The Old Man by the Sea
This novel makes as fine an introduction as any to the work of Domenico Starnone, grand master of the Italian literary scene. Reviewed by Rick Henry
Portalmania
Debbie Urbanski’s stories turn the world outside-in, boldly exposing the psychic core of what is unsaid and unseen in all its brilliant, hard-to-define strangeness. Reviewed by Alissa Hattman
Shadow Ticket
A time machine swiveling us to an assortment of cultural markers from the 1930s, Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel is a history-steeped cautionary tale. Reviewed by Ben Sloan
North Sun
The lilting prose and carefully constructed narrative of North Sun, Ethan Rutherford’s debut novel and a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award, feel like the most expansive of embraces. Reviewed by Nicole Emanuel
Barley Patch
Australian author Gerald Murnane isn’t known for sticking to convention, yet his recently republished 2009 novel addresses a quite conventional question: Why do writers write? Reviewed by Sam Tiratto
Not Even the Sound of a River
In Hélène Dorion’s novel, a daughter embarks on a journey along Québec’s St. Lawrence River to reconstruct her mother’s emotional survival.
Reviewed by Alice-Catherine Carls
Major Arcana
In its mixture of literary ambition and old-fashioned showmanship, John Pistelli’s latest novel is a throwback to the efflorescence of popular literary fiction in the mid-late 20th century. Reviewed by Andy Hartzell
Red Dog Farm
Rather than shying away from comparisons to Halldór Laxness’s 1934 novel Independent People, Nathaniel Ian Miller leans into them in his new tale set on a far-flung Icelandic farm. Reviewed by Sara Maurer
Fragments of a Paradise
As translated by Paul Eprile, French author Jean Giono puts a unique spin on Moby-Dick in this 1948 novel, turning Ahab’s anger into an expedition to the South Atlantic.
Reviewed by Alice-Catherine Carls
High Solitude
Léon-Paul Fargue’s idiosyncratic book contributes to the lineage of the flâneur, that indelible Parisian lurker of corridors and street cafes.
Reviewed by Patrick James Dunagan