Trigger warnings for rape, abuse, and self-harm. Mental illness is difficult enough to talk about […]
The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
The protagonists of Rebecca Makkai’s terrifyingly sad novel, The Great Believers, Fiona and Yale, are trapped […]
The Lost for Words Bookshop, by Stephanie Butland
Trigger warning for domestic violence. Lovejoy Cardew is in hiding. She has good reasons for […]
Number One Chinese Restaurant, by Lillian Li
There are two ways to respond to a family legacy. One way is to try […]
Me, Myself, and Them, by Dan Mooney
There’s an old joke: How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb? One, […]
Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata
Keiko Furukura has an unusual flaw. Though she’s intelligent, she doesn’t understand other people. Ever […]
The Bookshop of Yesterdays, by Amy Meyerson
Either C.S. Lewis or William Nicholson said, “We read to know we are not alone.” […]
Eight Stories, by Erich Maria Remarque
With some writers, it’s hard to separate the biography from the work. In Eight Stories: Tales […]
Familiar Things, by Hwang Sok-yong
Bugeye doesn’t have much going for him at the beginning of Hwang Sok-yong’s Familiar Things (translated […]
The Aviator, by Eugene Vodolazkin
Innokenty Petrovich Platonov wakes up in a hospital at the beginning of The Aviator, by Eugene […]