Nancy Foley’s deviously-plotted novel centers on an aging artist in New Mexico. Brutally dismissive of anyone who disagrees with her, Agatha is a perfectly engaging (if unreliable) narrator.
novels
‘The Keeper’ is a grand finale to Tana French’s Cal Hooper crime series
Set in a quaint Irish village, The Keeper follows The Searcher and The Hunter, and solidifies the crime series’ status as a contemporary classic.
There’s room for everyone in ‘Now I Surrender,’ an epic American Western
Mexican novelist Álvaro Enrigue re-imagines the story of the American West — and the Apache fight for survival — in an epic that’s both defiantly challenging and, at times, magical.
Julian Barnes’ playful new book is also his ‘official departure’
Departure(s) explores several of Barnes’ lifelong obsessions — mortality, memory, and time. It’s slim but weighty, digressive yet incisive. Barnes, who just turned 80, says it will be his last.
‘Even the Dead’ wraps up John Banville’s smart, moody mystery series
Originally published under a pseudonym, Banville’s Quirke mystery series follows a troubled Dublin coroner who dwells in the basement morgue of a hospital.
Julian Barnes says he’s enjoying himself, but that ‘Departure(s)’ is his last book
Part memoir and part fiction, Barnes’ hybrid novel publishes the day after his 80th birthday. He’s been living with a rare form of blood cancer for six years.
Feeling cooped up? Get out of town with this delightful literary road trip
In The Rest of Our Lives, the narrator drops his daughter off to college — then keeps on driving, leaving his marriage behind. Ben Markovits’ novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
‘The Emperor of Gladness’ is a beautiful novel about hard work and found family
Ocean Vuong’s sweeping new novel centers on a depressed 19-year-old college dropout who becomes the caregiver to a widow with dementia.
A filmmaker in Nazi Germany strikes a deal with the devil in ‘The Director’
When do compromises turn into full-blown capitulation? Daniel Kehlmann’s new novel draws on the true story of German film director G.W. Pabst.
New novel asks: How much can a male friendship take?
Eric Puchner’s new novel, Dream State, was just named the latest Oprah book club pick. It’s about a love triangle that tests the decades-long friendship of two college friends.


