(Lee Boudreaux/
Hachette)
|
WINNER OF THE 2018 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year | A Washington Post Top Ten Book of the Year
A San Francisco Chronicle Top Ten Book of the Year
LESS by Andrew Sean Greer
Arthur Less, a gay failed novelist turning 50, decides to avoid an ex-boyfriend's awkward wedding by skipping town.
Accepting invitations from every half-baked literary event in the world, Arthur finds himself in one embarrassing, perilous, ridiculous situation after another.
From Mexico City to Berlin, from Marrakech to Kyoto, mishaps, missteps, misunderstandings and mistakes abound and compound.
A writer at the peak of his talents, Andrew Sean Greer delivers a scintillating satire of the American abroad,
a rumination on time and the human heart, and a bittersweet romance of chances lost.
"Less is the funniest, smartest and most humane novel I've read. . . Greer writes sentences of arresting lyricism and beauty. His metaphors come at you like fireflies.
It's no less than bedazzling, bewitching and be-wonderful." — The New York Times.
"Greer signals his debt to Proust and paints a comic yet moving picture of an American abroad. As Greer explores Less' lovelorn memories, he also playfully mocks the often ludicrous nature of the publishing industry. His finest novel yet. . . Less is a wondrous achievement!" — Booklist *** starred review ***.
"Greer is an exceptionally lovely writer, capable of mingling humor with sharp poignancy. . . Brilliantly funny. . . Greer's narration, so elegantly laced with wit, cradles the story of a man who loses everything: his lover, his suitcase, his beard, his dignity." — The Washington Post.
"Philosophical, poignant, funny and wise, filled with unexpected turns. . . Although Greer is gifted and subtle in comic moments, he's just as adept at ruminating on the
deeper stuff. His protagonist grapples with aging, loneliness, creativity, grief, self-pity and more." — The San Francisco Chronicle.
"Less adorably butchers the German language, nearly falls in love in Paris, celebrates his birthday in the desert and, somewhere along the way, discovers
something new and fragile about the passing of time, about the coming and going of love, and what it means to be the fool of your own narrative. It's nothing
less than wonderful."— BookPage *** starred review ***.
|
|---|
(Atria/Simon & Schuster) |
HEADS OF THE COLORED PEOPLE: Stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
A brilliant collection of utterly captivating stories - some darkly humorous, some devastatingly poignant - examines the concept of black identity in this so-called post-racial era.
Fearlessly shining a light on the simmering tensions and precariousness of black citizenship, Nafissa Thompson-Spires proves herself a stunning new talent in literary fiction.
"A bold new voice, at once insolently sardonic and incisively compassionate, asserts itself. Thompson-Spires flashes fearsome gifts for quirky characterization, irony-laden repartee, and edgy humor. It seems difficult for even the most experienced storyteller to achieve an appealing balance of astringency and poignancy, and yet Thompson-Spires hits that balance repeatedly." — Kirkus Reviews *** starred review ***.
"Every once in a while a book comes around that fills a need - that communicates ideas so effectively and humanely its social value leaps off the page.
Heads of the Colored People is such a book." — Entertainment Weekly.
"A powerful debut of 11 original, multilayered stories that focus on the African American community, exploring race and the politics of identity but also class issues and the privileges of the black middle class. Presenting unique characters, gifted storyteller Thompson-Spires navigates the black experience with humor and poignancy while also acknowledging the inherent tensions and exposure to violence black citizens encounter. Highly recommended." — Library Journal *** starred review ***.
"A perfect showcasing of Thompson-Spires's brilliant use of the absurd both to emphasize and alleviate the pressure of difficult issues.
The stories float along the tensions between devastation and humor, vulnerability and defiance, frustration and hope. It's a rare talent that can take such complicated
and harrowing subjects and turn them into such a refreshing and compulsive read." — Shelf Awareness *** starred review ***.
"From the opening sentences of the opening story in Nafissa Thompson-Spires’s debut collection, we’re in a world of humor, provocation and deep reflection." — The New York Times.
|
|---|
(Simon & Schuster) |
BIG GUNS by Steve Israel
A gun manufacturing tycoon takes advantage of political corruption to get a law passed requiring every American citizen to own a gun.
One of the best political satirists writing today takes aim at the National Rifle Association in this devastatingly funny novel about the firearms industry and its enablers.
A former Long Island Congressman, Steve Israel has firsthand knowledge of the cynicism and corruption at the heart of our political system. Big Guns will make
you laugh, will make you angry, and will make you think as you flip the pages faster and faster to find out what happens next.
"Israel delivers a brilliant political satire targeting the firearms industry and the Washington political establishment. He leaves no stone unturned and no turn unstoned.
Promise readers that the only way they will put this book down is when Charlton Heston's ghost pries it from their cold dead hands." — Booklist *** starred review ***.
"A spirited satire of the gun lobby and American politics in all its hubris and corruption. Drawing with relish on his own experience, Israel cooks up a zany tale of a political scandal that overruns the sleepy fictional Long Island town of Asabogue. Its rollicking carousel of political skulduggery provide plenty of opportunities for Israel to score points off the foibles of our political system." — Newsday.
"A hilarious roller-coaster ride through the American political system and its worst shibboleths. Israel's timely satire on the deadly serious subject of gun control skillfully
balances the humor and anger. Readers who enjoy Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Buckley will take pleasure in this fresh voice as he blows on the hot air arising from
our political cloakrooms." — Library Journal *** starred review ***.
