Bookworm, no. 158

Jadine Ngan on Richard Kelly Kemick’s “Decadence.” Grace Henkel reviews Liz Johnston’s “The Fall-Down Effect.” A taste of “The Heart of Man,” by Jón Kalman Stefánsson. Inside the July/August issue.

Jul 28, 2026

∙ Paid

Decadence
Richard Kelly Kemick
Biblioasis
264 pages, softcover and ebook

Given their tidy narratives, Richard Kelly Kemick thinks memoirs are garbage. That is, of course, why he’s written one—sort of. Decadence is a collection of essays and vignettes that flits from subject to subject, including high school, an American road trip, and man’s relationship wi…

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