Lostin Taiwan Rebecca F Kuang explores her Chinese-American identity in a somewhat insular novel, finds Christian House ew books have captured the febrile publishing debate sur- rounding authenticity quite as dynamically as Rebecca F Kuang’s 2023 satirical novel Yellowface. In it, a white writer steals the manuscript of her friend, a Chinese- American author who has died in extraordinary circumsta…
The importance of soil Staying grounded The World Beneath Our Feet. By Frank Ashwood. Random House; 240 pages; $30. Hodder Press; £25 there are charismatic habitats. Indeed, he two often overlap. Rainforests have beautiful birds and butterflies. African sa- vannahs are filled with elephants and lions. Then there are the uncharismatic hab- itats with uncharismatic species. Mites, centipedes and mil…
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n a literary meet-cute of dreams, the now newly-weds Callum Turner and Dua Lipa first bonded over a book. Chatting in Los Angeles, they realised they had both just finished the first chapter of Hernan Diaz's Trust (2022), a twisty puzzle-box novel that plays with the fiction of finance. “So we're on the same page,” Turner quipped. The anecdote was a sprinkling of stardust on a book already in the …
A plea for peace Sebastian Faulks deftly mixes the trauma of war with his penchant for a murder mystery. By Philip Womack ebastian Faulks’ ambitious latest book, Farewell to Eden, is something of a hybrid. It con- cerns, on the one hand, faith, history and the harrowing aftermath of the second world war; on the other, there is an entertaining mur- der mystery folded into the plot. This is in keepi…
Battlefield realism and cosy espionage THRILLERS By Adam LeBor issiles have been much in the news lately. Even as Kyiv is bombarded, Ukraine’s long-range attacks deep into the Rus- sian heartland have exacted a high price. Israel's Iron Dome could not stop Iran from hitting Tel Aviv. But what hap- pens when the deadly projectiles disap- pear — and fall into the wrong hands? In Simon Conway's The B…
A plea for peace Sebastian Faulks deftly mixes the trauma of war with his penchant for a murder mystery. By Philip Womack ebastian Faulks’ ambitious latest book, Farewell to Eden, is something of a hybrid. It con- cerns, on the one hand, faith, history and the harrowing aftermath of the second world war; on the other, there is an entertaining mur- der mystery folded into the plot. This is in keepi…
The tragic life of Puyi, Chinas last emperor A compelling biography explores the story of a child monarch who saw the collapse of a dynasty and the disappearance of the world he was born to rule. By Charles Clover he life of China's last emperor embodies the country’s extraordinary rupture with its imperial past. Puyi, born in 1906, grew up in the confines of the Forbidden City. He was worshipped …
When in Venice A far-reaching account of over three decades of the Biennale captures the thinking behind the world’s oldest art festival. By Jackie Wullschldger he tide of change is surging, the map of Europe is redrawn, and at the 1993 Venice Biennale artists ride the wave with a spirited seriousness and exuberant originality not seen here since the end of the second world war. Though painted red…
When in Venice A far-reaching account of over three decades of the Biennale captures the thinking behind the world's oldest art festival. By Jackie Wullschldger he tide of change is surging, the map of Europe is redrawn, and at the 1993 Venice Biennale artists ride the wave with a spirited seriousness and exuberant originality notseen here since the end of the second world war. Though painted red …
