Time's Mouth (2023) Edan Lepucki "Novels like Time's Mouth are rare: it's both delightful and emotional. Beyond the pleasures of time-travel, all-female cults, and an ominous look at California's legacy of mysticism, the heart of Time's Mouth is a story of mothers and daughters. Edan Lepucki writes with insight and deep pathos about the gifts and curses passed down over generations, and of time's ability not only to injure but to heal."
Really Good, Actually (2023) Monica Heisey "One of the most hilarious and barbed accounts of unexpectedly starting over I've ever read. Monica Heisey isn't just interested in the romantic side of divorce, but in how our identities collapse and the freefall that accompanies it. If you've ever felt lost and hoped that it was leading towards wisdom, Really Good, Actually is your novel."
City of Likes (2022) Jenny Mollen "City of Likes has Jenny Mollen's trademark lacerating humor and her ear for the outrageous, but this novel brings a new level of pathos to her writing. It's a dark and engrossing satire of motherhood, wealth, and friendship, laced with insight into the danger of remaking ourselves in the social media age. To be gulped down in one sitting."
Heartbroke (2022) Chelsea Bieker "Heartbroke is astonishing--every story is still lodged in my throat. Bieker's lacerated world is filled with violent men, desperate women, abandoned children, all fighting for survival, dignity, and redemption. Bieker is refreshingly unsentimental but relentlessly compassionate, and has a virtuosic ability to inhabit her characters' suffering without flinching. Heartbroke should come with a warning: Absolutely devastating."
The Great Mistake (2021) Jonathan Lee "Jonathan Lee is so enviably talented it leaves the reader breathless. The Great Mistake is an unparalleled feat of elegance and craftsmanship. Lee's 19th-century New York City is riveting, immersive, but best of all, it's an immaculate blend of scale: he masters both the grand historic narratives and gritty intimate details. As envisioned by Lee, the life of Green feels emblematic of the New York City he built: ambitious, fraught, thrilling, and ultimately visionary."
Kings County (2020) David Goodwillie "Dazzling writing, propulsive storytelling, relevant and timeless characters—that’s exactly what David Goodwillie has accomplished in Kings County. He’s created a true urban tableau, at once gritty and hopeful. Kings County crystallizes how it feels to be young and in love in New York City."
Perfect Tunes (2020) Emily Gould "Perfect Tunes is an intoxicating blend of music, love, and family from one of the essential writers of the internet generation."
Normal People (2018) Sally Rooney "I went into a tunnel with this book and didn’t want to come out. Absolutely engrossing and surprisingly heart-breaking with more depth, subtlety, and insight than any one novel deserves. Young love is a subject of much scorn, but Rooney understands the cataclysmic effects our youth has on the people we become. She has restored not only love’s dignity, but also its significance."
The Dinner List (2018) Rebecca Serle "Imagine that you could gather the people you’ve loved - dead or alive- at one table, for one night, with a chance to heal yourself once and for all. The Dinner List is a heartbreakingly romantic book framed by such an evening. It’s Serle’s unflinching investigation into the triumph and failings of love that makes this book one of a kind. A touch magic, a touch tragic, and absolutely compelling from beginning to end."
