carolyn kellogg

Today my review of The Last Chicken in America, the debut collection by Ellen Litman, appears in the LA Times. I’m excited, partly because it’s set in Pittsburgh, and partly because it’s a lovely book.

I just wish — and this is niggling — the headline didn’t include the chipper, typo-looking “Spaceba!” — it’s a transliteration of the word ???????!, meaning “thanks!” From my review:

As central as Russian-ness is to the book, it is hardly a linguistic presence. There are many Russian names, but no Cyrillic text or transliterations. Instead, when Masha’s parents argue — exchanges that would clearly be in Russian — they do so, for us, in English. It’s a choice that places the reader inside the immigrants’ world, granting an intimacy, a kind of bilingualness.

Thanks! ???????! Ah well.