Synopsis Motherland is not a political book, but rather a poignant and sentimental search for one’s roots and for the answers to the often-asked questions: What defines us? Who are you in a new country? What truly matters? By the…
Cathy
Cathy
I am a freelance translator, literature lover, and language nerd based near the Baltic Sea. You can usually find me with a cup of tea, my latest read, and plenty of questions about language.
-
-
Unable to accept being dumped by her colleague, Takako quits her job and moves into the used bookstore owned by her uncle, Satoru, in Jinbocho. Despite her initial lack of interest in novels, Takako is slowly drawn into the world of books as she comes into contact with the unusual customers who frequent the store.
-
Summary Kafka in Tangier is a reinterpretation of Kafka’s Metamorphosis, exploring themes of transformation, alienation, and power. At once the story of a family and a chilling portrait of a city, the novella follows Jawad Al-Idrisi, an overworked teacher with…
-
Book ReviewsSci-Fi/Fantasy
Review: Hospital by Han Song, translated by Michael Berry
by Cathyby CathySummary A twisted, wildly imaginative tale of one man’s mysterious illness and his journey through a dystopian hospital system. When Yang Wei travels to C City for work, he expects nothing more than a standard business trip. A break from…
-
Book ReviewsTranslated Lit
Review – An Impossible Return: A Novel by Caroline Laurent, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman
by Cathyby CathySummary Winner of the Prix Maison de la Presse An epic love story set against a backdrop of injustice, devastating secrets, and the painful price of independence. It’s 1967 in the Chagos archipelago—a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean—and…
-
Book ReviewsCrime/MysterySuspense/Thriller
Review: The Couple at Causeway Cottage by Diane Jeffrey
by Cathyby CathyHave you ever read a book that gave you the shivers? A creepy thriller you just couldn’t put down? That’s exactly how I felt about The Couple at Causeway Cottage by Diane Jeffrey.
-
Book ReviewsHumorLiterary FictionTranslated Lit
Review: The Peacock by Isabel Bogdan
by Cathyby CathyTake a dilapidated castle in the Scottish Highlands, add a peacock gone rogue, a group of bankers on a team building trip, an overwhelmed psychologist, a housekeeper with a broken arm, and an ingenious cook, get Lord and Lady Macbeth to try and keep it all together, and top it off with all sorts of animals – soon no one will know exactly what’s going on.
-
Book ReviewsFictionSci-Fi/Fantasy
Review: Hope, A History of the Future by G. G. Kellner
by Cathyby CathyAn interesting book that looks at the very real possibility of what the world might look like in 200 years. It makes a subject, that I often feel is treated as abstract, the focus; giving it a very real feel.
-
Synopsis WINNER OF THE MAO DUN LITERATURE PRIZE Liu Xinwu’s work, which includes novels, short stories, and children’s literature, focuses on the common people of Beijing who live on the margins of society. He is one of the earliest proponents…
-
Book ReviewsHistorical FictionMemoir/BiographyTranslated Lit
Book Review: Divine Lola: A True Story of Scandal and Celebrity
by Cathyby CathyAn enthralling biography about one of the most intriguing women of the Victorian age: the first self-invented international social celebrity.