Category Archives: 500-word book review

The North Water by Ian McGuire

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Stefen Styrsky

Here’s the latest in my very occasional series of 500-word book reviews. Thanks for reading! The North Water by Ian McGuire (Henry Holt and Co, 2016) It’s the late 1850’s and the disgraced surgeon, Patrick Sumner, fresh from the Sepoy … Continue reading →

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Desert Boys

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Stefen Styrsky

Topicality can kill otherwise good fiction. Politics, current events, new technologies might make a story seem immediate and important, but can also quickly date it, making it seem naive or, worse, irrelevant. Then there’s the danger of didacticism. Essays barely … Continue reading →

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The Emerald Light in the Air

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Stefen Styrsky

Baldly speaking, most of Donald Antrim’s characters in the collection The Emerald Light in the Air suffer from some form of mental instability, clinical depression or bipolar disorder. Men and women on the verge of a nervous breakdown is a … Continue reading →

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There’s Something I Want You to Do

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Stefen Styrsky

What do we owe each other? How far should a person go, how much should a person sacrifice to ensure their fellows are cared for? What exactly are the obligations we have to one another? These are some of the … Continue reading →

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My First Blog Post

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Stefen Styrsky

My first blog post. One writer and no followers. Reminds me of the act of writing itself — sitting at a desk and typing into the faceless void. What do I want to do with this blog? First, I’ll share … Continue reading →

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