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| "Transcription" follows a character named Juliet Armstrong, who was recruited to the British Secret Intelligence as a teenager | ||
| The Thread's Must-Read | ||
| "Severance" by Ling Ma Buy this book Remember when zombies were a Halloween-only topic of conversation? Before they infiltrated every piece of pop culture? I’m here to recommend a zombie novel that’s refreshingly nontraditional. “Severance” is a quiet, often darkly funny spin on the much-discussed zombie apocalypse. But these zombies don’t rise from the dead; they don’t eat brains; they don’t moan and growl and hunt you down. They do what they did in life: their normal routine. (There are shades of Colson Whitehead’s “Zone One” in that respect.) “Severance” imagines a reality where a fever sweeps across the world, causing those infected to obsess over a single habit, whether it’s setting the table or turning the pages of a book or trying on dresses. They repeat the behavior over and over and over until their bodies give out. Candace Chen, a twenty-something with no family left when the pandemic hits, watches as New York City empties out. Uninfected, she roams the streets and keeps the lights on at her job, where she oversees manufacturing specs for Bible publishing: paper weight, cover design, all the minute details. When she finally leaves the decaying city, she runs into a tightly controlled group of fellow survivors making their way toward The Facility — a Promised Land of safety. Candace’s life in the empty city, and then on the road with the micromanaged group, is juxtaposed against her memories of growing up in Salt Lake City, and of the parents she lost. It’s a stunning character piece and a sly new entry in the apocalyptic genre. -Tracy Mumford | ||
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| This Week on The Thread | ||
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| South African's memoir details a life of not belonging "Always Another Country" by Sisonke Msimang Buy this book In "Always Another Country," Sisonke Msimang retraces the steps that led her to St. Paul and beyond. More | ||
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