'The House At The Edge Of Night' Is A Comforting, Familiar Place July 20, 2016 • Catherine Banner's new novel takes familiar tropes — it's a multigenerational family saga set in Sicily, and yes, there's limoncello and dancing in the piazza — and makes them fresh and inviting.
Steinbeck Is An Influence — And A Character — In 'Monterey Bay' July 20, 2016 • Lindsay Hatton makes a bold move in her new novel: She lifts a character from John Steinbeck's 1945 classic Cannery Row -- and then the author himself — for a tale of thwarted romance by the sea.
Complex Stories Snap Together In 'This Must Be The Place' July 19, 2016 • Maggie O'Farrell's novel jumps among multiple storylines, points of view, times and places to tell the story of an American professor who meets a reclusive French actress on a lonely Irish road.
'Stars' Is A Sequel That Goes A Bit Askew July 16, 2016 • In The Stars Askew, Rjurik Davidson returns to the world of Caeli-Amur, now trying to put itself back together after a revolution. But the story bogs down in plural narratives and political minutiae.
Time Catches Up With Us All In 'The Heavenly Table' July 14, 2016 • Donald Ray Pollock's surreal, hardscrabble new novel is set in 1917, but it could just as well be 917; his characters are all lost in time and puzzled by the pace at which the future's coming at them.
'The Dream Life Of Astronauts' Is A Journey To Emotional Deep Space Fresh Air July 13, 2016 • Patrick Ryan's book of short stories is set around Cape Canaveral, Fla., during the 1960s and '70s. Critic Maureen Corrigan says it's the best new short story collection she's read in light years. 'The Dream Life Of Astronauts' Is A Journey To Emotional Deep Space Listen · 5:26 5:26 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/485842485/485875379" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'The Dream Life Of Astronauts' Is A Journey To Emotional Deep Space Listen · 5:26 5:26 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/485842485/485875379" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
What Price Happiness? Pretty Expensive, According To 'The Invoice' July 13, 2016 • Jonas Karlsson's clever parable follows an average guy who Is uncommonly content with his lot in life — until he gets an astronomical bill from a sinister entity trying to redistribute happiness.
Darkness And Magic Abound In 'Natural History Of Hell' July 12, 2016 • Jeffrey Ford's new story collection is packed with fairies, demons, historical figures and death personified: not always the freshest concepts, but when the stories work, they're enthrallingly eerie.
2 Brilliantly Written Novels From Mexico Head Up A Wave Of Literary Talent Fresh Air July 11, 2016 • Critic John Powers says there's a boom in good fiction emerging from Mexico. He recommends Among Strange Victims, by Daniel Saldaña París, and The Transmigration of Bodies, by Yuri Herrera. 2 Brilliantly Written Novels From Mexico Head Up A Wave Of Literary Talent Listen · 5:52 5:52 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/484105642/485573862" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
2 Brilliantly Written Novels From Mexico Head Up A Wave Of Literary Talent Listen · 5:52 5:52 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/484105642/485573862" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Is 'You Are Having A Good Time' Beautiful Or Grotesque? Yes July 10, 2016 • Amie Barrodale's debut collection is packed with ill-advised relationships and broken, mean characters in ugly, funny scenarios; these stories live at the intersection of discomfort and pleasure.
Stuck Inside With The AC On? Try These Five Cool YA Reads July 9, 2016 • Summer can seem slow for eager readers — not much on the shelves, and not much coming. But we've got some recommendations for great young adult reads to while away the long hot days.
'Underground Airlines' Is An Extraordinary Work Of Alternate History Fresh Air July 7, 2016 • In his new novel, Ben H. Winters imagines that the Civil War never happened and that slavery is still legal in some states. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Underground Airlines is "one suspenseful tale." 'Underground Airlines' Is An Extraordinary Work Of Alternate History Listen · 7:32 7:32 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/485101495/485139682" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'Underground Airlines' Is An Extraordinary Work Of Alternate History Listen · 7:32 7:32 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/485101495/485139682" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'Underground Airlines' Presents A Scarily Realistic Alternate History July 7, 2016 • Ben H. Winters' new novel is set in a modern-day America in which almost everything seems normal — except for the fact that the Civil War never happened, and slavery is still legal in four states.
'I Am No One:' Feels Like Somebody's Watching Me July 7, 2016 • In Patrick Flanery's new novel, the border between mental illness and justified paranoia grows porous as average guy Jeremy begins to fear he's under surveillance. But is he? It's never quite clear.
'Faith' Makes Fat A Force To Reckon With July 6, 2016 • Valiant Comics' plus-size superhero is starring in her first solo book — and while the story (and her costume) underwhelm, Faith herself is a glorious creation; smart, compassionate, geeky and fun.
'Here Comes The Sun' Shows A Complex, Heartbreakingly Real Jamaica July 6, 2016 • Nicole Dennis-Benn's assured, gorgeous debut novel follows Margot, a worker at a rich Jamaican resort, whose home life is a series of sacrifices as she struggles with family and forbidden love.
'Hell Gate' Is An Infectious But Unsatisfying Take On Typhoid Mary July 5, 2016 • Dana I. Wolff's new novel digs up the story of infamous disease vector "Typhoid Mary" Mallon — it's a fun, fast read, but misses a rich opportunity to draw parallels to modern pandemic scares.
'Missing, Presumed' Brings The Police Procedural To Life July 2, 2016 • Susie Steiner's latest follows two very different women: the mother of a missing girl, and the detective who searches for her. Come for the police procedural; stay for the layered, complex characters.
'They May Not Mean To, But They Do' Is A Sparkling, Sad Family Affair Fresh Air June 29, 2016 • Cathleen Schine's new novel explores how one character's physical and mental decline ripples out to affect his whole family. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it a mix of "fun and bad behavior." 'They May Not Mean To, But They Do' Is A Sparkling, Sad Family Affair Listen · 6:03 6:03 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/483022887/484033307" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'They May Not Mean To, But They Do' Is A Sparkling, Sad Family Affair Listen · 6:03 6:03 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/483022887/484033307" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'A Hundred Thousand Worlds' Might Be A Few Too Many June 29, 2016 • Bob Proehl's sprawling novel follows actor Valerie and her son Alex on an epic road trip, punctuated by stops at comic conventions. It's a charming but messy debut that crams in too many ideas.
