‘To the Dark Tower’ by Francis King
To the Dark Tower, Francis King’s first novel, was published in 1946
‘Boo’ by Neil Smith
Smith ventures to convey a reality about bullying and mental health that is far braver than any you’ve ever read, as Boo is a spelunking adventure deep into the caves of life, death, good, evil, mortality, loss and grief.
‘Orient’ by Christopher Bollen
Bollen crafts a series of interweaving threads with impressive finesse and detail, and it’s a testament to his talent that the reader can become equally invested in them as they are in getting to the roots of the murders and arson that begin to pepper the narrative
‘The Man With the Overcoat’ by David Finkle
It is October, on an
‘One Hundred Days of Rain’ by Carellin Brooks
In Carellin Brooks’ One Hundred Days of Rain, we meet a woman going through a divorce with a small son in Vancouver. Rain serves as a kind of co-narrator to the book; it’s both character and metaphor
‘Things Half in Shadow’ by Alan Finn
Alan Finn mines the fertile history of post-Civil War Philadelphia and the country’s obsession with Spiritualism during that period to craft a superbly rich, historically-detailed whodunit in Things Half in Shadow
‘Lost Boi’ by Sassafras Lowrey
Lost Boi is a counterculture fairy tale, but the way Lowery turns all expectations upside down and finds hope in the darkest corners is the real magic here.
‘Tiny Pieces of Skull’ by Roz Kaveney
Tiny Pieces of Skull delights in its characters and the grit and glamour of their daily lives.
‘Apocalypse Baby’ by Virginie Despentes
Apocalypse Baby, in the end, is a demanding read; Despentes’ words, plot, and ideas are contentious, confrontational, and very purposefully so.
‘Delicious Foods’ by James Hannaham
To describe Hannaham’s novel by referencing other writers would be too easy, and perhaps unfair. With Delicious Foods, James Hannaham has himself become a reference point.
