Southern Review of Books

“Bomb Island” a Heart-Pounding Read Rich with Symbolism

By: Frankie Martinez June 19, 2024June 12, 2024

ReviewsBomb Island, Fiction, Hub City Press, Stephen HundleyLeave a Comment

Stephen Hundley’s debut novel is a mix of “Lord of the Flies” and “The Swiss Family Robinson.”

History Is Both Personal and Current in “Liberty Street”

By: Hannah Bone June 18, 2024June 18, 2024

InterviewsJason K. Friedman, Liberty Street, NonfictionLeave a Comment

An interview with Jason K. Friedman on “Liberty Street.”

“No Right Way to Be Free”: Black Survival in Phillip B. Williams’ “Ours”

By: Meredith Stafford June 17, 2024May 29, 2024

ReviewsFiction, Ours, Phillip B. Williams, VikingLeave a Comment

Poet Phillip B. Williams’ “Ours” is an expansive, multigenerational tale that examines the confines and meaning of freedom and its place against a backdrop of American slavery and Black survival.

Myth and Mob Collide in “The Curators”

By: Clifford Garstang June 14, 2024June 3, 2024

ReviewsFiction, Maggie Nye, Northwestern University Press, Novel, The CuratorsLeave a Comment

A review of Maggie Nye’s novel, “The Curators.”

Books to Celebrate in June 2024

By: Chelsea Risley June 13, 2024June 13, 2024

Featuresbest of the monthLeave a Comment

A roundup of some of the LGBTQ+ Southern authors and books from the first half of 2024.

Getting Bylines with a Little Help from my Friends

By: Anna Harris-Parker June 10, 2024June 10, 2024

FeaturesLeave a Comment

SRB editor Anna Harris-Parker on one privilege that comes with aging in the literary world — bearing witness to friends’ growing bibliographies.

“Our Bodies Electric” Celebrates Eccentricities, Youth’s Exuberances

By: Nicole Yurcaba June 7, 2024July 3, 2024

ReviewsFiction, Fitzroy Books, Novel, Our Bodies Electric, Review, Zackary VernonLeave a Comment

Bold and inspiring, Zackary Vernon’s “Our Bodies Electric” offers the South its own version of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

“Oye” Shows How To Face What Is Haunting

By: Becca Stanek June 5, 2024June 5, 2024

ReviewsFiction, Hogarth Press, Melissa Mogollon, OyeLeave a Comment

Melissa Mogollon’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story with YA undertones.

“An Entirely New Kind of Challenge”: A Conversation with Joanna Pearson

By: Matthew Duffus June 4, 2024May 29, 2024

InterviewsBloomsbury Publishing, Bright and Tender Dark, Fiction, Joanna PearsonLeave a Comment

An interview with Joanna Pearson about her new novel, “Bright and Tender Dark.”

Women Rage Against Patriarchy in Dystopian “Exile in Guyville”

By: Kate Valach May 31, 2024May 29, 2024

ReviewsAmy Lee Lillard, BOA Editions, Exile in Guyville, Fiction, Review, Short Stories1 Comment

A review of Amy Lee Lillard’s short story collection, “Exile in Guyville.”