Bright Felon

A dreamy, gauzy, balmy narrative composed of exquisite sentences. Widened my worldview while reaffirming my faith in humanity.

Not a bad book by any means. It just wasn't my cup of tea. As far as the physicality of the product, it came to me in perfect order. No gripes on that regard.

What a superb book. Kazim Ali obviously has all the elements of his craft under control, to the point that he can create a new form, an new rhetoric to tell the story he wants to tell, probing memory the way it happens: backwards from "now." It really works well. This was a riveting book. I love the way he strikes a sort of passionate objectivity--everything/everyone is real and meaningful to him, yet he finds a way to write about them without resorting to "poetic" emotionalism. He catches the modern conundrum: so much information, so much experience, so many cultures, so many kinds of love, of family, so many loyalties, and the almost unbearable prerogative to walk into or away from any of it. And in that context we still are compelled to define ourselves, and in that context, he does. As I said, a super book. A tremendous book.

For those who like poetry more than they hate memoirs. Also for those who are interested in religion, queer studies, etc.

The examination of self in relation to place. Intriguing and haunting use of language and image.