BIG SWISS, by Jen Beagin (Faber, $36.99)
It's the end of June in New York City and rainbow Pride flags, celebrating LGBTQI month, are whipping wildly from fire-escape balconies, celebrating the metropolitan freedoms of sexual and identity fluidity. Jen Beagin's hilarious third novel, Big Swiss, embraces this flourishing queer self-determination. A sapphic romp and a satirical examination of urban expatriates living between their dreams and reality, Big Swiss presents a cast of characters who have flown the expense and crowds of Manhattan for the bucolic renaissance of Hudson, a little city set on the east bank of the Hudson River with its own scrappy history of reinvention.
Hudson is as old as the United States, a Revolutionary War hub of maritime commerce. However, in 1850, the construction of a railroad from Albany to New York City made the harbour obsolete and the city languished, only to redefine itself as an industrial centre with bustling ironworks, brickworks, factories and massive cement plants.
Denne historien er fra July 15 - 21 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra July 15 - 21 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
