SE: Early on in the novel, it’s clear you want readers to have the biblical story of Noah in mind. Out of all of the strange and powerful stories from Genesis, what specifically about that one was compelling to you? Why did a sort of retelling of it seem necessary now? LS: First and foremost, […]
July Read of the Month: “Noah’s Wife,” by Lindsay Starck
July 5, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Sean Ennis Lindsay Starck’s debut novel, Noah’s Wife, centers on a town inexplicably inundated with a soaking, seemingly never-ending rain. The subsequent flooding threatens the local economy and tests the faith of the community in terms of whether to see the storm through (the rain must end sometime, right?) or abandon the town […]
Lewis Nordan Explores Magical Bond Between Father and Son
June 7, 2011 by 1 Comment
Still looking for a meaningful Father’s Day Gift? SLR contributor Sean Ennis shares the title that most impacted his role as both a son and a father: When I first read Lewis Nordan’s Music of the Swamp, I was just a son. I laughed and cringed at the bungling of Mr. Mecklin–the well-intentioned lies […]
Meet Kevin Brockmeier, Author of The Illumination
April 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Kevin Brockmeier is the author of the novels The View from the Seventh Layer, The Brief History of the Dead, The Truth About Celia, Things That Fall from the Sky, and two children’s novels. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, McSweeney’s, The Oxford American, The Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Prize Stories and […]
April Read of the Month: The Illumination, by Kevin Brockmeier
April 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Click to Buy The Illumination (Pantheon, Feb. 2011) by Kevin Brockmeier Review by Sean Ennis Kevin Brockmeier’s newest novel, The Illumination, describes a world where all physical pain—from injuries or acute disease or chronic ailments—manifests itself as light. A sliced thumb, lung cancer, arthritis, even acne shine in ways to match […]
Meet John Brandon, Author of Citrus County
November 3, 2010 by 3 Comments
John Brandon’s name has been whispered among literary circles as a writer to watch since he was selected as the 2009-10 John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi. His first novel, Arkansas, took readers on a wild ride through the “trailer trash” world of drugs and violence. And, he left them wanting more. […]
November Read of the Month, Citrus County by John Brandon
November 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Review by Sean Ennis John Brandon’s second novel, Citrus County, is, on its surface, a typical sort of coming of age novel. Fourteen year old Toby wishes for a more exciting life in rural Florida, tries ineptly to understand Shelby, a potential love interest, and battles his superiors with both apathy and cunning. But […]
Perpetual Care: Stories by James Nolan
August 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Review by Sean Ennis New Orleans as a city is complicated, and has become even more so over the past five years. Countless narratives have emerged since Katrina describing the city’s joys and plights, and surely more will come from the recent oil spill in the Gulf. And it is difficult to discuss James […]