Obscene Gestures/Womn

Janet Kauffman. Vintage Books USA, $8.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-679-73055-2

Fifteen short stories, some written as prose-poems, focus on female characters. ``Other than a few instants of crystallized perception, very little occurs here, and the sameness of tone becomes wearisome,'' PW complained. (Nov.)

Featured Fiction Reviews

Osamu Dazai

This dazzling collection from Dazai (1909–1948) comprises all the “soliloquies” he wrote from the perspectives of women. Taken together, they convey a startling breadth of Continue reading »

Dylin Hardcastle

Hardcastle’s stunning debut follows a 15-year-old girl in 1972 Australia across two alternate timelines: one where she embraces her queerness and one where she rejects it. In Continue reading »

Florence Knapp

Knapp’s intriguing and nuanced debut comprises three alternate story lines for a British family. After giving birth to a baby boy in 1987, Cora goes to the registry office to Continue reading »

André Alexis

Windham-Campbell winner Alexis (Fifteen Dogs) dazzles with these stark and enchanting stories, many of which feature Trinidadian immigrants in small-town Ontario. In Continue reading »