These Stories Will Defy All Your Expectations
New collections by Bernard MacLaverty, Gwen E. Kirby, Gish Jen and Morgan Thomas.
A Border Novel Depicts the Haunting Landscapes of the ‘Disappeared’
Set along the frontier between the United States and Mexico, “Perpetual West,” by Mesha Maren, unfolds in a culture where the prospect of disappearance and death is a constant fear.
Historical Novels About Aviators, Heroes and Old-Fashioned Problem Solvers
From prewar Europe to Nazi-occupied France to Tudor England, this trio of novels will pilot you to different (and equally complicated) times.
Book Review: ‘Notes on an Execution,’ by Danya Kukafka
Danya Kukafka’s book focuses less on the mythos of the murderer and more on the humanity of his victims.
They Left a Broken U.S. for Outer Space. Now They’re Coming Back.
Tochi Onyebuchi’s novel “Goliath” imagines what gentrification might look like in a nearly uninhabitable future America.
Striver, Burnout, Lover, Scrub: A Debut Novelist Lays It Bare
“Fuccboi,” by Sean Thor Conroe, follows a sometimes-tender, sometimes-offensive delivery boy struggling to produce meaningful art.
Wajahat Ali's 'Go Back To Where You Came From' is biting and funny and full of heart
Ali's memoir is intelligent and incisive in its arguments against "whiteness" but focuses, too, on hope and heart — calling for a more compassionate world through community and solidarity.
(Image credit: W. W. Norton & Company)
The Shadow in the Glass
UnCovered
review by Amanda Vigue, ACLS Egg Harbor Township Branch
Every Cinderella fan
knows that dreams are really wishes waiting to come true. But what about
nightmares? Does evil exist in the form of a shape-shifting demon or does
it dwell deep within one’s psyche, thriving on fear and desperation? The Shadow in the Glass, by J.J.A. Harwood, explores the dark side of fairy
tales, where anything is possible – for a perilous price.
Eleanor Hartley was orphaned at a young age. When her stepmother died, Ella was forced to become a servant in her adopted home. Her predatory guardian, long corrupted by lust and brandy, lurks around every corner waiting to ruin every young lady in his employ. Ella knows that she will be next. Determined to escape, Ella sneaks off to the library at night. There, lost in the pages of Dr. Faustus, Ella encounters a mysterious woman with hollow eyes who knows all of her secrets. Instead of turning a pumpkin into a carriage and mice into horses, Ella’s fairy godmother offers her seven wishes in exchange for her soul.
Of course, changing her fate is a complicated and dangerous affair, especially in Victorian London. In true thriller fashion, Ella is haunted by a series of deaths that may be linked to her tragic past. With each wish, Ella is further ensnared in a web of crime and passion. This story does not end happily ever after. In fact, it might not end at all.
Book Review: ‘A Previous Life,’ by Edmund White
Set in 2050, after its author has died, “A Previous Life” is a metafictional comedy about literature and sex.
Weike Wang’s Antisocial Novel, ‘Joan Is Okay’
The author of “Chemistry” returns with a wry and awkward heroine who prefers the company of machines to her fellow humans.
The Chinese Language Revolution
Jing Tsu talks about “Kingdom of Characters,” and Kathryn Schulz discusses “Lost and Found.”
'Joan Is Okay,' explores the meaning of home, having roots
By exploring the spectrum of commitment in this book, and in her debut novel Chemistry, Weike Wang has shown us myriad ways to build a sense of home, myriad ways to feel okay in our skin.
(Image credit: Random House)
Two Novelists, Avi and Brian Farrey, Use Fiction to Show Kids Why Facts Matter
“Loyalty” and “The Counterclockwise Heart” — set in 1774 Boston and a fairy-tale kingdom divided against itself — explore how misinformation stokes fear and incites violence.
Four New Crime Novels
Stephen Hunter’s new novel, “Targeted,” features the retired Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger — who’s still a crack shot — in his 12th adventure.
From Blood and Phlegm to Alcohol and Defenestration, Novels of Heartache
Fiction by Mina Seçkin, Lisa Harding, Neel Patel and Renée Branum tells of transnational family and loss.
New in Paperback: ‘Harlem Shadows’ and ‘The Black Church’
Six new paperbacks to check out this week.
Seeking Enlightenment, He Disappeared Into a Hiker’s Bermuda Triangle
In “Lost in the Valley of Death,” Harley Rustad follows the long and winding road that led Justin Alexander Shetler to India’s Parvati Valley.
Heroic Outcasts Who Reshaped America
James R. Gaines’s “The Fifties” describes a decade when opposition to a stifling national consensus was costly and courageous.
11 New Books We Recommend This Week
Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.
'Davos Man' is an angry, powerful look at economic inequality
New York Times writer Peter S. Goodman does not like Davos Man. At all. And his new book does an excellent job explaining why — focusing on the rich getting richer as the COVID-19 pandemic raged.
(Image credit: Custom House)
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