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FictionSpeculative FictionFamily SagaDebut FictionComing of Age

Six of the brightest new names in fiction

Feature by the editors of BookPage

We’ve got our eyes on you: These emerging writers have stopped us dead in our tracks with their unforgettable first novels, from epic historical adventures to imaginative family sagas.

GOODBYE VITAMIN
By Rachel Khong

For fans of: Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Stephanie Danler, Nell Zink.

First line: “Tonight a man found Dad’s pants in a tree lit with Christmas lights.”

About the book: A 30-year-old woman returns home to help care for her father, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

About the author: The former executive editor of Lucky Peach magazine, Rachel Khong lives in the Bay Area.

Read it for: Hilarious, insightful observations that balance well with bittersweet memories.

REBELLION
By Molly Patterson

For fans of: Jane Smiley, Jane Hamilton, Min Jin Lee.

First line: “Hazel is driving and damn her children and damn her eyesight and who cares where she’s going.”

About the book: During the Boxer Rebellion in China, American missionary Addie Bell disappears, an event that will echo through the years and the lives of three other women.

About the author: Molly Patterson, who won the Pushcart Prize for her 2012 short story “Don’t Let Them Catch You,” is a native of St. Louis and lived in China for several years.

Read it for: The author’s dazzling ability to capture disparate settings, from a turn-of-the-century American farm to present-day China, and to weave together the stories of four strong women.

GATHER THE DAUGHTERS
By Jennie Melamed

For fans of: Tales of chilling societies like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

First line: “Vanessa dreams she is a grown woman, heavy with flesh and care.”

About the book: An isolated cult society ruled by men begins to crumble when young girls rebel against their preordained and doomed futures.

About the author: A psychiatric nurse practitioner specializing in working with traumatized children, Jennie Melamed lives in Seattle with her husband and two dogs.

Read it for: The gripping, haunting portrayal of girls coming of age and questioning everything they’ve ever been taught.

SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE
By Sarah Schmidt

For fans of: Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites, literary horror like Stephen King.

First line: “He was still bleeding.”

About the book: This fictional retelling of the Lizzie Borden murders is a domestic nightmare, unfolding through multiple perspectives to reveal a claustrophobic household laden with dread.

About the author: Sarah Schmidt lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her partner and daughter, and works at a regional public library.

Read it for: Staggeringly gorgeous, feverish prose and the thrill of deep, dark, gruesome detail.

THE TALENTED RIBKINS
By Ladee Hubbard

For fans of: Toni Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Colson Whitehead.

First line: “He only came back because Melvin said he would kill him if he didn’t pay off his debt by the end of the week.”

About the book: Antiques dealer Johnny Ribkin journeys through Florida where he meets with other members of the Ribkin family, whose special abilities were used to further the civil rights movement.

About the author: Ladee Hubbard lives in New Orleans with her husband and three children. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Read it for: An intimate portrait of a black family battling against segregation and inequality whose strength literally turns them into comic book-worthy superheroes.

THE HALF-DROWNED KING
By Linnea Hartsuyker

For fans of: Ken Follett, Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. Martin.

First line: “Ragnvald danced on the oars, leaping from one to the next as the crew rowed.”

About the book: A brother and sister fight to seize power and control of their own fate in the harsh, beautiful and unpredictable world of medieval Norway.

About the author: A descendant of the first king of Norway, Linnea Hartsuyker grew up in the woods of upstate New York and turned to writing after a decade working at internet startups.

Read it for: A spellbinding evocation of a long-lost world of magic and blood feuds, populated by characters riddled with doubt and human failing beneath their epic exteriors.

 

Khong photo credit Andria Lo.
Patterson photo credit Elaine Sheng.
Melamed photo credit Jennifer Boyle.
Schmidt photo credit Nicholas Purcell Studio.
Hubbard credit Vilma Samulionyte.
Hartsuyker credit Nina Subin.

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

We’ve got our eyes on you: These emerging writers have stopped us dead in our tracks with their unforgettable first novels, from epic historical adventures to imaginative family sagas.

NonfictionParentingEducationBusiness & Finance

Better ways to get schooled

Feature by Angela Leeper

From China to the neighborhood down the street, parents and educators around the world are continually pondering the best environments, teaching methods and curricula for today’s young people. To guide their decisions, we’re highlighting five recent and upcoming books that reflect some of the most interesting approaches to improving the educational experience.

Public, private, charter, online, home, magnet—the list goes on. With so many educational options, how do parents choose the best one for their child? Luckily, Kevin Leman, a psychologist and author of more than 50 books on parenting and relationships, offers Education a la Carte: Choosing the Best Schooling Options for Your Child. This no-nonsense guide discusses the possible benefits of each kind of school environment and focuses on finding the right fit for each child.

Leman will ease parents’ tension as he addresses typical concerns and shows how learning styles, birth order and parenting styles all factor into the decision process. Additional chapters cover topics such as preschool and kindergarten readiness, homework and grades. No matter the subject, Leman encourages parents to keep realistic expectations and to motivate with approval rather than criticism.

LAST LAUGH
Liberal arts majors are often the punchline of jokes. In You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a “Useless” Liberal Arts Education, Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author George Anders reveals that liberal arts majors are overtaking jobs once reserved for graduates with computer science and business degrees. He highlights the irony that, as tech fields become increasingly dependent on automation, the need for the human touch has never been more essential.

Anders explains how liberal arts majors offer valuable critical thinking skills and gives examples of individuals whose liberal arts degrees took them down unexpected paths. For instance, Bess Yount, who holds a sociology degree, is on Facebook’s sales and marketing team, and Stewart Butterfield, a philosophy major, now runs Slack Technologies. While the book is geared toward recent grads, even career switchers can benefit from the job strategies and insight into the dozens of major companies actively recruiting liberal arts majors. Above all, Anders shows that success is rarely a straight line.

WEST MEETS EAST
When Chinese-American journalist Lenora Chu and her husband took jobs in Shanghai, they eagerly enrolled their 3-year-old son, Rainey, in Soong Qing Ling, an elite “kindergarten” that would instill academic drive seemingly missing in the U.S. The author discovered that while Rainey outpaced his American counterparts in math and language, he was also subjected to harsh discipline, propaganda and extreme competition. The latter even led to bribery, with Chu finding herself gifting Coach purses in exchange for school opportunities.

