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The “What Is the Genre of My Book” Question

January 7, 2020

I have yet to meet a writer who hasn’t at some point wondered “What’s the genre of my book?” so let’s tackle this question and see why (if?) it matters.

The genre of a book is an issue that plagues writers, readers, librarians, publishers, and generally everyone dealing with books and literature.

In today’s post we’ll see how you can define the genre of your book. But here’s a twist in the plot: I’ll also inspire you to ask yourself whether determining the genre of your book is something you actually need to care about at all.

genre of my book
Determining genre – such as “Romance”, “Fantasy”, or “Romantic Fantasy” – is a marketing decision. The issue is, to which extent should it affect the creative process?
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Review of Interpreter of Maladies

October 8, 2019

Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri, is a collection of short stories all featuring characters from the Indian subcontinent. However, this is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Ultimately, Interpreter of Maladies is a story about humanity; what it means to be a stranger in a strange land or – more subtly – a stranger in your own soul.

Indeed, what Lahiri’s prose reveals is not the differences between the cultures of India and Britain or the Unites States. After all, most of the characters are Indian expats in the West. Rather, the true focus is the uncanny, outright disturbing degree of similarity between people with vastly different backgrounds.

Interpreter of Maladies
Beyond superficial differences, all humans face similar problems and share similar fears and dreams. Ultimately, that’s what Interpreter of Maladies portrays
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Review of Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

September 20, 2019

As I might have mentioned before, I am a fan of Japanese literature. I’m really drawn to the minimalist, abstract, sometimes absurd and sometimes mundane style of many Japanese authors. Haruki Murakami is such an author, but when I began reading his Killing Commendatore I would never expect that a review of Killing Commendatore would include the tag “Gothic”.

As a typical Murakami book, it’s not quite simple to put it into a prefabricated shape. It’s many things, and yet it isn’t. It has a beginning and an ending, and yet it doesn’t. It’s one of those novels that you’ll either love or hate. The good news is, fans of Haruki Murakami will most definitely love it.

Review of Killing Commendatore
The (Gothic) conflict between natural and unnatural, real and unreal, becomes literally true in Killing Commendatore
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