Narrative theme: sense of place

Book SynopsisA heartwarming story of sisterhood, second chances, and falling in loveGabriella Monroe is doing her best to pretend that everything is fine, but her life is a mess. Sales are down at her vintage dress shop, her beloved grandmother isn't her usual spunky self, and Gabby desperately misses the closeness she had with her sisters, Margaret and Emma-who were once so inseparable that their family called them the Monroe Musketeers. When the sisters stumble across a stash of letters that reveals their grandmother's secret life, Gabby sees an opportunity to bring the sisters back together again and best of all, raise her grandmother's spirits. And sure, this new project makes it easier to pretend her own life isn't crashing around her, but concentrating on helping everyone else and ignoring her own feelings is what Gabby does best.Except when it comes to Jake Maddox. Once the boy next door she crushed on-hard-he's grown into an even more intriguing man, and her attraction to him isn't so easy to hide. It's clear he's just as interested in her, but dating Jake would only muddy up her already complicated life. Or is it finally time to put herself first and risk it all for a chance at happiness?

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Book SynopsisFans of Christina Lauren and Maggie Knox will adore this fun and festive romcom featuring a grumpy/sunshine duo who find themselves stuck together over the holidays, where the weather outside is frightful-but inside, things are heating up in this sexy holiday story.Sorority mom Becca Fairfield is used to guys not taking her seriously. She's too blond, too quirky, or Just. Too. Much. So she's ditched dating to focus on her job and a house filled with drama and plenty of tea. Now with the holidays and a major blizzard on her doorstep, Becca has everything she needs to survive the next two weeks on her own. Hot cocoa, plenty of books . . . and the memory of a steamy kiss with a certain sexy, grumposaurus next-door neighbor to keep her warm.Only Becca's seriously underestimated this Snowpocalypse. So when the power goes out and Harrison Cooper-football coach, master crank, and the guy who acted mega-awkward after said steamy kiss-offers her shelter, it only makes sense to accept. They'll just be Blizzard Buddies. Hang out, stay safe, and maybe indulge in a little R-rated cuddling. Becca knows that Harrison isn't the dating kind, and what happens during the storm lasts only as long as the storm. But are they keeping warm . . . or playing with fire?

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Book SynopsisNever cut the drugs--leave them pure. Guns are meant to be shot--keep them loaded. Family is everything--betray them and die.Harley McKenna is the only child of North County's biggest criminal. Duke McKenna's run more guns, cooked more meth, and killed more men than anyone around. Harley's been working for him since she was sixteen--collecting debts, sweet-talking her way out of trouble, and dreading the day Duke would deem her ready to take over his command. Now time's running out. A terminal cancer diagnosis leaves Duke with six months to live, and their business rivals, the Springfields, are circling. If Duke's illness is revealed, a bloody war will break out through North County and Harley will be the one left to pay the price. With her father secretly in hospice care, she makes a choice: to sabotage his business and frame Carl Springfield for it.Blowing up meth labs is dangerous business and getting caught will be the end of her, but Harley has one advantage: she is her father's daughter. And McKennas always win. BARBED WIRE HEART is a novel set in the mountains of rural Northern California that explores the meth trade through the eyes of a kingpin's daughter hell-bent on destroying everything her father's built in order to save her town, her life, and the battered women she protects.

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Book SynopsisIn this sweet second-chance love story, two opposites discover their once-in-a-lifetime chemistry has only gotten stronger.May Wu is no longer the shy teen who skipped out of her small North Carolina town right after graduation. Now she's a successful travel writer who can handle any challenge. Until her latest assignment sends her home to Blue Cedar Falls, where, of course, she runs straight into Han Leung, a.k.a. the guy who got away. How dare he still be so good looking, funny, and easy to talk to?Han always does the responsible thing, which is why he put aside his dreams of opening his own restaurant to run his family's business. But when May re-enters his life, he can no longer ignore his own wants and desires. Garden gnomes are stolen, old haunts are visited, and sparks fly between the pair, just as they always did. But Han and May broke up because they wanted vastly different lives, and that hasn't changed-or has it?

