Reviews | Los Angeles Review of Books

Reviews

Monsters of the Anthropocene

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ reduces Mary Shelley’s novel to a one-dimensional warning about technological hubris.

Moving Through the World with Eyes Open
In her latest short story collection, Ayşegül Savaş considers lives lived apart.
Angelica HankinsMar 5
- Fiction
Open Rehearsal
Keith S. Wilson’s visually experimental poetry examines the ‘asymmetries of risk’ and repetition to expose ‘how violence enters the body as habit.’
Jeffrey LevineMar 5
- Poetry
Sadism as Psychotherapy
Jon Stock’s recent book examines the deplorable career of prominent psychiatrist Willam Sargant and his brand of bio-therapeutics.
Andrew ScullMar 4
- Science & Technology
- History
Let Down by Understatement
Scott Broker’s debut novel is like ‘Scenes from a (Gay) Marriage’ with undertones of Stephen King.
Gideon LeekMar 3
- Fiction

Brendan Boyle considers Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance.”

World Cup Nausea
With the World Cup looming in North America this summer, Simon Kuper offers a compelling—and depressing—history of this unique tournament.
Dan FriedmanMar 3
- Sports
- Politics
Can the Internet Be Saved?
After troubleshooting Tim Berners-Lee’s memoir, it becomes clear that the internet’s flaws were there from the start.
Nicholas CarrFeb 28
- Science & Technology
- History
Davos Mann
A new book on ‘The Magic Mountain’ grapples with the contradictions of history.
Anthony Curtis AdlerFeb 26
- Philosophy & Religion
- Literary Criticism
Bill Callahan’s Vita Nuova
On his latest album, the singer-songwriter explores themes of fatherhood, time, and forgiveness.
Sebastian LangdellFeb 26
- Music
Après Bowie, le déluge
On the 10th anniversary of David Bowie’s death, three books consider the rock star from new angles.
Colin MarshallFeb 24
- Music
- Biography & Autobiography
Assaults and Batteries
Nicolas Niarchos digs up the hidden costs behind your rechargeables.
Tim Hirschel-BurnsFeb 24
- Politics
- Economics and Finance
It’s Bad Out There
Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ takes an ax to the job-search grind.
Zosha MillmanFeb 23
- Film
- Economics and Finance
Sustaining the Rule of Law
Jessica Greenberg offers a compelling, though at times jargon-ridden, analysis of the history of the European Court of Human Rights.
Mark EllisFeb 21