Scriptorium
Nevo’s rules
Eshkol Nevo's "Three Floors Up" uses a Freudian scheme to make sense of the personal complexities of modern Israel.
Archie Auster
In "4 3 2 1," winner of the Man Booker International Prize, American novelist Paul Auster digs into his four-part past.
History and mystery
In "Manhattan Beach," Jennifer Egan dives into historical fiction. And comes up with a story about people and waves.
Rushdie’s new realism
Salman Rushdie's "The Golden House" takes him back to heart of Manhattan in a layered story about identity and politics.
Gone gods
In "House of Names," Colm Toìbìn reworks Aeschylus to get to the core of a suddenly godless ancient world.
Femme-friendly Italy
Susan Van Allen experiential travel guide is an intelligent Italian companion for men and women alike.
Grossman’s verdict
Israeli novelist David Grossman uses the act of a stand-up comedian to get to the heart of Jewish doubt.
Seeing the elephant
José Saramargo's penultimate novel is a small masterpiece of pachyderm humor.
The hell of it all
Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railway" is a searing indictment of the biggest of all American crimes, slavery.
Zadie and swing
Zadie Smith conjures up a fictional memory lane that features two mixed race girls and their often-fractured lives.
Foer and Abraham
Jonathan Safran Foer's "Here I Am" focuses on Jewish identity while gradually widening the lens.
In a nutshell
Ian McEwan's 15th novel channels high and low Shakespeare to wicked effect.
“Scriptorium” Author

Patricia Fogarty
Former Rabelais scholar Patricia Fogarty has been reading and reviewing books for as long as she can remember.