The Guest
Emma Cline
A beautiful twenty-something is staying with her older lover on Long Island. She flirts with someone else in front of him, and he kicks her out. Most people would go home… but Alex stays. Typically, after a few months, a book’s plot becomes hazy — I read this one three years ago and could write the Wikipedia plot summary.
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Switzy
Emma Cline
Switzy follows a rich septuagenarian over his final days as his mind slips away. It's agonizing (and humbling) to watch a formerly ultra-competent person navigate with a world made unfamiliar by dementia. Although the subject matter and protagonist feel very different from Cline's previous books, the spare, effective writing style and "week in the life with flashbacks" set-up is all her.
The Other's Gold
Elizabeth Ames
Four college roommates, four big mistakes traced across their adult lives. A thoughtful look at friendship and consequence.
★ 5Ordinary Human Failings
Megan Nolan
A tabloid reporter circles an Irish family in London after a child dies, and Nolan slowly peels back what really happened. Bleak and beautifully written.