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Book SynopsisA delightful small-town romance between a daycare teacher and single dad who must overcome their differences to help plan the ultimate wedding.They've driven each other crazy for years, but were they fighting each other-or the chemistry between them?As the youngest in her loving, overprotective family, Savannah Lowe has always gone with the flow instead of going out on a limb...until now. Her new job running a preschool requires her to be all in. If only the father of one of her students wasn't her brother's incredibly infuriating, impossibly attractive best friend. Savannah has no clue what she ever did to make him dislike her, and now they're stuck spending even more time together planning her brother's wedding. Single father Noah Adams has his hands full between his job as a paramedic and caring for his young daughter. The last thing he needs is a complication like Savannah in his life-a girl he remembers being constantly pampered by her family. But the more he gets to know her, the more he sees how kind and compassionate she really is. Now their long-ignored, off-the-charts chemistry has them on a collision course...with each other.

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Book SynopsisFans of the Hallmark Channel and Gilmore Girls will adore this delightful rom-com about a city girl who goes in search of small-town happiness, only to discover life-and love-are nothing like the TV movies.Emerging journalist Adina Gellar is done with dating in New York City. If she's learned anything from made-for-TV romance movies, it's that she'll find love in a small town-the kind with harvest festivals, delightful but quirky characters, and scores of delectable single dudes. So when a big-city real estate magnate targets tiny Pleasant Hollow for development, Adi knows she's found the perfect story-one that will earn her a position at a coveted online magazine, so she can finally start adulting for real . . . and maybe even find her dream man in the process. Only Pleasant Hollow isn't exactly "pleasant." There's no charming bakery, no quaint seasonal festivals, and the residents are more ambivalent than welcoming. The only upside is Finn Adams, who's more mouth watering than the homemade cherry pie Adi can't seem to find-even if he does work for the company she'd hoped to bring down. Suddenly Adi has to wonder if maybe TV got it all wrong after all. But will following her heart mean losing her chance to break into the big time?

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Book SynopsisEmerging journalist Adina Gellar is done with dating in New York City. If she's learned anything from made-for-TV romance movies, it's that she'll find love in a small town-the kind with harvest festivals, delightful but quirky characters, and scores of delectable single dudes. So when a big-city real estate magnate targets tiny Pleasant Hollow for development, Adi knows she's found the perfect story-one that will earn her a position at a coveted online magazine, so she can finally start adulting for real . . . and maybe even find her dream man in the process. Only Pleasant Hollow isn't exactly "pleasant." There's no charming bakery, no quaint seasonal festivals, and the residents are more ambivalent than welcoming. The only upside is Finn Adams, who's more mouthwatering than the homemade cherry pie Adi can't seem to find-even if he does work for the company she'd hoped to bring down. Suddenly Adi has to wonder if maybe TV got it all wrong after all. But will following her heart mean losing her chance to break into the big time?

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Book Synopsis?With her dreams of being a wedding dress designer suddenly over, Arianna Bell isn't expecting a holly jolly Christmas. Instead, her heart feels about three sizes too small. That is until her high school sweetheart Connor Gallagher returns to town and she finds his mere presence still makes her pulse race. But just when she starts dreaming of kissing under the mistletoe, he announces that he will be her opponent in the upcoming mayoral race....Hot-shot attorney Connor Gallagher has something to prove. He's tired of playing runner-up to his high-achieving brothers. So when the opportunity to enter the campaign comes up, he takes it. Even if it means running against the only woman he's ever loved. But with a little help from Harmony Harbor's local matchmakers and a lot of holiday cheer, Connor and Arianna may just get the happy ever after they both deserve.

