New Ways to Kill Your Mother: Writers and Their Families
“[Toibin possesses a] vast understanding of fiction and its uses, and a mind that processes novels and ideas like a rumbling supercomputer...Mr. Toibin is such an adept and morally serious close reader that his criticism becomes nearly as galvanizing as his fiction. There really aren’t, it turns out, any new ways to kill your mother, at least not artistically. But all the old ways, in Mr. Toibin’s telling, still work rather beautifully.”—Dwight Garner,New York Times“Tóibín is an excellent guide through the dark terrain of unconscious desires.”—The Evening Standard“A consistently revealing look at how writers’ relationships with their families have influenced their work…Delicacy is one of Tóibín’s great strengths as a novelist, and it’s here in abundance, too. Parallels are adroitly, teasingly drawn out, then knotted together with the lightest of touches. The result is a book that illuminates, startles and delights.”—The Telegraph“Like all fine critics, Tóibín inspires readers to go back to the work, and he brings a human aspect to the works of seemingly deracinated authors like Beckett and Jorge Luis Borges…It’s a pleasure to watch Tóibín rove through 19th and 20th-century literary history.”—Kirkus Reviews“Tóibín excels when discussing craft…[New Ways to Kill Your Motheris] chock-full of biographic detail that will interest ardent readers.”—Publishers Weekly“Unfailingly warm and compassionate.”—The Irish Times“[A] lively exploration of writers and their families…Fascinating.”—Melissa Maerz,Entertainment Weekly