Crimson staff writer

Sophie E. Heller

Latest Content


Donoghue’s Historical Latest a Mixed Collection

The stories in Emma Donoghue’s new collection “Astray” traffic in concerns with flight and longing. It’s a shame that a good half of the collection, like Donoghue’s doomed characters, never makes it past the departure point, resulting in a book that ranges from riveting intrigue to disconnected shlock.


By Its Cover

Too lazy to read a book? Judge its cover instead. In this bi-monthly feature, a revolving slew of writers will analyze new releases based on their dust jackets alone. This week, artistic expert extraordinaire Sophie E. Heller turns her discerning gaze on an enigmatic fedora, a badly-drawn apartment complex, and a hackneyed walk on the beach.


Smith Illuminates Class Struggles in ‘NW’

Achieving literary fame at a young age is frequently elusive. Once the hype surrounding a triumphant first novel fades, the literary world will look to its author with expectation, eager to see if genius will strike again or if the first book was simply a fluke.


Going Bananas

Aside from my banana experience, I’ve mispronounced numbers at crucial moments, initiated a business meeting between my computer and a mug of steaming Chinese soymilk, and (literally) fallen into trouble with a squat toilet that has made me avoid a particular pair of shoes.


Shearwater Takes Flight On Euphoric, Grandiose Album

“Animal Joy” once again shows Shearwater’s constant musical evolution: the band has arisen from the gloomy murk of 2008’s “Rook” to develop an upbeat and piercing sound that despite its brightness is just as haunting.


Murder, Intrigue, the Quad: A Mystery

In order to gain a better understanding of his upcoming book’s setting, Frédéric Mars visited Harvard and met with The Crimson as part of a two-way interview, revealing important aspects of his work and learning about Harvard life in the process.


Atlas Sound Build Strange, New World

Although “Parallax” does not present a totally unified vision, particularly due to the unfulfilled nature of individual tracks, Cox succeeds in presenting a distinctly bizarre futuristic landscape that is all his own.