“In her clenched hand, the ashes felt like the remains of something destroyed.” Heather Aimee O’Neill’s debut novel, The Irish Goodbye ( Henry Holt 2025) immediately called to mind Joyce Carol Oates’s We were the Mulvaneys (which I read in the ‘90s). Both are set in NY, both deal with family tragedy and family secrets,Continue reading “THE IRISH GOODBYE – Heather Aimee O’Neill”
Tag Archives: reading
THE WILDERNESS – Angela Flournoy
With the Booker dozen under my belt, I decided to swing for the National Book Award . (I’d already read two, so I figured why not.) First up is Angela Flournoy’s longlisted The Wilderness (Mariner 2025). An ambitious novel, it felt at times much longer than its 290 pages. It’s weighty, with so much heartContinue reading “THE WILDERNESS – Angela Flournoy”
THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY – Kiran Desai
THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY: Kiran DesaiRandom House : 23 September 2025 (US)Hamish Hamilton (Penguin): 25 September 2025 (UK)Page Count: 670 First line: The sun was still submerged in the wintry murk of dawn when Ba, Dadaji, and their daughter, Mina Foi, wrapping shawls closely about themselves, emerged upon the veranda to sip theirContinue reading “THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY – Kiran Desai”
THE REST OF OUR LIVES – Ben Markovits
THE REST OF OUR LIVES: Ben MarkovitsSummit Books : 13 January 2026 (US)Faber & Faber : 27 March 2025 (UK) (I’m using the UK edition)Page Count: 239 First line: When our son was twelve years old, my wife had an affair with a guy called Zach Zirsky, whom she knew from synagogue. Blurbed by: Lucy CaldwellContinue reading “THE REST OF OUR LIVES – Ben Markovits”
SEASCRAPER – Benjamin Wood
Booker 101 Quick & Dirty Monday! SEASCRAPER : Benjamin WoodScribner: 4 November 2025 (US)Penguin Books Ltd.: 17 July 2025 (UK) (I’m using the UK version)Page Count: 163 First line: Thomas Flett relies upon the ebb tide for a living, but he knows the end is near. Blurbed by: Hilary Mantel – (Nominated for the BookerContinue reading “SEASCRAPER – Benjamin Wood”
UNIVERSALITY – Natasha Brown
UNIVERSALITY: Natasha BrownRandom House: 4 March 2025 (US) (unless otherwise noted, I’m reading the US edition)Faber & Faber: 13 March 2025 (UK)Page Count: 152 First line: A gold bar is deceptively heavy. Blurbed by: Tess Gunty – (Numerous awards. No Booker nominations.) Raven Leilani – (Numerous awards. No Booker nominations.) Andrew O’Hagan – (Nominated forContinue reading “UNIVERSALITY – Natasha Brown”
ENDLING – Maria Reva
Booker 101 Quick & Dirty Monday! ENDLING: Maria RevaKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group.: 3 June 2025 (US) (unless otherwise noted, I’m reading the US edition)Little, Brown Book Group / Virago Books: 3 July 2025 (UK)Page Count: 338 First line: In the cities, buildings still stood whole. Blurbed by: Ann Patchett – (Numerous awards. No Booker nominations.)Continue reading “ENDLING – Maria Reva”
WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH – Lisa Ridzén
“A window opens, and I hear the cranes gathering to fly south.” “At dinner one day, I snapped and asked what the hell the point of life was if I was too old for a dog.” If you’ve ever had to say goodbye when death is not a thief but a friend who comes inContinue reading “WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH – Lisa Ridzén”
THE SOUTH – Tash Aw
Booker 101 Quick & Dirty Monday! THE SOUTH: Tash AwFarrar, Straus and Giroux : 27 May 2025 (US) (unless otherwise noted, I’m reading the US edition)4th Estate (Harper Imprint): 13 February 2025 (UK)Page Count: 280 First line: Two boys walk through the scant shade of an orchard, far from the house where they are staying.Continue reading “THE SOUTH – Tash Aw”
LOVE FORMS – Claire Adam
“I’m recalling this as best I can, you understand. The truth is that I only remember impressions – images, sounds, feelings.” (9) Claire Adam’s Love Forms started out strong – a first-person narrative with a lyricism to the storytelling that I enjoyed. It didn’t last. On page 11, she writes: “In the darkness, the fallenContinue reading “LOVE FORMS – Claire Adam”
A Girl Named Tommi 