Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is a Japanese-British-Chinese-American writer. She has a BA from Columbia University, an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently working on a PhD at the University of East Anglia. Her writing has appeared in, among other places, NPR's Selected Shorts, TriQuarterly, and the Tin House Open Bar. She has lived in London, New York, Tokyo, Madison, and Norwich.
The Echoes (2024) Evie Wyld "A story about humans as they are - complicated bundles of pain, love, cruelty, cowardice, tenderness, bravery, loyalty. When the world is encouraging us to see each other as one-dimensional, complex characters like those in The Echoes are necessary. And on top of all that Wyld is funny."
The Liberators (2023) E J Koh "E. J. Koh's poetic voice lends itself beautifully to the aching slowness of the search for healing. This book is about intergenerational trauma but it is also a celebration of intergenerational hope. Koh tackles history and sorrow with a delicate hand."
Second Self (2023) Chloë Ashby "SECOND SELF is a thoughtful exploration of one of the most difficult decisions a person can make. Ashby handles her material lightly and atmospherically. It feels like reading the secret thoughts of a dear friend."
Okay Days (2023) Jenny Mustard "Reading Okay Days is like drinking the ideal lime cordial, sweetness clarified by sharpness."
In Memoriam (2023) Alice Winn "A tender story as much about love as it is about war."
Cursed Bread (2023) Sophie Mackintosh "Sophie Mackintosh takes a true story and asks what any of us really know about what is true? Our desires poison us. Shame and longing intertwine. We hide even from ourselves...This novel is subtle and devouring; reading it is like being slowly swallowed by the night."
Parallel Hells (2022) Leon Craig "Craig's collection dances with horror - the monster is not always who you expect. A book for anyone who likes to play in the dark."
The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021) Ruth Ozeki "Ozeki's prose is warm and welcoming, but as you turn the pages you'll see that she carries her pen to dark places. Her characters ask What is a self, what should we hold onto, what to do when the whole world hurts? And yet even in this darkness, she finds hope. Ozeki reminds me of a literary bower bird, taking interesting things from across traditions and continents, all to make this intricate nest for us, her readers."
Other People's Clothes (2021) Calla Henkel "Other People's Clothes feels like reading a thriller by your most acerbic friend--the friend you're not sure you trust but who tells the best jokes and who has the best hair. The tingle of acid is sweetened by a loving look at the hungers that run through young women."
Open Water (2021) Caleb Azumah Nelson "Open Water is about defiance, mourning, art and music. It is an ode to being a full human being in a society that does not see you that way. It is about clinging to love in a world heavy with injustice and violence. There is not a wasted page."
The Cat and The City (2020) Nick Bradley "The Cat and The City is a love letter to Japan and its literature. Bradley's passion for everything from onigiri to Tanizaki's short stories is woven into this book. Bradley was for a time an ex-pat and his insight into their perching state is particularly intriguing. He is also very clearly a man with a great tenderness for cats."
The Island Child (2020) Molly Aitken "Aitken stitches together many themes--folk-legend, family saga, love story, coming of age tale. The result is the sort of book you want to sink into a hot bath with and not emerge until it's finished."
Convenience Store Woman (2018) Sayaka Murata "Convenience Store Woman is snarky and tender. It shows a woman trying to puzzle out how to be normal. This brilliant book will resonate with all of us who find life a little strange."
Ponti (2018) Sharlene Teo "Ponti is darkly hilarious. It offers up all the anxiety, snark, sadness, and wonder of being a teenager. Teo guides us through the grunge of growing up. She asks what it means to be a monster and what it means to be beautiful. Is it possible to be both?"
The House of Impossible Beauties (2018) Joseph Cassara "Joy and loss clutch hands in The House of Impossible Beauties. It is a tragic book, a lyrical book, a defiant book, and ultimately a loving book. The heroines and heroes hold fast to love and Cassara clearly has deep love for every character who struts across these pages."
The Immortalists (2018) Chloe Benjamin "Benjamin is at turns funny, tragic, informative, and mystical. And, like a good magic act, you'll be wondering what on earth she'll pull out of the hat next. The Immortalists demands to be discussed, dissected, and pondered long after reading."
The End We Start From (2017) Megan Hunter "The End We Start From is relentlessly, achingly personal. Hunter reminds us that disasters are rarely experienced in panorama. Instead, we live bone-deep inside our narrator. This book is fierce, sorrowful, and spiked with moments of bright joy."