Struck by these differences, Chu was curious about the Chinese education system. The result is Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve. Mixing personal anecdotes, observations of Chinese classrooms, interviews with parents and students and thought-provoking facts about Chinese education, the author reveals how yingshi jiaoyu—high-stakes testing—has created a culture of stress and conformity. Although Chinese schools have been influenced to some degree by Western ideals, such as creativity and independence, she notes that, ironically, American schools increasingly emphasize test taking. In the end, Chu lets readers consider what skills a 21st-century student needs and offers insight on the future of global education.

TEACHERS, BREATHE EASY
As British educator Katherine Weare reminds readers, schools are busy, pressured environments where teachers and students are often more concerned with the future than enjoying the present moment of learning. Weare and co-author Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk and international peace activist, also recognize that teachers typically focus on others’ needs over their own. Their secular collaboration, Happy Teachers Change the World: A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education, brings mindfulness to teachers and students.

Essays from Nhat Hanh set a reassuring mood to prepare for mindfulness exercises, while the second part of the book explains ties between these techniques and valuable education traits. Weare also addresses best practices and shows how mindfulness can be integrated in specific curriculum areas. Once comfortable with these practices, teachers can move on to suggestions for cultivating mindfulness across school communities.

FINNISHING SCHOOL
Even after experiencing burnout his first year of teaching, Timothy D. Walker, a contributing writer on education issues for The Atlantic, still espoused that good teachers “don’t do short workdays” but rather “push themselves—to the limit.” That is, until he relocated to his Finnish wife’s home country to teach elementary school. While educators around the world have recognized Finland’s consistent top scores in reading, math and science on international tests, the author was instead struck by how joy was prioritized in Finnish schools.

In Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms, Walker offers realistic tips on creating joyful schools, arranged according to five “ingredients” of happiness: well-being, belonging, autonomy, mastery and mindset. From scheduling brain breaks to cultivating a community of adults who share responsibility for a child to discussing grades so students can reflect on their learning, the tips are prefaced with lively anecdotes from the author’s own classroom experiences and often reveal how he overcame American biases to embrace them. While some strategies may need to be adapted to individual schools, they all highlight how we can learn to value happiness more than achievement.

 

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

We’ve highlighted five recent and upcoming books that reflect some of the most interesting approaches to improving the educational experience.

NonfictionParenting

It’s a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it

Feature by Amy Scribner

Raising children has never been more complex, but with a mix of expertise, humor and compassion, these parenting books offer important advice for parenting in the modern age.

It’s pretty easy to focus on weaknesses—our own and our kids’. How many times do we start sentences with “don’t” or focus on the average grades on the report card instead of the excellent ones? In The Strength Switch, Lea Waters, founding director of the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne, urges parents to move away from the negativity bias and offers strategies for helping children build important strengths such as gratitude, self-control and mindfulness.

“Savoring and gratitude help us and our children recognize the good times, intensify the juiciness of the moment, and do the strength building that happens when life is good,” she writes.

Waters writes with typical Australian sunniness and uses stories from families (including her own) and educators to illustrate her points. The Strength Shift offers a roadmap for making small shifts that will yield big results for children.

LAUGH IT OFF
Jen Hatmaker and her husband, Brandon, are pastors in Austin, Texas. She’s the bestselling author of 11 books, including several Bible studies, but her brand of religion is so inclusive, nonjudgmental and loving that her writing feels accessible to any woman—Christian or not—seeking wisdom about how to embrace a messy, beautiful life.

Hatmaker’s latest book, Of Mess and Moxie, is not strictly about parenting. She writes passionately about many aspects of modern female life, such as resiliency, the importance of creating art and how to find time to exercise (although she admits that, for her, “The problem is, I prefer watching Netflix and eating snacks.”). But her most poignant and hilarious chapters focus on her family of five children. From having the sex talk with her kids to grocery shopping for a family of seven, she mixes her advice with a healthy dose of humor and writes in a conversational tone that makes you feel like she’s confiding in you.

TURNING POINT
Many in our society are still grasping what it means to be transgender, although the recent high-profile transition of Caitlyn Jenner has helped educate Americans on the issue. Transgender Children and Youth by Elijah C. Nealy is an invaluable resource for those supporting children who are transgender. Nealy—a professor, clergyman and transgender man—provides in-depth explanations of what it means to be transgender and to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and what therapy and medical transitions entail. Perhaps most importantly, Nealy details how to work with young people and their families who are dealing with issues surrounding gender dysphoria and gender diversity.

Although the book is geared toward mental health providers and educators, it is a comprehensive and compassionate narrative that will prove useful for anyone seeking to better understand and support transgender youth. Using vignettes from his years of personal experience, as well as suggested approaches for professionals to take during family conversations, Nealy focuses not only on coming out as transgender but also on building and living a life as a happy transgender individual.

NO SHAME
Sarah Ockwell-Smith, a doula and homeopath, opens Gentle Discipline with a bold statement: “Almost everything we think we know about disciplining children today is wrong.”

Can’t get your toddler to brush his teeth? Why is your son suddenly swearing like a pirate? Ockwell-Smith may be a parenting expert, but even she has experience with her own son yelling an expletive in public. The truth was, her son was tired, he was hot, and he was thirsty. “He just snapped. Just as we all do at times,” Ockwell-Smith writes.

That’s the beauty of Ockwell-Smith’s guidance: She’s low on judgment and high on helpful insights into why your kid can go from angel to monster in 10 seconds flat. She details how children’s brains develop, how they learn and some common physiological triggers for poor behavior (such as sugar, lack of sleep and plain old sensory overload), as well as psychological ones (mimicking the actions they see in others).

But what’s truly thought provoking is Ockwell-Smith’s view that most common discipline methods just don’t work. Physical punishment like spanking causes kids to be more defiant. Distraction prevents children from discovering that emotions are OK. Ockwell-Smith offers excellent “gentle discipline” strategies for addressing some of the most common issues, such as whining, sibling rivalry and lying. This is a handbook for end-of-their-rope parents looking for a fresh approach to discipline.

