Hailed by Salon as "the first great war novel of our generation," The Farther Shore follows a group of young American soldiers as their mission in an unnamed African city falls apart just moments after their boots hit the ground. Pitting morality against the rules of engagement, Eck’s debut novel exposes the fragility of order and its consequences—certainly a timely and important novel.
Ishiguro continues to solidify his stance as one of today's most important authors. Kathy H. shares with us her youth in a childcare system much different than anything we've ever known. Hailsham is an institution much like an orphanage in which children are encouraged to be creative and happy but live in a world eerily secluded from the outside. We come to find out that Hailsham is only one of many institutions that are actually homes for cloned children, all sharing the same very dismal future. Ishiguro asks us to consider what humanity is and what atrocities will we (and will not) allow for the "larger good." This novel questions whether meaning is given to us or if it is ours to create. If Ishiguro's purpose for this book is to make the reader feel feeble and enraged, then he has succeeded. You will find yourself crying, smiling, and shaking your fists all in the same sitting.
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