The River is Waiting (2025) Wally Lamb "Wally Lamb has always written with compassion for all of his characters, no matter their flaws. But here, in this moving exploration of an otherwise good man and loving father who happens to be an addict, Lamb goes deeply into what it means not only to survive tragedy, but to actually heal from it by stepping tentatively into real forgiveness. I could not put down The River is Waiting, and I predict that you won't be able to either."
The Evening Shades (2025) Lee Martin "When the worst has happened and we did nothing to stop it, who are we now? Do we still have a right to happiness? Are we worthy any longer of being loved and loving in return? These are just some of the deeply human questions raised by this mesmerizing novel by one of our country's finest novelists. Part crime novel, part love story, Lee Martin's prose is spare yet wonderfully evocative, rendering once again the often forgotten voices of the heartland. But what I admire most about The Evening Shades is its refusal to turn away from darkness, an unflinching gaze that opens into hard-earned grace and hope. This is a superb American novel."
Little Monsters (2023) Adrienne Brodeur "I so admire the layered complexity of this beautiful novel about a flawed yet unforgettable family - the interlocking ironies and wounds and strivings for love and clarity and accomplishment and growth, all so deeply embedded in the lush natural world that is the Cape. Every character in this mesmerizing story is distinct and real, and I found myself rooting for them all."
The All-American (2023) Joe Milan Jr "With lean, propulsive prose, Joe Milan, Jr. has created an unforgettable character in American fiction, Beyonghak 'Bucky' Yi, a 'stranded townie' whose gifts as a running back may just be able to change his life for the better. Part high-drama, part dark comedy of the absurd, The All American is as wonderfully entertaining as it is moving, and I simply could not put it down. I suspect that you won't be able to either."
The Storyteller's Death (2022) Ann Dávila Cardinal "Ann Dávila Cardinal writes with the razored clarity of a surgeon, the spare and evocative beauty of a poet, and the immensely compelling passion of a natural born storyteller."
About Face (2022) William Giraldi "William Giraldi has achieved here the near-impossible: he has written a dark satire that is as deeply entertaining as it is thought-provoking. About Face is not only the most enjoyable book I have read in years, but also a profound meditation on fame and the attendant harm it can inflict on the very gifts that create it. This is a truly superb novel, and I cannot recommend it highly enough."
Ocean State (2022) Stewart O'Nan "One of Stewart O'Nan's many gifts is a keen and unflinching eye lit with an abiding compassion for his characters, all of which is on display in his mesmerizing new novel, Ocean State. Set in the forgotten streets of post-industrial, blue collar Rhode Island, this timely and gritty tale takes us deeply into the lives of girls and women who must navigate the kind of loss that can either break or strengthen the ties that bind us all. Ocean State is a gem glittering in the darkness."
The Revelations (2021) Erik Hoel "I have been writing and reading daily for decades, and I have never read anything like Erik Hoel’s remarkable debut novel. . . . The Revelations is a deeply compelling, thought-provoking, and frankly, unforgettable work, one that heralds the arrival of an important new voice among us."
Landslide (2021) Susan Conley "With spare yet evocative prose, Susan Conley beautifully renders here the tug and pull of what it means to be the only woman in a family of men, a woman who is trying to raise two boys on an island off the coast of Maine, while also tending to her injured fisherman husband, while also trying to be the film maker she has always hoped to be. Landslide is not only a wonderfully compelling portrait of a dying industry and the people who make their living from it, it is also a love letter to the enduring nature of family itself and the ties that bind us all."
Barker House (2020) David Moloney "In over thirty years of writing and teaching, I have not witnessed a stronger artistic debut than David Moloney's; in fact, Barker House does not remotely read like a debut but more as the seasoned work of a writer with enormous gifts. . . This book heralds the arrival of a new and important voice among us."
The Balcony (2018) Jane Delury "Jane Delury's gifts as a writer of fiction are in such abundance here, it is difficult to know where to begin: her characters - each and every one - whether male or female, young or old, French or American, wealthy or just barely surviving, a child of the 20th century or one-hundred years earlier - are living, breathing human beings I came to love and, in some cases, to mourn. Her landscapes are rendered as deftly as an impressionist painter's, and the pacing of each narrative in this exquisitely rendered novel-in-stories is downright masterly. But, what I admire most about The Balcony, is the depth and range of its inherent humanity. I adore this book. It is a true work of art and a most impressive literary debut."
Lucky You (2017) Erika Carter "Lucky You is not only a superb novel, it heralds a strong and authentic new voice among us. From here on out, I will read whatever Erika Carter writes!"
Euphoria (2014) Lily King "There are some novels that take you by the hand with their lovely prose alone; there are those that pull you in with sensual renderings of time and place and a compelling story; and there are still others that seduce you solely with their subject matter. But it is a rare novel indeed that does all of the above at once and with complete artistic mastery. Yet this is precisely what Lily King has done in her stunningly passionate and gorgeously written Euphoria. It is simply one of the finest novels I've read in years, and it puts Lily King firmly in the top rank of our most accomplished novelists."
And God Said, Billy! (2013) Frank Schaeffer "Schaeffer's gift as a novelist are more than comic his writing has a deeper river flowing through it, one that is sensual and full of true grace."
Everything Beautiful Began After (2011) Simon Van Booy "A powerful meditation on the undying nature of love and the often cruel beauty of one's own fate. This is a novel you simply must read!"
The Poacher's Son (2010) (Mike Bowditch Mystery, book 1) Paul Doiron "With precise and evocative prose, Paul Doiron weaves a riveting tale set deep in the wilderness that can be the tenuous bond between father and son. This is a compelling, moving, and utterly impressive debut!"
In the River Sweet (2002) Patricia Henley "Gorgeously written and suffused with wisdom, In the River Sweet is an absolute superb novel from one of our best."
My Only Story (2000) Monica Wood "Luminous... Monica Wood has brilliantly captured the human need to love, the heart's desire to nurture, the soul's urge to sacrifice."
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