BOYS AT THEIR BEST
If you’re looking for help with parenting your teenage boy, turn to He’s Not Lazy by Adam Price. As the mother of a 12-year-old son, I was drawn to child psychologist Price’s empathetic views. He writes, “Not only are there the physical changes to contend with, but on a deeper level your son is grappling with profound questions . . . Who am I? What do I believe in? What should I become, and do I have what it takes to get there?”

Price focuses specifically on boys, as boys are much likelier to be diagnosed with learning disabilities, and many education specialists believe boys “are at an intrinsic disadvantage in a classroom that discourages their natural tendency to be active, and competitive.” So rather than facing failure, boys simply opt out and are thus likely to be labeled as lazy.

Parents can help combat this by being their sons’ advocates. No, this doesn’t mean hovering while your son does his homework. It means helping your son find his own motivation. As Price puts it, “The qualities you most want him to develop—self-control, self-determination, self-regulation—all begin with the same word.”

Price outlines common-sense tactics to support boys in finding those “self” words. I have a feeling I’ll be pulling this book off the shelf to consult for years to come.

 

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Raising children has never been more complex, but with a mix of expertise, humor and compassion, these parenting books offer important advice for parenting in the modern age.

Fiction

Summer shorts

Feature by Julie Hale

A great short story offers a quick and powerful reprieve from reality. If escape is what you crave, then check out the stellar new collections featured below. Written by three of today’s top literary fiction authors, these stories will sweep you away.

“People pretend the world is ordinary every day,” a character says in Samantha Hunt’s hypnotic collection, The Dark Dark. But Hunt knows better; her narrative worlds are twilit realms suffused with dark possibility, in which jarring connections and overpowering transformations prove the rule. In a taut, “Twin Peaks”-ish story called “The Yellow,” a dead dog is resurrected when the man who killed him shares a moment of unexpected intimacy with its owner. In the bleakly humorous “Love Machine,” an FBI agent develops romantic feelings for a robot. The narrator of “Beast”—a woman grappling with the routines of life and marriage—turns into a deer at night. That’s right—a deer. Equipped with a voice that’s delicately poetic yet quietly ominous, Hunt can make the impossible seem plausible. She’s in a class by herself.

GLOBE TROTTER
In his radiant new book, The Mountain, Paul Yoon moves with ease through eras and locales, from New York State in the early 1900s to modern-day Russia. Despite the disparate settings, the six stories in this collection feel of a piece, as each features displaced characters who are adrift in the world. The solitary narrator of “A Willow and the Moon” tries in the decades after World War II to come to terms with his family’s history. “Still a Fire” follows a drug-addicted nurse as she ekes out a meager existence in France during the late 1940s. Yoon uses precise, measured prose to create atmospheric narratives that lack neat resolutions. The Mountain’s overall mood is one of wistfulness—a feeling that stays with the reader after the final page has been turned.

MODERN PULSE
Sarah Hall’s Madame Zero is a bold set of stories that speak to the times. Through these perceptive, sharply realized narratives, Hall explores gender roles, female sexuality and the power dynamics inherent in romantic relationships, demonstrating along the way a remarkable ability to shift between voices and forms. A three-page thriller about a deadly epidemic, “One in Four” is a letter written by a drug-industry insider to his wife. “Case Study 2” is just that—an objective, nearly clinical account of a troubled foster child who was brought up in a commune. In “Evie,” the title character’s aggressively erotic actions bewilder her husband and signal the approach of tragedy. Humming with tension and enlivened by Hall’s nimble prose, these of-the-moment stories form a collection that’s destined to endure.

 

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

A great short story offers a quick and powerful reprieve from reality. If escape is what you crave, then check out the stellar new collections featured below. Written by three of today’s top literary fiction authors, these stories will sweep you away.

Romance

Dislike at first sight

Feature by Lois Dyer

Sometimes a romance starts with honest-to-god love at first sight. But other times, a pair doesn’t exactly start off strong. In the three titles we’ve chosen for you this month, each couple begins with mixed feelings, unsure if a fairy-tale ending is even possible. Fortunately for readers, the journey is oh-so-satisfying.

COWBOY UP
Third-generation rancher and rodeo competitor Kari Lynn Dell returns readers to the world of professional rodeo in Tougher in Texas, the third book in her Texas Rodeo series. Independent, sassy and tough, beautiful rodeo competitor Shawnee Pickett is the opposite of tall, dark and intense producer Cole Jacobs. He has his hands full keeping Jacobs Livestock horses and bulls performing at top level for contracted rodeos. The last thing Cole wanted was to deal with Shawnee on his team. Shawnee has known Cole and his family for years, and has always enjoyed teasing the stoic cowboy. Now that they’re working closely on a daily basis, however, she learns there’s much more to him than a hard body and a handsome face. Should she give in to the lure of temptation and sleep with Cole? They both have trust issues from traumatic events in their pasts, and given how close their family ties are, hooking up could damage those relationships. But despite both of their efforts to keep the other at arm’s length, they’re irresistibly drawn together. But when Cole learns the truth about the big secret she’s been keeping, will he still want her?

The rodeo setting rings with authenticity and vibrant color, and the hero and heroine are layered and well-developed, their relationship romantic and realistic with lots of sexual tension. This latest in a unique, stellar series is sure to send readers racing to download the other novels in the series, Reckless in Texas and Tangled in Texas.

HOW TO PLAN A KILLER WEDDING
Canadian author Casey Griffin brings readers a lighthearted blend of love and mystery with A Wedding Tail, the third novel in her Rescue Dog Romance series. Cynical wedding planner Zoe Plum plans perfect weddings for happy couples. After her groom left her waiting at the altar six years earlier, she locked her battered heart behind a wall and avoided involvement with men. When handsome, romantic musician Levi Dolson serves as a last-minute groomsman for a wedding party, Zoe is definitely attracted to him. Unfortunately for Levi, she’s equally determined not to acknowledge how she feels.

Focused, deceptively easygoing Levi is committed to prying the real Zoe out from behind the happily single facade she shows the world. He’s convinced she’s the woman for him, but can’t get her to admit that their connection goes beyond the physical. He easily charms her cute little dachshund Freddy, but Zoe isn’t as easily swayed.

