Starred Reviews for Jhumpa Lahiri, Bryan Washington, and LaToya Watkins

“Fussner’s debut novel pulls readers in behind the scenes of a ghost-hunting reality show and its cast of characters through the lens of cameras, recorders, interviews, and potentially unreliable narrators… Akin to Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It but unlike any ghost-hunting novels before it, this is a masterpiece of innovative storytelling and psychological horror.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Watkins follows her debut novel, Perish (2022), with a collection of short stories that also focuses on the lasting effects of generational trauma on rural Black communities in East Texas. These tales explore fractured relationships between mothers and sons, couples grappling with the aftermath of infidelity, and children rejected by their families because of their choice of partner.”—Booklist, starred review

“Lahiri (Whereabouts) delivers a dazzling collection of nine stories originally written in Italian and featuring characters who grapple with vast emotional and social chasms that cleave the lives of families, longtime friends, and immigrants.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Barron expertly underscores the purposeful cruelty and classism of English public schools in Austen’s time, which existed strictly to harden the future leaders of the Empire, and elicits deep emotion out of Jane’s struggles against her own mortality. This is a fitting send-off for a beautifully realized series.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Marmery brilliantly recasts classic Bible stories, giving Lilith the goal of restoring women to a place of power and including her in such well-known events as Noah’s Ark and Queen Jezebel’s marriage to King Ahab. This feminist reimagining of the Bible will grip readers.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Washington’s tender, melancholic latest (following Memorial) explores the complicated nature of grief and love…Readers will be deeply moved.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“In a sweeping and detailed new investigation, Reid recounts Patrice Lumumba’s rise as an independence leader in the Belgian Congo and his tumultuous two-month tenure in 1960 as the Republic of Congo’s first prime minister.” —Publishers weekly, starred review

“The whimsical narrative is also educational, providing extensive insight into the process used to trace the origins of words. Readers will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“In this sharp-edged debut, Kostyuchenko shares experiences from her harrowing career as a reporter for Novaya Gazeta, a Moscow-based independent newspaper…Throughout, Kostyuchenko’s journalistic integrity is unquestionable and the dangers she faces are very real. It’s a vivid and poignant account.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“With his mesmerizing performance, Hoffman makes it clear that this interconnectedness is the point as McBride explores themes of racism and anti-Semitism, the immigrant experience and the human experience, and acts of kindness and acts of evil and the consequences of each.” —AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

“After four years of the straight life, Ray Carney is drawn back into the crime world when he tries to use his connections to find tickets for the Jackson Five concert for his daughter. Graham, who narrated Harlem Shuffle brilliantly, returns to continue the tale…The setting, described in gritty detail, becomes a character itself. Whitehead can create a world, and Graham is the ideal guide.”—Booklist, starred review

“Annabelle Tudor so completely inhabits the English characters at the center of this engrossing tale of gender, class, and war that it’s a bit of a shock to hear her deliver the author’s note in her native Australian accent… It’s a fabulous performance highlighting a wonderful story.” —AudioFile Earphones Award Winner