Some Bright Nowhere
Ann Packer
A shocking open — Claire has just asked her loving husband to move out; she has six months left to live — settles into an absorbing if quieter character study. I was rapt.
Buy on Bookshop.org ↗If you liked this, try…
★ 5The Correspondent
Virginia Evans
The protagonist of this beautiful novel is a 73-year-old woman processing her life — and regrets — through letters. It’s poignant but not saccharine, specific but universally appealing. I dare you not to cry.
★ 5Sandwich
Catherine Newman
Sandwich, by Catherine Newman, describes a family’s week-long vacation in Wellfleet and instantly transported me back. It’s funny, moving, and relatable, much like Newman herself (Aliza and I saw her speak in Boston a few weeks ago.) If you just finished All Fours and aren’t ready to stop thinking/reading about menopause, try Sandwich next.
★ 5The Nix
Nathan Hill
A man reconnects with the mother who abandoned him, now suddenly in the national news. Sprawling, ambitious, and a total blast.