
The Lazarus Project
Reviews

Hemon’s one of the best. I’m obsessed with everything that happened in former Yugoslavia during the 90s and it all leads back to reading The Book of My Life, which isn’t even four pages, in freshman creative writing. Unblinking scrutiny over injustice on every level, everywhere, past and present, from state violence to tabloid wordplay (embedding the language of that ass-backward account of Averbuch’s murder is just a stroke of ingenuity). Never didactic, never sarcastic, always moving. And mastery of American English expression to boot — his second language, no less, a fact which I’ve gone from deeply admiring to being just blown back by. And what a stunning final exchange. “Something is always true.”

Not the best pick for the National Book Award. For my complete review, go here: http://mookse.wordpress.com/2008/10/2...






