Books
The Skinny book guide – bringing you book reviews, features, events, reviews and author interviews. Find previews and on the ground reporting from festivals of literature and poetry in Scotland and beyond.
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Book ReviewsThe Coiled Serpent by Camilla Grudova
Queen of the grotesque Camilla Grudova returns with a true-to-form collection of disgusting short stories Read more »| 01 Nov 2023 -
Book ReviewsBlackouts by Justin Torres
Justin Torres' highly anticipated sophomore novel experiments with form to consider how we document and preserve queer histories Read more »| 30 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsLet Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
Twice winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, Jesmyn Ward returns with a stunning, defiant historical imagining of the American South Read more »| 25 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsVengeance Is Mine by Marie NDiaye
In Marie NDiaye's quiet psychological thriller, a lawyer represents a woman on trial for murder, in whose past she is inescapably entangled Read more »| 25 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsDeath Valley by Melissa Broder
Melissa Broder's third novel is a blackly comic exploration of grief via cavernous cacti and talking rocks Read more »| 24 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsFamily Meal by Bryan Washington
In Bryan Washington's Family Meal, a cast of friends, family and lovers come together to consider ideas of intimacy and interdependence Read more »| 11 Oct 2023
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FeaturesMarjorie Lotfi on debut poetry collection The Wrong Person to Ask
We chat with American-born, Iranian-raised and Scotland-based author Marjorie Lotfi about her debut poetry collection The Wrong Person to Ask and what it means to belong to a place Read more »| 11 Oct 2023 -
FeaturesIranian storyteller Zahra Afsah on The Voice Shall Always Remain
Ahead of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, we chat with Iranian storyteller Zahra Afsah, whose collaboration with Syrian storyteller Khloud Ereksousi explores the possibility of female revolution Read more »| 06 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsThe Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
In a near-future world where industrial agriculture has ground to a halt, a chef finds work at the illicitly stocked house of a wealthy mogul Read more »| 03 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsLovebug by Daisy Lafarge
Daisy Lafarge's lyrical non-fiction book uses metaphors of love and disease to explore ideas of intimacy and contagion Read more »| 03 Oct 2023 -
EventsScottish Books Events: October 2023
Edinburgh International Book Festival closes out the year's programme with two October events, while indie press Thi Wurd holds a literary evening at Glasgow University Union Read more »| 02 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsBrainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
Alison Rumfitt's deliciously nauseating sophomore novel is an eviscerating exploration of queer dating and shame Read more »| 02 Oct 2023 -
FeaturesNot Your Usual: Heather Parry on writing the body
Not Your Usual is a new series from The Skinny and Glayva highlighting interesting and exciting artists from across the Scottish scene. For our third instalment we catch up with prolific author Heather Parry over a Jumping Bean glocktail Read more »| 02 Oct 2023 -
Book ReviewsSeeing for Ourselves by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan
Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan's cross-disciplinary book is a beautiful consideration of devotion to faith, family and politics Read more »| 26 Sep 2023 -
Book ReviewsDaddy Boy by Emerson Whitney
Half-memoir, half-queer theory, Emerson Whitney's Daddy Boy follows the author as they set out on an atmospheric journey of introspection Read more »| 19 Sep 2023