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Book Synopsis“Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction . . . Gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work.” —Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired GirlIt’s 1936 when orphaned thirteen-year-old Evalina Toussaint is admitted to Highland Hospital, a mental institution in Asheville, North Carolina, known for its innovative treatments for nervous disorders and addictions. Taken under the wing of the hospital’s most notable patient, Zelda Fitzgerald, Evalina witnesses cascading events that lead up to the tragic fire of 1948 that killed nine women in a locked ward, Zelda among them. Author Lee Smith has created, through a seamless blending of fiction and fact, a mesmerizing novel about a world apart--in which art and madness are luminously intertwined.Trade Review“[An] elegant historical novel . . . Lee Smith is an assured and accomplished writer, and her use of Zelda as a subject in Guests on Earth is brilliant . . . This is a carefully researched, utterly charming novel. By the time you finish it, you fall in love with these fascinating lives, too.” —The Washington Post“Guests on Earth is a mesmerizing novel about a time and place where creativity and passion, theory and medicine, fact and fiction, are luminously intertwined.” —BookPage“Indeed, most of the high spirited, rebellious, outspoken women who populate Guests on Earth would not now be considered insane at all. Smith’s imaginative, layered story illuminates the complexity of their collective plight—to be put in towers until they had no choice but to behave—and rescues them one by one.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution“[An] engaging and engrossing novel . . . Smith’s well-developed characters, rich historical detail and easy prose create a novel that some may call her best yet, and which it just may be.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune“Those who enjoyed Smith’s previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies; The Last Girls) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction.” —Library Journal“With Guests on Earth, Lee Smith shines new light on a shadowy, complex subject . . . She offers a broader historical perspective--and with it, a captivating, inimitable voice.” —The Raleigh News and Observer“Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald’s estranged wife, Zelda.” —Ms. Magazine“Engaging . . . Touching.” —Publishers Weekly“This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it.” —Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife“In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction.” —Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers * Review quotes *“[An] elegant historical novel . . . Lee Smith is an assured and accomplished writer, and her use of Zelda as a subject in Guests on Earth is brilliant . . . This is a carefully researched, utterly charming novel. By the time you finish it, you fall in love with these fascinating lives, too.” —The Washington Post“Guests on Earth is a mesmerizing novel about a time and place where creativity and passion, theory and medicine, fact and fiction, are luminously intertwined.” —BookPage“Indeed, most of the high spirited, rebellious, outspoken women who populate Guests on Earth would not now be considered insane at all. Smith’s imaginative, layered story illuminates the complexity of their collective plight—to be put in towers until they had no choice but to behave—and rescues them one by one.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution“[An] engaging and engrossing novel . . . Smith’s well-developed characters, rich historical detail and easy prose create a novel that some may call her best yet, and which it just may be.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune“Those who enjoyed Smith’s previous work (e.g., Fair and Tender Ladies; The Last Girls) will certainly appreciate this absorbing book, as will those interested in the history of treating mental illness in the United States and fans of Southern or Appalachian fiction.” —Library Journal“With Guests on Earth, Lee Smith shines new light on a shadowy, complex subject . . . She offers a broader historical perspective--and with it, a captivating, inimitable voice.” —The Raleigh News and Observer“Treading the fine line between sanity and insanity, this historical novel imagines the 12 years proceeding the 1948 fire that engulfed a North Carolina mental hospital and killed F. Scott Fitzgerald’s estranged wife, Zelda.” —Ms. Magazine“Engaging . . . Touching.” —Publishers Weekly“This is Lee Smith at her powerful best, writing the South she knows through the eyes of a woman who lived it.” —Adriana Trigiani, author of Big Stone Gap and The Shoemaker's Wife“In Guests on Earth Lee Smith gives evidence again of the grace and insight that distinguish her work. Her characters are realized with singular intensity, the most vivid interior life, and flawless dialogue. Reading Lee Smith ranks among the great pleasures of American fiction.” —Robert Stone, author of Death of the Black-Haired Girl and Dog Soldiers—Review quotes

