Daniel Coghlan

In The Modern, Anna Kate Blair delivers an intelligent and engaging exploration of the self in relation to commitment, desire, sexuality, gender, art, and the concept of belonging. With an affectionate insight into New York and its museums, the book serves as both an evaluative ode to the city and a thought-provoking art history lesson. Wrapped within this is a quietly crushing novel of falling in and out of love - romantic, platonic, and professional - and its profound impacts on our own sense of identity. Blair's writing exhibits a remarkable blend of intellect and charm, captivating you with her carefully crafted prose and depth of thought. It's been quite some time since I've underlined passages in a book, but I felt the need to record some of Blair's stunning sentences to revisit in the future.