4 Books of January
“Playworld”
It’s been a whole fifteen years since Ross’s debut novel Mr. Peanut, if you can believe it. He’s back with an equally ambitious, if somewhat less deadly, anti-bildungsroman about a child actor in 1980s New York City being continually let down by the adults in his orbit—an epic family-cum-social novel bursting with detail so specific you might, at times, find that you believe in it just a little bit more than what you see out your window.
“The Life of Herod the Great”
When Zora Neale Hurston died, she was working on a sequel to her book about Moses and now, some 65 years later, we get to see what that might have been. It wasn’t lost, per se—the manuscript has been available to scholars at the University of Florida since Hurston’s papers went there after her death—but it was unfinished when she died, and being released in that state with commentary from Deborah Plant and ephemera about Hurston’s research on the novel. What a joy to get one more book from one of the greatest American writers! –Drew Broussard, Podcasts Editor
“Homeseeking”
Karissa Chen’s sweeping-but-intimate debut novel is the tale of star-crossed lovers separated by decades and continents, told against the backdrop of the major events in 20th century Chinese history. Beginning in pre-war Shanghai and ending in twenty-first century Los Angeles, Homeseeking has been called “epic, assured, and beautifully drawn” by Lisa Ko, and a “kaleidoscopic yet intimate view of the Chinese diaspora” by Celeste Ng. –Dan Sheehan, Book Marks Editor-in-Chief
“The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf”
Arsén’s sophomore effort is equal parts sultry and cultured, featuring two Shakespearian actors in a unusual but emotionally fulfilling marriage of convenience who find themselves in a sticky situation. They’ve been hired for a rather strange gig: an eccentric criminal has built a replica globe in the middle of the desert, and he’s ready to bring Shakespeare to life for his audience of one. At first, Margaret is merely there to tag along while her husband enjoys a leading role in Titus Andronicus; she’s recovering from a mental breakdown from the last time she starred in the Scottish Play. When she bonds with their benefactor, however, she finds herself reluctantly agreeing to give the lady one more try. When her marriage is threatened, she turns to her character to find the strength to do what needs to be done, in a perfectly-plotted denouement. –Molly Odintz