THE BASICS Title: The Impossible Fortress Author: Jason Rekulak Genre: Coming of Age Fiction Structure: Linear first-person narration First Line: “My mother was convinced I’d die young.” Synopsis: A dazzling debut novel—at once a charming romance and a moving coming-of-age story—about what happens when a fourteen-year old boy pretends to seduce a girl to steal a copy of Playboy but then…
Book Review: “American War” by Omar El Akkad
THE BASICS Title: American War Author: Omar El Akkad Genre: Dystopian War Fiction Structure: Third-person linear narration bookended with first person narration First Line: “When I was young, I collected postcards.” Synopsis: An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle a story that asks what might happen…