Machine

Summer. Susan Steinberg’s debut novel titled, Machine, sends readers to the shore in summer to spend time with a group of teenagers. It may take some readers a while to settle into Steinberg’s grammar and language as she structures this novel in creative ways. The sentences shift structure when the mood changes, alerting readers to tension and progress. Some of her meter is poetic and that adds to the pace of reading, accelerating or slowing down in ways that fit the narrative. I enjoyed every semicolon. Beneath the beautiful language, we see a reflection of teenage life in summer: the average locals and the privileged wealthy transients. The culpability of the individual and the community for events and situations alternate in ways that lead a reader to reflect after we’ve finished reading, beyond Steinberg’s pacing to our own. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Machine from amazon.com.