#Kent Wascom

[thehappyscavenger]

The Great State of West Florida, Kent Wascom

#Kent Wascom #The Great State of West Florida #quote

[kamreadsandrecs]

#books #book recs

[kammartinez]

#books

[universitybookstore]

In his third novel, Kent Wascom tells the story of Isaac, a nature-loving artist whose past is mysterious to all, including himself, and Kemper, a defiant heiress caught in the rivalry between her two brothers, Angel and Red. The New Inheritors is out this week from Grove Press.

#The New Inheritors #Kent Wascom #Grove Atlantic #Literary Fiction

[bookish-thinking]

Review: “The New Inheritors” by Kent Wascom

Kent Wascom has been called "one of the most exciting and ambitious emerging voices in American fiction", this book "his most powerful and poignant novel yet". It has a 4.03 rating on goodreads! And I just did not get it. At all.

I found the novel extremely vague, as I could not pinpoint a lot: neither the personalities of the characters, nor the where and what of the plot. It was poetic, maybe, but it took forever to get some plot going and arrive at some points of conflict. Those were then again very vague and neither made me feel anything nor would I be able to re-tell them. Overall, not a book for me.

~ I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions expressed above are my own.  

#the new inheritors #thenewinheritors #kent wascom #netgalley #book review

[guernicamag]

We lurch after the authentic, whether dictated by white-column worshippers or BBQ alchemists or blues hagiographers or poverty tourists, and flog with equal glee outsiders who dare to intellectually or physically invade the bounds of our territory and those insiders who don’t match an idea of authenticity that amounts to little more than commoditized regionalism. And so we create a culture of negation and exclusion at our own peril, denying black voices that don’t adhere to the stifling notion of what black Southern writers should be writing about, denying expatriate and immigrant voices, and ultimately denying what the late Carlos Fuentes called the trilingual cultural exchange of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Offending the Authentic by Kent Wascom - Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics

#kent wascom #identity #the south #black voices #black writers #racism #on writing #expatriate writers #immigrant writers #carlos fuentes #lit #special issue #the american south #guernica magazine

[the-final-sentence]

But I had come to know that my visions all were false, and that out there skiffs were put to oar, and that in them went people black as the night to come, shuddering against the waves and terribly afraid; as well they should, coming to a country such as this.

Kent Wascom, from The Blood of Heaven

#lit #prose #Kent Wascom #The Blood Of Heaven

[thehappyscavenger]

Kent Wascom, The Great State of West Florida

#The Great State of West Florida #Kent Wascom #quote

[thehappyscavenger]

Books Read April 2024

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

I've been told to read Link for years, and, well she lived up to the hype. These are some gorgeous re-interpretations of classic fairy tales and folklore which is exactly what I love. I would say I only loved about half the stories and found the rest meh but Link is clearly a gifted writer and this was an easy read.

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

This felt weirdly like a really good companion novel to Study in Obedience. Both feature an unnamed narrator living in Europe which is not their homeland. Yet while SiO examines the eeriness of the countryside Intimacies is about the eeriness of the city. Loved this one better than SiO though. Will definitely be retuning to Kitamura though I admit that I read this early in the month and despite enjoying it it has faded a LOT. I guess that's what happens with plotless novels.

Dragonwyck by Anya Seton

Historical romance fiction. IDK this was okay but never got as weird as I wanted it to. A solid read though.

The Great State of West Florida by Kent Wascom

Made a bit of a mistake in picking this up as an ARC based on the cover only to later realize it was the last in a 4 book series. Still an enjoyable read that stands on its own. A weird modern western about a family trying to establish West Florida as an independent state and an alternate white supremacy movement trying to do the same. It's weird but interesting.

The Adults by Alison Espach

Went into this blind after hearing this raved by several people and just absolutely loved it. It's hard to describe but it's basically about a snarky, wealthy white 14 year old and how her life is jutted off course by decades. Don't want to share more than that but I love Espach's voice and will be reading more of her in the future.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

A wonderful, alternate history crime novel. The ending didn't stick for me but this is still a full five stars. Gorgeous writing, a lived in world. I will be returning to this one.

Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin

I love books about sisterhood but I found this entire book underdeveloped and kind of boring. Colour me baffled by another Giller choice.

#Currently reading #White Cat Black Dog #Kelly Link #The Yiddish Policemen's Union #Michael Chabon #Dual Citizens #Alix Ohlin #Intimacies #Katie Kitamura #The Great State of West Florida #Kent Wascom #The Adults #Alison Espach