When a series of assaults on Zoe’s business, wedding parties and vehicle threaten her safety, she’s shaken and turns to Levi for help. Coping with the puzzling and mysterious threats draws them closer together, and when all seems lost, Levi and Freddy are all that stand between Zoe and danger. What’s a girl to do when confronted with a gorgeous man and an adorable dog determined to rescue her from both evil intent and not-so-happy singlehood? Could Zoe be ready to plan her own wedding?

This quirky, often hilarious novel boasts a charming cast of characters, buttressed by a solid mystery plot and plenty of sexual tension.

ONE SULTRY SUMMER
Harper Sloan hits it out of the park with Kiss My Boots, the second novel in her Coming Home series. Beautiful Quinn Davis lives life on her own terms in her small Texas hometown. She fell in love with Tate Montgomery when they were only teenagers, and when he returned to Georgia to go to college, he promised to love her forever. Then he stopped taking her calls and letters. He broke her heart, and she’s never forgiven him. When Tate returns unexpectedly, taking up his late grandfather’s medical practice, Quinn is determined to ignore him.

Tate had valid reasons for breaking contact with the only girl he ever loved. Now those reasons are gone, and he’s damned if he’ll let anything stand between him and Quinn. He knows he’ll have to grovel, probably beg and certainly explain what happened to Quinn and her two very protective older brothers. Quinn’s heart has always belonged to Tate, but after the long years of separation, can she trust him again? She’s grown accustomed to days without him, but now that he’s back, every hour they spend apart feels like weeks. Is there any hope they can move past old hurts to find a happy future together, or will he break her fragile heart a second time?

This steamy novel is all about second chances and learning to trust again. The honorable hero and heroine, charming small-town setting and endearing secondary characters are certain to garner more readers for Sloan.

 

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Go Behind the Book with Kari Lynn Dell. 

Sometimes a romance starts with honest to god love-at-first-sight. But other times, a pair doesn’t exactly start off strong. In the three titles we’ve chosen for you this month, each couple begins with mixed feelings, unsure if a fairytale ending is even possible. Fortunately for readers, the journey is oh-so-satisfying.

FictionWorld Fiction

Fissures in wedlock

Feature by Lauren Bufferd

Both books examine the easy power of sexual desire and the troubled untangling of domestic ties. And despite the differences in time and place, both novels feature protagonists with a loneliness at their core—acutely aware of what divides them from their family and friends.

Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca may be the ultimate second-wife story, and Lily Tuck uses it as a touchstone for her seventh novel. Sisters relates a very personal story of an unnamed narrator, her family—including her husband and stepchildren—and the all-too-real presence of her husband’s first wife known only as she. It is she that the narrator is fixated on, her marriage, her mothering style, her aptitude at the piano, even her dog. Nothing in the narrator’s experience can equal her husband’s first marriage, his life with her in France, even his affair and subsequent divorce. With a mixture of curiosity, envy and compulsion, the narrator’s preoccupation with her threatens all current relationships, not just with her husband but with his son and daughter as well.

Tuck eschews a climactic confrontation and prefers to quietly highlight the damage caused by obsession, exposing the risks of paying back betrayal with betrayal. Though the conclusion feels abrupt, the story is elegantly told and the portrait of a marriage unflinching.

Set against the turbulent politics of Nigeria in the 1980s, Ayobami Adebayo’s debut, Stay with Me, tells the story of a marriage that frays under the forces of fidelity and fertility. Yejide and Akin met and fell in love at university. Four years after they married, Yejide is running a successful salon, and Akin is comfortably employed as well. But they remain childless. The couple tries fertility doctors, healers, pilgrimages and charms until, under the pressure of Nigerian ideals of masculinity, Akin’s family insists he take a second wife, going so far as to bring the young woman to their home. To say this causes havoc would be an understatement. Yet, when Yejide finally does get pregnant, the results take an enormous toll on the couple.

Though the tragedies of Stay with Me are melodramatic in scope, Adebayo displays a quiet empathy when the couple confronts the truth of their fertility problems and struggle with sickle cell anemia (an enormous problem in Nigeria, where one in four people is infected). Stay with Me offers a unique look at a couple coping with biological forces that are out of their control and a marriage that is tested almost beyond endurance.

Though very different in style, scope and setting, these two novels are a welcome addition to the exploration of marriage in fiction, examining the boundaries and the limitlessness of love between two—or even three—people.

 

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Love, fidelity, jealousy and desire are some of the issues explored in two new novels about marriage—one by a seasoned writer known for her brevity and psychological portraits, the other a debut by one of Nigeria’s freshest voices.

Fiction

The power of faith to transform fear

Feature by Lonna Upton

September brings cooler, crisper air to revive our senses, and these three inspirational works are sure to revive our souls. From Mitford to Paris, Oregon to England, these novels explore the calming nature of faith.

Jennie Pickett, an Oregon frontier woman balancing her family and a dream, stands tall as the heroine of Jane Kirkpatrick’s All She Left Behind. Bestselling author of more than 30 books, Kirkpatrick masterfully weaves the ups and downs of Jennie’s life with real events in the late 19th century, creating a story that inspires us while we travel with Jennie down a trail filled with difficulties, decisions and desires.

Gifted in homeopathic remedies, Jennie knows that God has called her to do more with her gift; however, women have limited rights in the 1870s, and Jennie has learning difficulties. She’ll need her faith and ferocity as she handles each obstacle in her way.

Kirkpatrick captivates with a straightforward perspective of the traumatic effects of addiction on a family. Jennie deals with her first husband’s decline into alcohol and drug abuse, doing her best to salvage their marriage and understand her husband’s demons. When the marriage ends in disaster, Jennie rises above her circumstances to begin a new life.

Jennie’s second marriage to a prominent pastor propels her into a journey of self-healing as she works toward her dream of healing others. Kirkpatrick powerfully connects her 19th-century heroine to women of today through descriptions of Jennie’s struggles to find time for both family and career, and the way in which she ultimately finds peace through the power of faith and healing.

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
In her latest novel, The Space Between Words, Michèle Phoenix beautifully entwines the lives of Jessica, a survivor of the 2015 Paris terror attacks, and Adeline, a victim of Protestant persecution in 17th-century France.