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Book Synopsis"Smith's latest is as delicious as a slice of key lime pie - and gone just as fast." - People"It's very different and it's very special and it's very good! I loved it." - Dolly PartonA driving force in literature, Lee Smith returns with a road trip novel, a story full of hope and humour about not going away quietly-at any age. Herb's charmed life with his dear wife Susan in their Key West house is coming undone. Susan, in her 70s, now needs constant care, and Herb is in denial about his own ailing health. The one bright spot is the arrival of an endlessly optimistic manicurist calling herself Renee. She sings to Susan during manicures, gets her to paint, and brings her a much-needed sense of contentment.Then Herb and Susan's adult children arrive to stage an intervention with their stubborn, independent father, and as a consequence, Renee's gig with Susan-and her grand plans for her own life-start to unravel as well. Herb isn't ready to let go of all that he has ever had, and it turns out that Renee is not the happy, uncomplicated girl she pretends to be. She is not even Renee; she is really Dee Dee, and she, too, has reasons of her own to hit the road. So Herb suggests one last joy ride in his Porsche with her riding shotgun; and they light out for parts north, setting off a Silver Alert.As the unlikely friendship between Herb and Dee Dee deepens, we see how as one life is closing down, another opens up. This time that Dee Dee has spent with Susan, this time in Key West, and this time in the Porsche with the elderly Herb reveals to Dee Dee how much more truly lies ahead.In this buoyant novel, the masterful Smith asks: What life do we deserve? And how do we make it our own? Sometimes, you just have to seize the wheel.Trade Review"Smith's latest is as delicious as a slice of key lime pie – and gone just as fast."—People“Silver Alert is Lee Smith at the top of her game, and that is a high bar indeed. It’s brilliantly paced with some of the most energetic prose I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The characters of Herb Atlas and Dee Dee are a pair for the ages, who you will long remember after the fall of the last page.”—David Baldacci, author of Dream Town"There are many ways to read Lee Smith’s excellent new novel Silver Alert, but I view it as the toll old age has taken on her characters, with all its indignities and absurdities, as well as a wry view of America itself. Staged in iconic Key West, the improviser’s Paradise, it’s an implied prayer for our expressing kindness in gestures large and small."—Ann Beattie, author of The Accomplished Guest“Lee Smith’s Silver Alert doesn’t just soar. It seems at times to defy the laws of literary gravity. That a book so full of hope should emerge right now is truly remarkable.” —Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and Chances Are…."This hilarious, timely and emotional novel will reframe the way you think about the golden years. Herb and Renee's friendship leads to a high-octane twist that will leave you breathless. Silver Alert is a shimmering arrow that aims straight for the heart." —Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone“Smith skillfully pivots from wry humor to real tenderness toward her quirkily engaging characters. Beneath the novel’s occasionally frothy surface beats a compassionate, generous heart. A warmhearted story of improbably matched characters trying to reclaim their lives.”—Kirkus Reviews“Silver Alert is classic Lee Smith: laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, full of endearing, complex characters who become real people to the reader. ...a lovely, raucous look at life in Key West, growing old, and unlikely friendships.”—Garden Gun, The Best New Books for Southerners in 2023“Silver Alert is classic Lee Smith: laugh-out-loud funny and deeply moving, full of endearing, complex characters who become real people to the reader. ...a lovely, raucous look at life in Key West, growing old, and unlikely friendships.” —Silas House—Garden Gun, The Best New Books for Southerners in 2023“Silver Alert is rich with Lee Smith’s gift for vivid storytelling and memorable asides … at once lively, grim, funny, and poignant.”—Chapter16.org“Likely to resonate with fans of Marian Keyes, Lynda Rutledge, and Andrew J. Graff, Smith's novel is an incisive and heartwarming exploration of life's fragile phases.”—Booklist“With themes of living life to the fullest and second chances, Lee Smith’s Silver Alert would make a perfect 2023 beach read.”—Reader's Digest, 25 Best Fiction Books of 2023 (So Far)“Nobody mines the bittersweet absurdities of Southern family life and living better than prolific, masterful storyteller Lee Smith… Silver Alert…takes readers on a deeply meaningful, unforgettable ride brimming with hope.”—Shelf Awareness“There's plenty of charm...this is a treat.”—Publishers Weekly“Lovable characters and a gripping story.”—The Bookworm“When I hear there is another book by Lee Smith, it brightens my day. There are only a handful of authors who elicit that response.”—Tuscaloosa News"No one has tapped into Southern truths quite like the Virginia-raised author. Just ask the legion of writers who praise her for guiding their own stories."—Garden Gun