"A wonderfully irreverent satire about the fractured and fractious American political and lobbying system, skewering gun nuts, politicians, and lobbyists to the left, the right, Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in between. This clever political farce exposes the extremism of the gun rights issue with a smart plot, loud, noisy characters, and hilarious dialogue. Shameless greed and overwrought egos drive everyone, with Israel nailing the D.C. scene and national political hubris perfectly: empty suits with heads to match. It's a rollicking comedic trip." — Publishers Weekly.
|
|---|
(Scribner) |
THE MARS ROOM by Rachel Kushner
As Romy Hall begins serving two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women's Correctional Facility in California's Central Valley, she comes to grips
with her new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners;
and the absurdities of institutional living. Rachel Kushner has written a spectacularly compelling, heart-stopping novel about a life gone off the rails in contemporary America.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
"In smart, determined, and vigilant Romy, Kushner, an acclaimed writer of exhilarating skills, has created a seductive narrator of tigerish intensity.
This is a gorgeously eviscerating novel of incarceration writ large. Rooted in deeply inquisitive thinking and executed with artistry and edgy wit, Kushner's
dramatic and disquieting novel investigates with verve and compassion societal strictures and how very difficult it is to understand each other and to be
truly free." — Booklist *** starred review ***.
"Heartbreaking and unforgettable. . . Kushner excels at capturing the minutiae of prison life, and manages to critique the justice system and vividly capture the reality
of life behind bars. Her novel is notable for its holistic depiction of who gets wrapped up in incarceration - families, lawyers, police, and prisoners; it deserves to
be read with the same level of pathos, love, and humanity with which it clearly was written." — Publishers Weekly *** starred review ***.
"Much of the action of Rachel Kushner's brilliant new novel is set in California prisons. She has done her research. But the moral scope of The Mars Room is
really too large for it to be considered a prison novel. Through its vividly rendered characters, it asks the reader to ponder bigger questions about the system of justice, the possibility of redemption and even the industrialization of the natural landscape. A captivating and beautiful novel." — BookPage *** Top Fiction Pick ***.
"The Mars Room is a major novel, a sustained performance, one that broods on several exigent ideas.
The Mars Room prowls rather than races. It is like a muscle car oozing down the side roads of your mind. Kushner’s portrait of life inside the women’s prison is grainy and persuasive. It’s all here." — The New York Times.
|
|---|
(Scribner) |
WEST by Carys Davies
A decade or so after the Lewis and Clark expedition, John Cyrus Bellman, a widower and mule breeder, reads in the newspaper of the discovery of "monstrous bones
sunk in the salty Kentucky mud" and is convinced that "the same gigantic monsters still walk the earth in the unexplored territories of the west." Promising to write frequently, Bellman leaves his preteen daughter, Bess, on his Pennsylvania farm and heads west. Bess, unprotected and approaching womanhood, fills lonely days waiting for his letters to arrive. But her father wanders farther and farther from home, across harsh and alien landscapes, in reckless pursuit of the unknown.
A spellbinding and timeless parable of the American frontier.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
"Davies' complex, and achingly beautiful first novel is a sculpture of daring shifts and provocative symmetries welded together by lyrical, fast-paced prose.
Deployed on the stage of the midlapsarian American frontier, Davies weaves threads of myth and hope into the gnarly chords of historical tragedy.
A masterful first novel - the sort of book that warms even as it devastates, that forces serious reflection and yet charms." — Kirkus Reviews *** starred review ***.
"An engrossing work of historical fiction grappling with themes of vulnerability, longing and hope that transcend all contexts... West leaves the reader feeling as vulnerable and full of wonder as the book's main characters." — BookPage *** starred review ***.
"This spare first novel from Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award winner Davies incorporates early American history to lend deep truths to the narrative's alternating stories. Her graceful prose and sharp observations make this absorbing debut a standout." — Library Journal *** starred review ***.
"Davies' slender first novel has all the heft of a sprawling western classic. In a tightly knit, compulsively readable tale, she precisely captures the spirit of untamed curiosity and middle-aged ennui that would have us abandon established societal norms and everything we hold dear only to follow our hearts to uncertain outcomes." — BookList *** starred review ***.
|
(Simon & Schuster) |
THE JUDGE HUNTER by Christopher Buckley
London, 1664. Twenty years after the English revolution, the monarchy has been restored and Charles II sits on the throne. Two of the judges who signed his father's
execution warrant have fled to the New World and King Charles is determined to hunt them down. But the agent sent to track down the judges is
Balthasar de St. Michel (Balty) - a hapless twit who manages to embroil himself in some of the most ridiculous intrigues and comical controversies
possible on both sides of the Atlantic.
"Buckley serves up generous helpings of witty dialogue, colorful characters, and intriguing plot twists that his fans and historical novel enthusiasts will find irresistible." — BookList.
"The political humorist's second historical novel is a witty bromance about international intrigue and a hunt for two regicides in 17th-century New England.
An entertaining and wonderfully crafted picaresque thriller with crackling dialogue and a brace of Colonial cops as appealingly mismatched as any of Hollywood's
buddy efforts." — Kirkus Reviews.
"A rich story ripe for Buckley’s humor and pointed satire on Puritan ideals, royal peccadillos, and political intrigue. . .
In Balty, Buckley has a bumbling, chaffing protagonist who proves the perfect foil for the uptight social constructs of colonial New England.
Peppered with historical characters and cleverly using Samuel Pepys’ famous diaries, Buckley masterfully weaves a fictional story with historical fact.
An absorbing mystery/thriller with humorous dialog and characters that resonate and draw in the reader. A must for not just fans of historical fiction, but anyone looking for a great read." — Historical Novel Society *** starred review ***.
|
SING UNBURIED, SING by Jesmyn Ward