Jessica’s trip to visit her best friend, Patrick, leaves her hollow after she watches dozens of concertgoers suffer and die during the horrific shooting. After, she no longer finds joy in her life—only fear. Patrick, never fearful or lacking enthusiasm, encourages her to move past the terror and begin their planned antique treasure hunt in the French countryside.

The journey of healing begins when Jessica finds an antique sewing box—or the box finds her—and she follows centuries-old clues to determine the fate of Adeline’s family. Along the way, Jessica struggles to understand how anyone, at any time in history, can find God in their lives while mired in terror. Mysterious pages from an old Bible keep readers connecting clues from beginning to end, and the depth of Jessica’s despair keeps us rallying for her recovery.

Phoenix’s vivid descriptions of the brutality against French Protestants in the 17th century, as well as Jessica’s recollection of the bloodshed she witnessed at the theater, rivet us with a visceral understanding of the evil inflicted upon innocents during both eras. Until she can make sense of Adeline’s story, courage, wisdom and faith flutter just beyond Jessica’s grasp, weakening her ability to mend her own brokenness.

OUR FAVORITE FAMILY
Jan Karon never disappoints, and readers will devour the 14th book in the bestselling author’s heartwarming Mitford series. To Be Where You Are cheerfully takes us back to mingle with the Kavanagh family and the other residents of Mitford, a small Southern town with its share of troubles—which are always manageable through a little love and lots of prayer.

Father Tim Kavanagh—retired, quick-witted prayer partner to Mitford’s residents—and his wife, Cynthia, guide three generations of their family in this inspirational collection of events, all filled with Karon’s loving attention to detail.

Between these pages, Father Kavanagh steps into a new career; the newspaper editor struggles to revive the romance in his marriage; and plans for the Christmas parade, held on a nontraditional date, prove alarming. Dooley and Lace—newlyweds now handling Meadowgate Farm, a vet practice and their 4-year-old—keep us cheering them on despite the ripple effects of a lost cell phone, stressful emergencies with animals and a building crisis, all while they plan a party to end all parties for their son.

Karon satiates her fans’ craving for more Mitford with these stories of grace and compassion, all told with a dose of humor and humility.

 

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

September brings cooler, crisper air to revive our senses, and these three inspirational works are sure to revive our souls. From Mitford to Paris, Oregon to England, these novels explore the calming nature of faith.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Forever friends in new picture books

Feature by Julie Hale

The start of the school year brings big changes for little students: a new teacher, different stuff to study and—yikes!—a classroom filled with unfamiliar faces. If your youngsters are feeling shy about finding new buddies at school or on the playground, then take a peek at the titles below. Each one celebrates the specialness of friendship and proves that bonds can blossom where least expected.

FROM FOES TO FRIENDS
David Elliott’s ever-so-clever tale of two sheep, Baabwaa & Wooliam (ages 4 to 8), has the makings of a classic. Baabwaa and Wooliam are homebodies (she’s a knitter; he’s a bookworm), but when Wooliam gets the adventure itch, they decide to hit the road. All too soon, they encounter a suspicious-looking sheep with an oversize snout, dirty coat and terrible teeth—the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing! The two friends run from the trickster (“If this is an adventure,” Baabwaa says, “I’m not a fan!”), but the chase ends—and friendship ensues—when the wolf asks for help with an unusual undertaking. The story’s droll humor is underscored by Melissa Sweet’s illustrations, which have bold touches of color and smart details (check out the nifty trailer the sheep call home). Here’s hoping Elliott continues the adventures of this wonderful, woolly pair.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Vibrant colors, lively mixed-media illustrations and a dynamic storytelling style make Ed Vere’s Max and Bird (ages 3 and up) extra special. The friendship of Max, a black kitten, and tiny Bird starts off swimmingly. But Max’s observation that his new pal “looks like a tasty snack” is a red flag for Bird. He knows that true friends help each other, and when he asks Max to assist him in learning how to fly, the two embark on an unexpected adventure that teaches them all about the pleasures of partnership. “I don’t want to eat you up,” Max determines in the end. “It’s not what friends do.” The third title from Vere to feature Max—a wide-eyed protagonist with plenty of kittenish appeal—this tale of an unexpected alliance between two contrary creatures definitely soars.

QUEST FOR COMPANIONSHIP
A curious fox named Marco sets out on an unforgettable voyage in Dashka Slater’s The Antlered Ship (ages 4 to 8). Marco is filled with wonder about the world. “Why don’t trees ever talk? How deep does the sun go when it sinks into the sea?” he asks himself. When an unusual ship commanded by a deer arrives at the dock, Marco joins the crew with the hope of finding a likeminded fox who will be his friend. The seafarers meet with nasty weather—and an even nastier gang of pirates—but by working as a team, they manage to sail to a marvelous island. In the end, Marco learns that true friendship is closer than he imagined. Terry and Eric Fan’s breathtaking illustrations have an old-fashioned realism that suits the book’s timeless storyline. Little readers will want to follow Marco on this amazing journey.

The start of the school year brings big changes for little students: a new teacher, different stuff to study and—yikes!—a classroom filled with unfamiliar faces. If your youngsters are feeling shy about finding new buddies at school or on the playground, then take a peek at the titles below. Each one celebrates the specialness of friendship and proves that bonds can blossom where least expected.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Majestic moon: New picture books celebrate Earth’s satellite

Feature by Julie Hale

It’s been a big year for the moon, thanks to the spectacle that was the Great American Eclipse. No doubt about it, when it comes to magic and mystery, the moon puts its cosmic competition in the shade! If you haven’t already introduced your young ones to the wonders of moon, our roundup of lunar-inspired titles is a great place to start.

MOON WALK
Rachael Cole’s sweet, simple City Moon (ages 3 to 7) takes place on a crisp autumn evening. After darkness has fallen, “after tooth-brushing time,” a boy and his mother head out for a stroll, hand in hand, to find the moon. “We crane our necks up to the sky, but it’s hiding,” the boy says. “Where is it?” The city streets hum with after-dark activities. There are shoppers and dog-walkers, cyclists and joggers, colorful taxicabs and a fierce-looking fire engine. When mother and son finally come upon the moon, full and beaming above the dark cityscape, the reader shares their sense of surprise. Blanca Gómez’s collage-like, urban-inspired illustrations are a feast for the eyes. The book’s closing image of the boy asleep in bed, his room illuminated by the moon, sums up the enchantment of this tranquil little tale.

