Shred Sisters (2024) Betsy Lerner "Betsy Lerner has created a richly layered family novel that manages to be raucously funny, insightful, and tender--often on the same page. I'm not sure how she did it, but I gleefully went along for the ride and was bereft when it was over. I will be thinking about the Shred sisters for a long time."
The Vegan (2023) Andrew Lipstein "You will want to tear through this ingenious tale in one sitting, but I urge you to resist and wallow in the strange, hilarious, whip-smart world Andrew Lipstein has built. Exacting, upending and constantly surprising, I loved this novel."
Pineapple Street (2023) Jenny Jackson "In this vibrant and hilarious debut, Jenny Jackson has taken a familiar tale - siblings, family money, competing interests - and given it fresh life. What binds the book together so wonderfully is Jackson's keen understanding of the beauty and difficulty of belonging, of how our desires can clash with our inherited narrative and what happens to the people we love when we need to rewrite the story. Pineapple Street is riveting, timely, hugely entertaining and brimming with truth."
Vintage Contemporaries (2023) Dan Kois "Vintage Contemporaries is about many things--art, friendship, youth, desire, a very particular slice of New York City--but what makes this masterful debut sing is Dan Kois's dazzling excavation of the human heart and all its contradictions, mystery, and beauty. Smart, laugh-out-loud funny and consistently surprising, this novel is a gem."
Flight (2022) Lynn Steger Strong "With razor-sharp pacing and luminous prose, Lynn Steger Strong aims her keen eye on the complexities of siblings, marriage, motherhood and grief. Flight is a wonderfully alive look at the ways we try - defiantly and sometimes perilously - to love one another. You will want to gulp this book down in one sitting, but I urge you to slow down because its charms should be savored."
Fellowship Point (2022) Alice Elliott Dark "I can't remember the last time I've fallen so hard for a book. Fellowship Point is about many things: friendship, secrets, legacy, love, family - but the true magic here is in the writing. Alice Elliott Dark has conjured a world so immersive I can still feel it in my bones. I mourned the finish, when I would have to leave behind the characters I grew to love. This captivating, unforgettable novel is thrillingly good."
Jackie and Me (2022) Louis Bayard "All of Louis Bayard's incredible gifts as a teller of stories we think we already know are on brilliant display here: a captivating setting, unforgettable characters, and an entirely surprising take on a familiar tale. Jackie & Me is riveting, funny, charming, and haunting. He makes it look so easy! I will happily follow Bayard wherever he leads."
Remarkably Bright Creatures (2022) Shelby Van Pelt "Remarkably Bright Creatures is the rarest of feats: a book that manages to be wry and wise, charming and surprising, and features one of the most intriguing and satisfying characters I've encountered in fiction in a very long time - Marcellus the Octopus. I don't know how Shelby Van Pelt managed to make this uncommon tale sing so beautifully, but sing it does, and I defy you to put it down once you've started."
Let's Not Do That Again (2022) Grant Ginder "Nobody's better than Grant Ginder at creating characters who are deeply flawed, vividly human, and wholly recognizable. Let's Not Do That Again is not only perfectly tuned to this moment in time, but is hilarious, suspenseful, and whip smart. It's also wise--wise about the ways we sometimes fail to love and care for each other but choose to keep trying. Like the best stories (and in spite of the book's title) I can't wait to read it again."
Olga Dies Dreaming (2022) Xochitl Gonzalez "Wisdom, tenderness, and abundant humor . . . I will think about its richly drawn, deeply human characters for a very long time."
The Latinist (2022) Mark Prins "Within the first few pages of this book, I knew I was in the hands of a masterful storyteller. The Latinist is imaginative, propulsive, and wildly intelligent. What a joy to encounter a thrilling and singular new voice in fiction."
The Paper Palace (2021) Miranda Cowley Heller "Miranda Cowley Heller has written a magnificent page-turner, a love story that shimmers with desire, intelligence, and humor. Lush and gorgeously written, The Paper Palace is as intoxicating as a summer night by the sea. I didn't want it to end."
Songs in Ursa Major (2021) Emma Brodie "In this spirited and fearless debut, Emma Brodie gets right to the heart of the matter: what—and who—will we sacrifice for art? Who has power over the stories we tell? What secrets will we keep for the people who love us? Like a perfect summer song, Songs in Ursa Major breathes new life into a familiar tune and will work its way into your heart and not let go."
The Mysteries (2021) Marisa Silver "This exquisite gem of a novel digs deep into the longings of the human heart. Funny, compassionate, sorrowful, and tender, The Mysteries is an insightful and emotionally astute exploration of how love can both heal and fail us. I couldn't put it down, and I will be thinking about these characters for a very long time."
The Last Days of Ellis Island (2020) Gaëlle Josse "I devoured this gem of a novel, which manages to perfectly capture both a singular moment in time and an entire universe of hope, longing and heartbreak. Brilliantly constructed and beautifully told, The Last Days of Ellis Island is a timeless - and timely - exploration of compassion and regret."
Sad Janet (2020) Lucie Britsch "Lucie Britsch has crafted a biting, pitch-perfect novel about one woman’s desire to stay true to herself in a world that rewards facile happiness. Hilarious, wise, wicked, and tender, Sad Janet is a dazzling debut and Britsch a singular and necessary new voice."
The Knockout Queen (2020) Rufi Thorpe "Brilliantly constructed and beautifully told, threaded with heartbreak, honesty and hope, The Knockout Queen is a sublime coming of age story and Rufi Thorpe is a national treasure."
Fleishman is in Trouble (2019) Taffy Brodesser-Akner "Blisteringly funny, feverishly smart, heartbreaking, and true, Fleishman Is in Trouble is an essential read for anyone who’s wondered how to navigate loving (and hating) the people we choose."
The Study of Animal Languages (2019) Lindsay Stern "An exuberant, wise, and darkly funny novel about love, talent, ambition, envy, and the bungled ways we try to connect and care for each other."
A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl (2018) Jean Thompson "In this beautiful and unflinching novel, Thompson excavates one of life's essential truths: if we aren't doomed to repeat the past we are certainly called to reckon with it, to acknowledge the shape of our personal history and decide what to carry forward, what to bury. Gorgeously written and perfectly composed, this book is a powerful look at the unbidden forces that shape our lives and the unexpected places where love erupts and flourishes."
The Shortest Way Home (2018) Miriam Parker "It's nearly impossible to describe this wonderful debut without summoning the language of wine country because Miriam Parker has infused every page with an appreciation for the alchemy of character and place that can transform a cluster of grapes into a beautiful glass of wine. She turns the same keen eye on matters of the heart--exploring how and where and with whom we find happiness, declare a home--with spectacular results."
Our Little Racket (2017) Angelica Baker "Working in the vein of Wharton, Cheever and Yates, but with a voice and vision wholly her own, Angelica Baker has crafted a timely and powerful exploration of greed and hubris...Clear and commanding prose... Baker is wildly talented and this debut is her gorgeous opening note."
Sycamore (2017) Bryn Chancellor "In this masterful performance, Bryn Chancellor explores the loss around which an entire community has calcified with humanity and wisdom. Chancellor digs deep in these pages, unearthing broken hearts, secrets, betrayals, passion and - most impressively - grace. What a joy to find a book that is both propulsive and perfectly composed."
Spoonbenders (2017) Daryl Gregory "Spoonbenders is hilarious, heartfelt and brimming with humanity."
If We Were Villains (2017) M L Rio "Expertly plotted, beautifully written, If We Were Villains will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments."
All Grown Up (2017) Jami Attenberg "This novel is beautiful and brutal, intelligent and funny, frank and sexy."
