News - Book Reviews

News - Book Reviews

April 9, 2021

Sunjeev Sahota’s CHINA ROOM received a glowing endorsement from MEMORIAL author Bryan Washington. He praises Sahota’s writing as “the stuff of miracles,” adding: “Boisterous, emotional, and heartrending, CHINA ROOM juggles questions of love, debt, and what it means to build a home alongside the history that carries us. Sahota navigates the worlds between where we believe we belong, where we end up, and the choices we make to close the distance along the way, with humanity, precision, and grace - CHINA ROOM is a propulsive dream, intricately wrought, and Sahota is a maestro." Viking will publish the novel on July 13, 2021.

April 9, 2021

Poet, novelist, and essayist Renee Gladman has endorsed Lucy Corin's forthcoming THE SWANK HOTEL. She writes: “Corin brilliantly fashions a world where grief, familial love, ambulation, and detection are entwined as four dimensions of the same problem: time. Being in time. Accounting for one’s time. Accounting for time spent with others. Here we are offered a place where people who have passed through can go on existing and people who are present can be shattered so thoroughly that they end up everywhere—where the dead go, where the living wander, where the future holds. This is a devastating, enthralling, and mysteriously hopeful adventure.” Graywolf Press will publish the book on October 5, 2021.

April 9, 2021

EVERYTHING NOW by Rosecrans Baldwin received a glowing review from Publishers Weekly. They write: “Novelist and essayist Baldwin delivers a witty and imaginative survey of contemporary L.A…This multifaceted, openhearted account reveals L.A. as a ‘shifting mosaic of human potential’ unlike any other place in the world.” MCD will publish the book on June 15, 2021.

April 1, 2021

A glowing Booklist review for Vince Granata’s EVERYTHING IS FINE hails it as “a monument to the work of remembering…In candid, smoothly unspooling prose, Granata reconstructs life and memory from grief, writing a moving testament to the therapy of art, the power of record, and his immutable love for his family.” Atria Books will publish the memoir on April 27, 2021.

April 1, 2021

Georgia Clark’s upcoming novel, IT HAD TO BE YOU, received a starred review from Booklist. They rave: “Full of immersive details, rich characters, and great banter, Clark's latest…perfectly balances sweetness with an edge of realism that will draw readers in.” Emily Bestler Books will publish the book on May 4, 2021.

March 26, 2021

BBC History praises THE IRISH DIASPORA by Turtle Bunbury, writing: “This fascinating assortment of case histories, spread across 1,400 years and six continents, is an impressive feat of research. All of the chapters are based on a solid body of up-to-date historical writing. The summaries of often-complex historical background to the lives explored are models of lucid compression. The short biographies themselves are lively yet judicious, packed with vivid detail but willing, where necessary, to question or dismiss colourful legend. And the reader will come away with a new sense of the many ways in which Ireland has interacted with the world beyond its shores, and of some of the extraordinary careers that have resulted.” Thames & Hudson will publish the book on April 6, 2021.

March 26, 2021

Gabriela Garcia’s debut novel OF WOMEN AND SALT has received two new glowing reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle calls Garcia’s work “a deeply American story about the pieces of self people leave behind on their journeys to become 'Americans,’” and the Seattle Times deems it “a captivating and harrowing debut that will undoubtedly put Garcia on the literary map for years to come. It is a prime example of why diverse voices and stories need to be told, to shatter the one-sided narrative typically seen about immigrants, the Latino communities and beyond." The Los Angeles Times also profiled Garcia for its Books section, and the novel hit more must-read lists from USA Today, HipLatina, Romper, BuzzFeed, and Success Magazine. Flatiron Books will publish the novel on March 30, 2021.

March 19, 2021

Alex McElroy’s debut novel THE ATMOSPHERIANS received a starred review from Kirkus. They write: “The world of the novel is hyperreal, presenting a familiar reality studded with uncanny details...McElroy’s debut is as uncomfortable as it is thought-provoking…Edgy, addictive, gruesome, and smart.” Atria Books will publish the novel on May 18, 2021.

March 19, 2021

Jamie Figueroa’s BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER received a rave review from BookPage. They write: “BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER combines folklore with magical realism in a manner reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s BELOVED…Figueroa addresses important issues, including depression, suicide and personal and generational loss, with nuanced insight. She also skewers the tendency of white Americans to exoticize people with darker skin, portraying the impact of this prejudice in a deeply stirring manner…[A]n exquisitely woven story about resilience and trauma." The Brooklyn Rail also praises "Figueroa['s]...way with words. The prose is poetic, unique and engrossing…and oftentimes as magical as the story itself." Catapult published the book on March 2 2021.

March 19, 2021

SIDECOUNTRY by John Branch received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. They write: “Branch showcases his keen ability to find unusual human interest angles in sports and culture journalism in this expansive collection...[He] delivers consistently smart, startling observations – and offers something for every reader, whether or not they’d consider themselves ‘sports fans.’” W.W. Norton & Company will publish the book on June 1, 2021.