AN UNFORGETTABLE GAME
When the Moon Comes (ages 4 to 8) by Paul Harbridge is a luminous story of friendship and full-moon magic. As December sets in with a hard freeze and snow, a group of kids gets set to play a nighttime game of hockey. Only one thing is missing: the moon. They wait for it to get full (“This week the moon is growing”), their excitement increasing. When the big night finally arrives, the kids bundle up and trek down to the frozen water. As the full moon rises above the trees, the book’s narrator—a young boy—stops midgame to take in the sight. With his friends, he shares a night on the ice that’s truly special. Artist Matt James creates a winter wonderland in breathtaking illustrations that have texture and a sense of mystery. This one-of-a-kind moonlit adventure is sure to capture young imaginations.

NIGHT SPRITE
The captivating story of a solitary forest urchin, Wee Sister Strange (ages 4 to 8) by Holly Grant will leave little readers mesmerized. Grant tells the tale of her heroine—a pale slip of a girl with red hair and a crown of leaves—through rhymed stanzas. At home in the woods, Wee Sister Strange goes exploring after sundown: “She drinks up the moon / Like a cat drinking cream. / She drinks up the dark / Like it’s tea with the queen.” Wee Sister Strange is brave enough to climb a tree, dive into a bog and befriend a bear. She’s clearly looking for something on her way through the woods, but the reader doesn’t find out what it is until the book’s final heartwarming scenes. Artist K.G. Campbell’s marvelous illustrations transport the reader to an intriguing otherworld. This fantastical tale has all the makings of a classic.

It’s been a big year for the moon, thanks to the spectacle that was the Great American Eclipse. No doubt about it, when it comes to magic and mystery, the moon puts its cosmic competition in the shade! If you haven’t already introduced your young ones to the wonders of moon, our roundup of lunar-inspired titles is a great place to start.

Romance

Love in the limelight

Feature by Lois Dyer

Have you ever contemplated being rich and famous? Dreamed of walking a red carpet or seeing your face featured on Page Six? All that attention sounds glamorous, right? Perhaps it would be a dream come true and a wonderful experience, but in the book duet we’ve chosen for you this month, fame and fortune complicate our couples’ chances of happy ever after to an amazing degree. Can lovers find happiness with the world watching their every move? Let’s find out . . .

MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL MARRIAGE
Former fashion designer K.M. Jackson closes out her Unconventional Brides series with The Betting Vow. Supermodel Leila Darling is ready to move on from print ads and runway modeling. After a small part in a movie earns her critical acclaim, she’s energized and determined to focus on her acting career. A recently broken engagement, however, has only contributed to her reputation as a high-maintenance party girl. Handsome TV executive Carter Bain has had a crush on Leila Darling since the first time he saw the beautiful model in a print ad, and he wants to sign her for a sitcom on his network. When Leila’s manager introduces them at a party in Las Vegas, the two find themselves sharing drinks and playing poker, which results in an unconventional agreement—a six-month marriage.

Leila and Carter’s marriage of convenience is supposed to be good for both of their careers and neither expects love out of the deal. Except–the spark between them was undeniably strong since their first meeting. Can they share an apartment and keep their relationship platonic? It’s clear they have much in common, but is there any chance their business arrangement could end in true love? If they lay their hearts on the line and gamble on forever, do they really have a chance at living happily ever after?

There is much to enjoy in this novel, from the slow burn of growing affection that adds heat to an already powerful physical connection, to the cast of very likeable family and friends who support the couple. The background setting in the TV and modeling world add color to a plot driven by an engaging couple. Leila is smart, strong and perfectly balanced by the stable, wise and eminently sigh-worthy Carter. Romance readers will love this story.

HER BIGGEST FAN
The first full-length novel in her Montana Heat series, Jennifer Ryan’s Escape To You is a thrilling, heartwarming love story. The world believes that Oscar-winning actress Ashley Swan walked away from fame to find a more peaceful life. The reality is that Ashley was kidnaped by a man she thought was a friend and held hostage, tortured and imprisoned for nearly a year. Finally, her captor accidentally leaves her cell door ajar and Ashley escapes, taking her four-year-old fellow prisoner with her. She flees into the Montana wilderness with a full blown blizzard looming, knowing full well there’s little chance they’ll survive, but that even death is better than what they leave behind. Fate has other plans for Ashley and little Adam, however, for she stumbles across the isolated home of DEA agent Beck Cooke. Beck takes her and the child in, keeping them safe while they work out a plan to bring the sadistic madman to justice.

Slowly, despite the trauma she’s endured, Ashley begins to trust Beck. But before they can plan a future together, they will have to stop the madman stalking Ashley. Her kidnapper wants her back and he’s prepared to kill anyone who stands in his way. Will Ashley and Beck ever be safe from the danger that threatens them and the little boy they’ve both grown to love?

This romantic suspense novel is a riveting, nonstop roller coaster ride. The villain is supremely evil, the hero is wonderfully noble and the heroine is strong and beautiful inside and out. Readers will hold their breath during nail-biting danger and cheer with delight when these two damaged, good-hearted people fall in love. If you only have time to read one contemporary suspense novel this fall, pick this one—it doesn’t disappoint on any level.

 

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

Have you ever contemplated being rich and famous? Dreamed of walking a red carpet or seeing your face featured on Page Six? All that attention sounds glamorous, right? Perhaps it would be a dream come true and a wonderful experience, but in the book duet we’ve chosen for you this month, fame and fortune complicate our couples’ chances of happy ever after to an amazing degree. Can lovers find happiness with the world watching their every move? Let’s find out . . .

NonfictionFictionSpeculative Fiction

Trick or treat: fact or fiction?

Feature by Eleanor Macbreale

When it comes to things that go bump in the night, are you a straight-shooting skeptic who wants the evidence behind the enigmas, or do you revel in tales of the supernatural? Whatever you fancy, we’ve got a grab bag of five new Halloween-appropriate reads. Leave the lamp on!

