Lauren Wilkinson earned an MFA in fiction and literary translation from Columbia University, and has taught writing at Columbia and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She was a 2013 Center for Fiction Emerging Writers Fellow, and has also received support from the MacDowell Colony and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program. Wilkinson grew up in New York and lives on the Lower East Side. This is her first novel.
Lucky Red (2023) Claudia Cravens "Claudia Cravens is a masterful new talent and her debut is a breath of fresh air. Red is Cravens' subversive take on western fiction: it's a deftly told, absorbing coming-of-age story about a young woman's life in a Dodge City brothel, and one of the most heartfelt and thrilling books I've read in ages."
The Rabbit Hutch (2022) Tess Gunty "Tess Gunty is a masterful talent with a remarkable eye for the poetic, the poignant and the absurdly sublime. The Rabbit Hutch unspools the story of Blandine Watkins and other inhabitants of a rundown building on the edge of the once bustling Vacca Vale, Indiana. A brutal and beautiful novel that both delights and devastates with its unflinching depiction of Rust Belt decline, Gunty's debut is a tour de force that's sure to top this year's best-of lists."
After the Lights Go Out (2022) John Vercher "John Vercher's latest is a spellbinding tour de force... I loved every moment of it, even the ones that broke my heart."
Portrait of a Thief (2022) Grace D Li "Grace D. Li is a virtuosic storyteller [...] the most exciting debut I've read this year [...] an intelligent page-turner that will keep you hooked until the very end."
Atomic Anna (2022) Rachel Barenbaum "Rachel Barenbaum is a fiercely talented writer whose latest novel took my breath away. Steeped in the history of the nuclear age, Atomic Anna is a thrilling multigenerational epic that leaps through time and across continents to detail the troubled lives and rich inner worlds of an unforgettable cast of characters. An electrifying novel that holds you in its grip from start to finish, this is one you don't want to miss."
When Ghosts Come Home (2021) Wiley Cash "Wiley Cash's latest is an unputdownable knock-out: written in deft, thrilling prose, this book is both a gripping murder mystery and a thoughtful exploration of systemic racism in America. The perfect novel for our present moment."
The Stone Loves the World (2021) Brian Hall "I think Brian Hall is one of our greatest living authors and his latest reaffirms that status: it’s a sprawling, multigenerational drama that reintroduces both Hall’s exuberant genius and Saskia White, a protagonist that I first fell head-over-heels for twenty-five years ago in the pages of The Saskiad. The Stone Loves the World is a brilliant and entrancing follow-up and -- simply put -- it’s one of the best novels I’ve read in quite some time."
Lightseekers (2021) (Philip Taiwo, book 1) Femi Kayode "Femi Kayode’s debut novel about an investigative psychologist’s quest to uncover the truth behind the mob killing of three university students is an original and fast-paced thriller which masterfully explores the smoldering historical tensions underpinning modern-day Nigeria, the role of social media, and the complexities of family, friendship and belonging."
Vera Kelly is Not a Mystery (2020) (Vera Kelly, book 2) Rosalie Knecht "Rosalie Knecht is an audacious talent, and her latest novel a propulsive, subversive gem. Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery reintroduces us to Vera, one of the most compelling and complex characters in modern fiction, and puts her to the task of unwinding an intriguing mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end."
Quotients (2020) Tracy O'Neill "Quotients is a stunning novel. O'Neill asks us to take a look at the nature of and the necessity for secrecy--in both our most intimate relationships and on the global scale--while reminding us of its inevitable demise in an age of eroding privacy. An entrancing, incendiary book--the ideas within these pages, and their implications, will haunt you for a good long while."
