sintija Cerniauskaite

Laura Sintija Cerniauskaite

 

Click here to buy Breathing Into Marble.

 


Hans M. Hirschi – The Opera House | Review

Title: The Opera House

Author: Hans M. Hirschi

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 264

Rating: 9/10

 

Hans Hirschi - The Opera House

Hans M. Hirschi – The Opera House

 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

The Opera House was an interesting one – I’ve already read and enjoyed two other Hirschi novels, and I never know what to expect because each of them seems to have a personality of their own. Here, we follow the story of a gay man who’s still in mourning after the death of his young son, as he attempts to rebuild his life. Much of this relies on his friendship with a sixteen-year-old street kid called Brian, who disappears – Raphael, the protagonist, begins to see Brian as a second chance at redemption, and he grows determined to save him from a life of prostitution.

I recently interviewed Hans, and one of the questions I asked was whether he thinks he writes in any particular genre. Hans says that he mixes genres together and I’d agree, although I also agree with him when he said that, if anything, his work is more like contemporary literary fiction than anything else. Here, as with his other work, the protagonist is gay – that said, it doesn’t feel forced, and this isn’t a book that you only enjoy if you’re a gay man. There really is something here for everyone, and I also think that this is the author’s easiest read, at least from the books that I’ve read. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, so what are you waiting for?

 

Hans M. Hirschi

Hans M. Hirschi

 

Click here to buy The Opera House.