Our favorite mortician is back to tell us all about corpses! In From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, Caitlin Doughty, the bestselling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, explores the variety of ways cultures around the world deal with their dead. As she travels across the globe, stopping everywhere from Bolivia to Japan, Colorado to Spain, Doughty is a respectful observer of all that unfolds, even when confronted with death rites that appear strange to eyes accustomed to the Western practices of burial and cremation. In a remote region of Indonesia, families make sure their loved ones are never forgotten by regularly visiting their graves, retrieving the body to be washed and redressed, and filling them in on the latest goings-on. In the U.S., a movement to normalize more natural ways of handling the dead—sans chemicals, sans coffin—has gained traction. Yet each tradition from every culture Doughty observes is an expression of respect—what may seem ghoulish to one is the ultimate form of love for another.

THE SPIRIT REALM
In the mid-1800s, the Spiritualism movement and the belief in communication beyond the grave gripped American minds. In a time when technology—like telegrams and photography—was rapidly creating miracles, the ability to communicate with the dead didn’t seem too far-fetched. The Civil War further fanned the flames of Spiritualism, as grief-stricken families sought to speak to their loved ones one last time. But as the excitement of Spiritualism swept the nation, William Mumler was dubious. So when a self-portrait he took while alone in a photography studio showed a girl sitting beside him, he assumed it was a technical error. But then he realized that he recognized the girl in the photo. It was his cousin, who had died 12 years prior. Thus begins the bizarre story of photography, ghosts, grief and lies that plays out in Peter Manseau’s fascinating The Apparitionists. Mumler, aided by his wife, who called herself a healing medium, went on to create a business based on these “spirit photographs,” even taking a photo of the widowed Mary Todd Lincoln that showed her dead husband’s hands lovingly resting on her shoulders. In the battle between science and Spiritualism, science eventually won. But the desire to peek beyond the veil of the living may never die.

MONSTER MASH
Aaron Mahnke’s “Lore” is one of the most popular podcasts out there. Of course, entertainment with a supernatural or mythological bent has always drawn listeners, but Mahnke’s talent and appeal come from his desire to put stories about creatures such as the wendigo and haunted dolls in context. He caters to both the Mulder and the Scully inside us all by presenting these fantastical tales alongside impeccable historical research. The first of a planned trilogy, The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures follows a very similar format to the podcast—for fans, these stories may be a bit too familiar, but the uninitiated will find much to explore. Pick almost any mythical monster, and you’ll find it via organized chapters: For records of vampires, try “The Dead Returned”; you’ll find skin-crawling historical tales of doppelgängers in “Our Other Halves”; and if you’re into specters, try “Beyond the Veil.” Mahnke’s tongue-in-cheek asides make these tales great fun, and the book is wonderfully designed with Edward Gorey-inspired pencil illustrations. And for fans who just can’t get enough Lore, a television series is on its way to Amazon.

A CHILL IN THE AIR
Literary horror fans know that there are few authors as deft at marrying pulse-pounding action and a sense of inescapable dread than Joe Hill. Fans of his masterful thrillers NOS4A2 and The Fireman will find plenty to love in his new collection of four short novels, Strange Weather. The unifying theme here is the sheer terror that the unapologetic forces of nature can instill in us, but Hill cleverly sets the detached whims of the weather against the calculated, deliberate actions of sinister individuals. In “Loaded,” a shooter attacks a shopping mall while a wildfire propelled by wind decimates thousands of acres outside. “Rain” follows a group of survivors in Boulder, Colorado, after an apocalyptic rainfall of “needle-sharp amber glass . . . hard as quartz.” With each story spanning around 100 pages, this is the perfect collection to split up into a few satisfying chunks as we creep closer to Allhallows Eve.

THE WOMAN IN WHITE
“Just because you can’t see a thing doesn’t mean she isn’t there.” But who is she, and what is she? When she was alive, she was Emma Rose, an Irish immigrant who found her way to a small logging town in Northern California. But even now, after her death, she still feels like Emma, though she’s more of a spectator now—taking in the church bells each morning, the seals on the shore and the scent of wildflowers on Evergreen Hill. Emma has been lingering in her mortal home known as the Lambry House for 100 years, and she’s determined to remain there (much to the horror of the home’s new residents), even when a supernatural hunter comes to forcibly scrape her out. M Dressler paints a moving, chilly portrait of a woman’s afterlife in The Last to See Me, perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver’s quietly haunting ghost story Rooms.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

When it comes to things that go bump in the night, are you a straight-shooting skeptic who wants the evidence behind the enigmas, or do you revel in tales of the supernatural? Whatever you fancy, we’ve got a grab bag of five new Halloween-appropriate reads. Leave the lamp on!

Fiction

Fast times, short fiction

Feature by Julie Hale

No doubt about it, we’re living in an accelerated era, a time when technology expedites everything from buying groceries to getting the news. Pushing boundaries and mixing genres, the authors of five new collections of short fiction capture the nature of the here and now, and speculate about tomorrow. If you’re wondering what the world is coming to, these writers can give you a hint.

T.C. Boyle published his first work of fiction 38 years ago and has since earned the status of literary legend. His bemused yet compassionate view of the human condition is on full display in The Relive Box and Other Stories, a timely collection that explores the decline of nature and the takeover of technology. In the title story, an addictive device that allows users to watch their pasts unfold comes between single dad Wes and his teenage daughter, Katie. In “Are We Not Men?” Roy and Connie decide to have a baby after 12 years of marriage, at a time when genetic editing enables couples to choose the traits of their children. A few of the narratives (the tale of an ant invasion, for instance) seem to come straight from “The Twilight Zone,” but Boyle balances these strange situations with poignant portrayals of the people caught up in them. Boyle is a master mood-mixer, and this funny-scary-sad collection is filled with stories to be savored.

21ST-CENTURY FAIRY TALES
“Brides never fare well in stories. Stories can sense happiness and snuff it out like a candle,” writes Carmen Maria Machado in the first story of her electrifying debut, Her Body and Other Parties. These foreboding words serve as a setup for what’s to come in this edgy, erotic collection. Throughout eight stories, Machado uses allusions to folktales and myths along with elements of magic realism and fantasy to explore the inner lives of women. In “The Husband Stitch,” the narrator wears a ribbon around her neck that’s off-limits to her partner. Its purpose is revealed in a scene of offhand horror that brings to mind the brutality of the Brothers Grimm. In “Inventory,” a woman takes stock of her past as she flees a deadly virus. “Especially Heinous” is a creepy re-envisioning of the TV series “Law & Order: SVU” that features a demon and a pair of clones. Machado moves from the surreal to the real and back again with incredible ease. This spellbinding collection marks the arrival of an impressive new writer.

