Matt Dorfman This week in The New York Times Book Review, Madison Smartt Bell reviews Anthony Marra’s debut novel, “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.†Mr. Bell writes:
In the background are the Chechen wars, a staggeringly destructive pair of conflicts pitting the army of post-Soviet Russia against Chechen guerrillas who were sometimes supported by visiting Arab jihadis. Marra’s timeline runs from 1994 to 2004, but the larger story is much, much deeper. This novel is, among other things, a meditation on the use and abuse of history, and an inquiry into the extent to which acts of memory may also constitute acts of survival.
On this week’s podcast, Mr. Marra discusses his novel; Lauren Sandler talks about “One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being Oneâ€; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.
