This comprehensive Bedford biography will most appeal to readers who are familiar with either her work or mid-century Western literature in general. More casual readers might find the cast of characters dizzying, but the book does a fine job of capturing the spirit and challenges of the time.
Heiny brings back some familiar elements from 2017’s Standard Deviation, as laugh-out-loud scenes seamlessly flow into deep consideration of what it means to be a family and the power of accepting one another, eccentricities and all. This irresistible delight is a much-needed balm during these unnerving times.
The Pulitzer Prize–winning Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies) brilliantly elevates the quotidian to the sublime in this gorgeous stream-of-consciousness window into the interior life of an accomplished woman. Written in Italian and translated by Lahiri herself; with special appeal to readers of Rachel Cusk’s “Outline” trilogy.
With finely delineated characters and a deft comic touch, Costa Prize winner Boyd (Restless) precisely skewers the absurdity of the movie business while sending his trio of characters toward a not uniformly pleasant reckoning with truer versions of themselves.
Prolific author Lyon, who achieved international success with her first novel, 2010’s The Golden Mean, is on track for more acclaim with this suspenseful, seamlessly constructed novel of intricately mingled lives. It’s already been long-listed for Canada’s prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Gates attempts to chart a realistic path toward a carbon-neutral future, but remains a techno-optimist at heart. Readers looking for hope in technological and market-based solutions to climate change will appreciate this straightforward analysis.
Although narrated as advice for incoming immigrants, this personal, yet practical account is intended to challenge misconceptions and biases that native-born U.S. citizens have toward documented and undocumented immigrants. It is highly recommended for all.