“And since the heaviest stone that melancholy can throw at a man is to tell him he is at the end of his nature, Browne scrutinizes that which […]
German literature
The Reader
“The pain I went through because of my love for Hanna was, in a way, the fate of my generation, a German fate.” Part One The novel opens […]
Russian literature
The Notes of a Psychopath
“I drink, therefore I am—or at least, I think I am.” Chapter 1: The Descent into Chaos The unnamed protagonist, a deeply troubled alcoholic, begins his erratic monologue, […]
French literature
Out of the Dark
“I was nothing more than a shadow among shadows.” Chapter 1: The Encounter The narrator, Jean, recalls his time in Paris in the 1960s. He meets a mysterious […]
English literature
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
“I exist!” – Ruby Lennox Chapter 1: Conception The novel opens with Ruby Lennox narrating her own conception in 1951, blending dark humor with a sharp observation of […]
English literature
Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)
“The idea hovered and shimmered delicately, like a soap bubble, and she dared not even look at it directly in case it burst. But she was familiar with […]