Publication of a debut novel is an experience comparable with the birth of a first child. Literary gestation is normally a longer process, and delivery of a book is more deeply fraught. Here is some evidence that the labour can be worthwhile.
Asymmetry (Granta, £14.99) by Lisa Halliday, a young American now living in Milan, is a lopsided triptych of admirable erudition and stylishness — in effect, two novellas and a short story: a Manhattan romance, an Iraqi reminiscence of the devastation of Baghdad, and a BBC interview on Desert Island Discs.
Already a subscriber? Log in
As the US decides, so can you
Subscribe today and get a $50 Amazon gift card if you correctly predict the next US president.
- Unlimited access to spectator.com.au
- The weekly edition on the Spectator Australia app
- Spectator podcasts and newsletters
- Full access to spectator.co.uk
Unlock this article
You might disagree with half of it, but you’ll enjoy reading all of it. Try your first month for free, then just $2 a week for the remainder of your first year.
Comments
As the US decides, so can you
Subscribe today and get a $50 Amazon gift card if you correctly predict the next US president.
SUBSCRIBE AND ENTERAlready a subscriber? Log in