Author Archives: emilycchoate

I had the chance to review Michael Knight’s new story collection, Eveningland, which focuses on the relationship between affluence and upheaval in the lives of characters in Mobile Bay. These stories are pretty much impossible to put down once you … Continue reading →

I’m happy to share my most recent review for the Humanities Tennessee writers’ lair, Chapter 16. This debut novel, One Good Mama Bone by Bren McClain, may have been a little perplexing, given that one of its point of view characters … Continue reading →

This piece was a fun one—I had the chance to ask Bret Anthony Johnston some questions about his writing process, skateboarding, and his terrific 2014 novel, Remember Me Like This. The Q&A is up today at Chapter 16.

I’m excited to share this review I wrote for Chapter 16 about Family of Earth, the newly recovered memoir by Wilma Dykeman, whose fiction and environmentalist essays has had a strong influence on many Appalachian writers. I love this kind … Continue reading →

I had the chance to review Ron Rash’s most recent novel, The Risen, for Chapter 16. This slim novel would not let me stop reading until I had gulped it down in one sitting. My review is available here at … Continue reading →

I’m so pleased to share my new review of Brad Watson’s fascinating novel, Miss Jane. I loved this book—which boasts a pretty high degree of difficulty—so it’s exciting to know that it was recently longlisted for the National Book Award. … Continue reading →

Glad to share that my newest review is up today at Chapter 16–this time Jay McInerney’s latest novel, Bright, Precious Days. This book contains an interesting set of questions about nostalgia and change, set against the context of a husband and wife, … Continue reading →

I recently had the chance to review a debut collection of linked stories from Laura Hendrix Ezell. This book will probably be most enjoyed by those who love a dose of the fantastical in their literary fiction. There are many … Continue reading →

I’m excited to share my Chapter 16 review of Louise Erdrich’s new novel LaRose. I hope this book gets into the hands of as many different kinds of readers as possible. Even by Erdrich standards, it’s an exceptional exploration of … Continue reading →

I’m happy to share my review of Anton DiSclafani’s new novel The After Party. This book is an appealing tangle of suffocating friendship, sex, and 1950s Houston oil money. It was ever so slightly addictive to read. My review’s up at … Continue reading →