TOM HANKS, FICTION WRITER
With his delightful Uncommon Type: Some Stories, beloved actor Tom Hanks takes on the role of writer and proves to be a natural. Hanks isn’t just dabbling here—he can really write. A tale of romance gone awry, “Three Exhausting Weeks” is the hilarious chronicle of an incompatible couple whose relationship quickly runs its course. Virgil and Bud, a pair of World War II veterans, reminisce on the phone in “Christmas Eve 1953,” a moving, nostalgic story that includes powerful scenes of combat. “A Junket in the City of Light” is a brilliant sendup of the movie industry that follows Rory, a would-be star, as he promotes his first film. In some way big or small, a typewriter features in each of the 17 stories. It’s an appropriate symbol for narratives that are all about communication and connection. Given the intelligence Hanks brings to the craft of acting, it makes sense that he would have a knack for storytelling. Filled with warmth, comedy and wisdom, this companionable collection is as appealing as its author.

SHORTS THAT RUN DEEP
National Book Award-winning author James McBride delivers his first short-story collection with Five-Carat Soul. In this wonderfully varied batch of stories (none of which have been published before), McBride moves between eras and characters without missing a beat. “The Under Graham Railroad Box Car Set” is the story of “the most valuable toy in the world”—a train designed for the son of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that has made its way through history and landed in the hands of the enigmatic Spurgeon Hart. “The Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band” is an extended narrative that could provide the foundation for a novel. Set in a beleaguered black section of Pittsburgh during the Vietnam era, it’s a beautifully wrought coming-of-age tale narrated by a boy named Butter. Throughout the book, McBride effortlessly adapts different voices and perspectives, from a cranky, hooded guard who prepares people for the afterlife (“The Moaning Bench”) to a Union Army soldier who rescues an orphan (“Father Abe”). With this multifaceted volume, McBride proves once again that he’s a writer of remarkable range and facility.

A CAREER COLLECTION
Stretching across nearly three decades, Jeffrey Eugenides’ first collection of stories, Fresh Complaint, tracks his rise as a writer and offers a fascinating look at the development of his genius. In novels like the Pulitzer Prize-winning Middlesex (2002) and The Marriage Plot (2011), Eugenides explored the fluidity of gender and the dynamics of relationships in ways that were perceptive, compelling and original. Fans will find more of the same in this satisfying collection. “The Oracular Vulva,” first published in The New Yorker in 1999, features tormented sexologist Peter Luce, who’s conducting research in Indonesia. “Baster” (1995) tells the story of middle-aged Tomasina and her unorthodox approach to getting pregnant (yes, a baster is involved). A new story, “Complainers,” is the plaintive tale of two longtime female friends, one of whom is stricken with dementia. Throughout, Eugenides demonstrates his unfailing expertise as a chronicler of the routines and rituals, motivations and aspirations that comprise the human condition. This retrospective volume is a welcome addition to his body of work.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

No doubt about it, we’re living in an accelerated era, a time when technology expedites everything from buying groceries to getting the news. Pushing boundaries and mixing genres, the authors of five new collections of short fiction capture the nature of the here and now, and speculate about tomorrow. If you’re wondering what the world is coming to, these writers can give you a hint.

Science Fiction & FantasyFiction

Writ large and small

Feature by Savanna Walker

The mainstreaming of science fiction and fantasy has given writers the freedom to experiment, to change how these stories are told and who gets to stand at the forefront of them.

James Bradley’s Clade marries narrative devices more commonly found in literary fiction to one of the newest subgenres of sci-fi—climate change fiction or “cli-fi.” Beginning with scientist Adam and his artist wife, Ellie, Clade follows the pair and their descendants through the changing ecological and political climate. Each chapter jumps forward in time and switches perspectives, stitching together a narrative of small, lyrical stories that only rarely intersect with the cataclysmic events erupting the world over.

Bradley captures how lives can be tinged with a sense of change happening too slowly for one individual to track—his characters are left with only a low whine of anxiety, a sense of things slipping away in their peripheral vision. The jumps in time between chapters make the increasingly dire situation on Earth even more alarming; the reader begins each section not knowing how much time has passed or which characters are missing due to catastrophe or disease or without any explanation at all.

Bleak and hopeful in equal measure, Clade is a striking paradox of a book—a soothing tale of the coming apocalypse.

As opposed to Clade’s ever-expanding family tree, The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera concerns itself with only two main characters. But while Bradley’s novel feels like a collection of impeccably constructed haiku, Rivera’s sweeping fantasy debut is like an epic poem from a bygone age.

Rivera wisely takes her time in the initial pages of The Tiger’s Daughter, sparing the reader tedious passages of exposition. Shizuka is the heir to the Hokkaran Empire, whereas Shefali grew up among her mother’s nomadic Qorin people. As Shefali and Shizuka move from initial distrust to hesitant acceptance, each learns about the other’s respective culture. Through references to the histories of their mothers, who fought against the same dangers that now threaten their daughters, Rivera implies an entire universe teeming with stories.

The Tiger’s Daughter is the rare introduction to a series that tells a complete story within the first installment, largely due to the complexity of its two leads. Both glory in their abilities and struggle with the resulting sense of isolation. Arrogant, ferociously loyal Shizuka is a dueling prodigy, but she worries she’ll never equal her mother’s legacy. And some of the novel’s most breathtaking passages spring from Shefali’s increasingly frantic attempts to cling to her humanity beneath her quiet, stoic exterior.

In a genre saturated with deconstructionist takes on epic fantasy, it is immensely satisfying to read Rivera’s debut, which wholeheartedly embraces its epic scale while effortlessly showcasing the diversity the genre has so often lacked. An adventure that aches with romance, written with easy, lyrical confidence, The Tiger’s Daughter gives the reader the incontrovertible sense that it will be a new fantasy classic.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

The mainstreaming of science fiction and fantasy has given writers the freedom to experiment, to change how these stories are told and who gets to stand at the forefront of them.

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