News - Book Reviews

News - Book Reviews

April 21, 2023

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED received a wonderful review from The New Republic. Reviewer Kristen Martin writes: "Novey upends familiar platitudes on our country’s divisions in an odd novel about the ways that the people and places we love can become enigmas to us, and the ineffable impulse to make art…Grappling with the mysteries we present to one another, Novey pushes back against the fairy tales we’ve told ourselves about polarizing places like Appalachia, spinning a far more artful story." Viking published the book on March 14, 2023.

April 14, 2023

THE LAST ANIMAL by Ramona Ausubel received a wonderful review from Ron Charles in The Washington Post. He writes: "If you could cross Anne Tyler’s novels with strands of DNA from Michael Crichton’s thrillers, you might produce this new book by Ramona Ausubel. From a taxonomic point of view, THE LAST ANIMAL is a sweet, poignant descendant of JURASSIC PARK...The paradox that this novel confronts with such tender sympathy and humor is how to love the time we have left." Riverhead Books will publish the novel on April 18, 2023.

April 6, 2023

HOUSE OF COTTON by Monica Brashears received a rave review from The New York Times, where reviewer MJ Franklin writes: "It’s a testament to Brashears’s enchanting storytelling that the deluge of plot doesn’t overwhelm the book. Just the opposite: The cascading waves of unsettling encounters and unexplained phenomena imbue it with the thrilling energy of possibility. As the story developed, it felt like anything and everything could happen next…There is a word commonly used to describe books like this: gritty. Fair enough. HOUSE OF COTTON is unafraid to peer at the unsavory minutiae of getting by. But for this novel, I’d add a few other labels too: magnetic, singular and completely unforgettable.” HOUSE OF COTTON was also included on Book Riot's "8 Terrifyingly Claustrophobic Horror Books," Bustle's roundup of “The Most Anticipated Books of Spring & Summer 2023,” and Debutiful's roundup of "Can’t-Miss Debut Books You Should Read in April." Flatiron Books published the novel on April 4th, 2023.

March 10, 2023

A review from Publishers Weekly raves that Elliot Ackerman’s HALCYON is a “thought-provoking alternate history,” adding: “Ackerman is great at probing the scientific ethics of resurrection. This visionary tale is worth a look.” Knopf will publish the book on May 23, 2023.

March 10, 2023

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED by Idra Novey received a wonderful review from Heller McAlpin in The Wall Street Journal, who writes: “TAKE WHAT YOU NEED is Ms. Novey’s first novel set in the United States, and her most autobiographical. It is also her most moving…Ms. Novey, who teaches fiction at Princeton and in NYU’s graduate writing program, is adept at spooling out tensions to keep readers eagerly turning pages. More important, she knows how to forge ‘some new kind of beauty’ by fusing disparate materials—scrap metal, fractured mirrors, camera lenses—that reflect shattered families and egos, dead-end poverty, divisive disdain and distrust, hope and love. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED is a heart-rending book, but it’s also a beautiful celebration of ‘the glorious pleasure of erecting something new,’ be it a work of art or a human connection.” The novel was also an Audible Editors Select pick for the month of March, with Audible Editor Katie O’Connor raving: “Idra Novey weaves the dual timelines of Leah and Jean together in a way that builds tension for the listener. Novey herself poignantly narrates Leah in what she describes as her most autobiographical work yet, while Christina Delaine delivers a no-nonsense yet endearing Jean. I immediately found myself wrapped up in their lives, and I’m eager for listeners to get to know the secrets of these women.” Viking will publish the book on March 14, 2023.

March 10, 2023

Erica Berry continues to receive stellar press for her debut work of nonfiction, WOLFISH: WOLF, SELF, AND THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT FEAR. The Atlantic published a great review by Lily Meyer, which reads: “Among the book’s strengths is Berry’s awareness that, as she puts it, ‘my wolf is not your wolf.’ Berry combines memoir, journalism, and cultural criticism, weaving in others’ voices to remind readers that her perspective is only one of many…Berry’s braided approach renders WOLFISH both a vulnerable self-investigation and a wide-ranging exploration of fear—and, ultimately, an antidote to it…Her writing is richest when she fully commits to examining wolf metaphors and the ways in which we turn even very real wolves into symbols.” Flatiron published WOLFISH in the U.S. on February 21, 2023.

March 3, 2023

De’Shawn Charles Winslow’s DECENT PEOPLE received a great review from Humanities Tennessee’s website Chapter16: “Murder mysteries conventionally focus on a single question: Who did it? The best of the genre — such as De’Shawn Charles Winslow’s new novel DECENT PEOPLE — raise more philosophical issues. What is the value of human life? What kind of world do we live in? Is justice possible? … Despite the darkness of the subject matter, Winslow has a light touch, moving readers briskly through the novel’s kaleidoscopic events. He spices the story with period detail, apposite references to MCMILLAN & WIFE and Patty Hearst that remind us we are visiting a lost world. Winslow’s novel partakes of seedy crime and racial violence, family secrets and betrayals, romantic rivalries and hopeless loves but resolves into an essentially domestic question: Where can we find a home?” Winslow was also interviewed for Pen America's "Pen 10 Column." Bloomsbury published DECENT PEOPLE on January 17, 2023.

March 3, 2023

GIRLS AND THEIR MONSTERS, Audrey Clare Farley’s next work of nonfiction, received a rave review from Publishers Weekly. It reads: “Farley’s narrative is based in deep research and makes for her nuanced analysis of the country’s shifting attitudes toward childhood and mental health. Readers will be riveted.” Grand Central Publishing will publish GIRLS AND THEIR MONSTERS on June 13, 2023.

March 3, 2023

Scientific American released a great review for Jaroslav Kalfar’s next novel, A BRIEF HISTORY OF LIVING FOREVER. Amy Brady writes: “Kalfar turns an ambitious premise (a person whose body has expired but whose consciousness lives on) into a moving, frightening story about the strength of family bonds.” Little, Brown and Company will publish the novel on March 28, 2023.

March 3, 2023

Erica Berry’s WOLFISH has continued to receive critical acclaim following its publication. The Washington Post published a fantastic review of the book, with reviewer Maggie Lange praising: “Terror propels Erica Berry’s exhilarating book, WOLFISH…No matter where Berry weaves, she sniffs out fascinating insights. And she writes about it in clear, beautiful language.” Scientific American offered another strong review, where Amy Brady writes: “Berry is a skillful guide, highlighting the wolf's influence on everything from creation myths to viral memes and from government policies to proverbs.” Debutiful also published an excerpt, alongside praise: “Through this cultural criticism, Berry smashes expectations for what a book can do.” Flatiron Books published WOLFISH in the U.S. on February 21, 2023.