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Fiction A to Z February 2018
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| The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake SmithWhat it is: the stories of five characters, over three centuries, all set in Newport, Rhode Island. Links between them create a rich, layered tale that reveals not only changes in American society but also the vagaries of the human heart.
Is it for you? Absolutely, if you like historical fiction in which distinct characters -- and the writing style -- clearly reflect their times. Shifting points of view and a complex structure reflect the title, too.
Reviewers say: "staggeringly brilliant" (The Washington Post). |
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Oliver Loving
by Stefan Merrill Block
What it's about: The complicated bonds uniting a family and the members of their community are tested by a devastating school shooting that has left a young man in a coma for nine years, a tragedy that is illuminated by an experimental diagnostic technology that suggests that his mind may still be active and capable of revealing what happened.
Reviewers say: "The author handles this deep psychological exploration very skillfully. The ending of the novel is a beautifully rendered meditation on the nature of forgiveness, mercy, and healing. Enthusiastically recommended for fans of literary fiction." (Library Journal)
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Night Driver
by Ronald Colby
What it's about: Nick Cullen's wife was brutally murdered in a burglary gone horribly wrong, and he's not the type to move on with his life, especially when he has seen the faces of the murderers in person. His plan: learn how to drive a cab so he can find his wife's murderers on the streets of LA. Nick's nighttime rides lead him down dead end after dead end, until one day he manages to get a hold of the ID of one of the men who destroyed his life. Nick's chase heats up and he's forced to face the truth of how far a man will go who has nothing left to lose.
Reviewers say: "Colby’s well-paced first novel takes the reader on a winding, exhilarating ride through late-1970s Los Angeles." (Publishers Weekly)
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| Red Clocks by Leni ZumasIntroducing: four very different women in a small Oregon fishing town, all struggling with personal issues in a country where Roe v. Wade has been overturned, single parenthood is soon to be outlawed, and misogyny is on the rise.
Why you might like it: You've read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and are looking for another chilling take on women's reproductive rights, identity, and freedom.
Book buzz: Red Clocks, which the author has said draws on real government proposals, has been trumpeted by such diverse media outlets as Amazon, The Wall Street Journal, Elle, PopSugar, and more. |
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Brass : a novel
by Xhenet Aliu
What it's about: Told in biting parallel narratives, the stories of a Lithuanian immigrant waitress and her illegitimate daughter follow the former's struggles to secure a better life and the latter's determined efforts to connect with the father she never knew.
Reviewers say: "Deftly written in a style that is evocative of time and place, this universal story of the search for home is well translated into the blue-collar world of Elsie and Lulu." (Library Journal)
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The largesse of the sea maiden : Stories
by Denis Johnson
What it is: A posthumous story collection that contemplates subjects ranging from old age and mortality to the unexpected ways the mysteries of the universe manifest, depicting haunted characters who would atone for the past, remember departed loved ones or come to terms with lifelong obsessions.
Reviewers say: "Elegiac, yet oddly hopeful, these stories represent a summation of hard lessons that in the end can only be called wisdom. A stunning valedictory from a writer who at age 67 left us too soon." (Library Journal)
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Best Short Stories of 2017
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| Difficult Women by Roxane GayWhat it is: the stories of a diverse array of imperfect, fully realized women haunted by pain and loss in unusual, often troubling situations.
What's inside? In "The Mark of Cain," a woman pretends not to know that her abusive husband and his gentler identical twin have switched places; women participate in fight clubs in another story, while a priest refuses to feel bad about an affair in a third.
Reviewers say: With complex characters and straightforward writing, this "fantastic collection is challenging, quirky, and memorable" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria MachadoWhat it is: recognizably realistic yet edging into science fiction and horror, these short stories are a gripping, sometimes horrifying mix of tragic, creepy, and thought-provoking, centered as they are on women's lives and bodies and the violence inflicted upon both.
For fans of: the genre-bending stories of Karen Russell, the female characters of Roxane Gay, or the twisting inventiveness of Angela Carter.
Reviewers say: "Machado's slightly slanted world echoes our own in ways that will entertain, challenge, and move readers." (Publishers Weekly) |
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| Five-Carat Soul by James McBrideWhat it is: the first short story collection from National Book Award-winning James McBride, featuring a multitude of different voices and settings, often focusing on themes of race, identity, and history.
What's inside: a grieving Abraham Lincoln; five at-risk youth who form a funk band; a zoo menagerie that communicates through Thought Speak; an antique toy seller and the priceless toy train he seeks.
Reviewers say: "Every one of them is brash, daring and defiantly original" (NPR). |
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| The Refugees by Viet Thanh NguyenWhat it is: eight short stories, set mostly in California and portraying Vietnamese refugee experiences in the U.S. But the topics they explore -- relationships, grief, the desire for fulfillment -- "transcend ethnic boundaries to speak to human universals" (Kirkus Reviews).
Author alert: Author Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2015 debut novel The Sympathizer won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Carnegie Medal.
Why you might like them: Written before The Sympathizer was published, they'll appeal to readers interested in sympathetic characters, cultural dislocation, or the experiences of refugees. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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