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Book Synopsis"No one writes about love or the American wilderness like Bill Roorbach . . . Thrilling." -Lily King, author of Writers & Lovers and Five Tuesdays in WinterA New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice When sixteen-year-old Cindra Zoeller is sent to a reform camp in Montana after being involved in an armed robbery, she is thrust into a world of mountains and cowboys and miscreants. At Camp Challenge, she becomes transfixed by Lucky, a camp employee of mysterious origin-an origin of constant speculation-and the chemistry between them is instant, and profound. The pair escape together into the wilderness to create an idyllic life far from the reach of the law, living off their resounding love, Lucky's vast knowledge of the wilderness, and a little help from some friends. But they can run from the outside world for only so long, and the consequences of their naïve fantasy of a future together-and circumstances shaped by skin colour-will keep them apart for decades. Will Cindra ever see her soulmate again? Or are the dark whispers true?Page-turning, full of vivid characters, delicious suspense, and ultimately joy, Lucky Turtle is a big- hearted, deeply engrossing love story from one of our most entertaining and perceptive writers.Trade Review“An unforgettable love story.”—People“Fans of Roorbach’s prolific work will appreciate his signature lyricism and sense of place, his sweeping narrative, humor and romance. New readers are walking into the hands of a skilled storyteller who’s not afraid to take on a big, messy tale of love, privilege and abuse.”—New York Times Book Review“Nobody else could have written this gorgeous novel, full to the brim with tragedy but also fun, as well as the best kind of romance —embracing so much more than the couple at its center. Cindra is an impeccably loyal and honest narrator, our perfect guide through the wilds of Montana. Lucky Turtle is an ode and a love letter to our wounded, imperfect, and oh-so-beautiful world.”—Nina de Gramont, author of The Christie Affair“No one writes about love or the American wilderness like Bill Roorbach. A thrilling, blistering tale of young love and old hate and the steady endurance of both.”—Lily King, author of Five Tuesdays in Winter“Look out: Roorbach has created the sexiest man seen in literature in a good long time . . . An epic love story . . . No greater reading pleasure to be had anywhere.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review​“Roorbach is a consummate raconteur skilled in breathing life into his characters. His prose is well-suited to the Montana landscape, capacious yet created with poetic economy, evoking the splendor of nature in language that sparkles like crystal clear mountain water . . . Roorbach’s understated, luminescent novel beautifully evokes an idyllic world created when two hearts are braided together.”—Booklist, starred review?“Roorbach is a consummate raconteur skilled in breathing life into his characters. His prose is well-suited to the Montana landscape, capacious yet created with poetic economy, evoking the splendor of nature in language that sparkles like crystal clear mountain water . . . Roorbach’s understated, luminescent novel beautifully evokes an idyllic world created when two hearts are braided together.”—Booklist, starred review“An engrossing novel with standout characters.”—Library Journal, starred review“Two great love affairs—one between characters, the other with the wilds of Montana as its original inhabitants knew it—surge through this engaging, audacious novel. Every page hums with life and energy.”—Andrea Barrett, author of The Voyage of the Narwhal and Archangel“At once an adventure, a love story, and a profound meditation on the grandeur of the natural world, Lucky Turtle is a novel so full of beauty and heart and pathos that you won’t want it to end, a book that hums with grace, and sings with passion. Roorbach is a national treasure.”—Jonathan Evison, author of Small World“Roorbach delivers a most electric pulse into the hardscrabble dirt and veins in this novel's memorable backdrop of ancient Montana mountains and waters. Lucky Turtle gives us a world where adventure and landscape combine tenderly for a most unforgettable read.”—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders“A story of love and heartbreak in a world of breathtaking splendor and deep injustice, Bill Roorbach's Lucky Turtle is a novel of perseverance, brimming with entertaining dialogue and rich details of the flora and fauna of the West.”—Shelf Awareness“A new kind of romance… [and] a love letter to the beauty and power of Montana… The tensions don’t simmer here but roil, making for an emotionally challenging, worthwhile and truly special read.”—BookReporter“An unforgettable love story set starkly against Montana Wilderness.”—Largehearted Boy, starred review

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Book SynopsisOn a frozen January evening in 1944, Nancy Levin, and her three-year-old daughter, Emily, flee their impoverished East London home as an air raid siren sounds. Not far away, 39- year-old Diana Meadows and her own child, three-year-old Abigail, are lost in the black-out as the air raid begins. Finding their way in the jostling crowd to the mouth of the shelter they hurry to the safety of the underground tube station. Mrs Meadows, who has so far sat out the war in the safety of London's outer suburbs, is terrified - as much by the prospect of sheltering in an Eastend tube station as of experiencing a bombing raid first hand.Far away Diana's husband, Gerald Meadows finds himself in a tank regiment in North Africa while Nancy's husband, Joe Levin has narrowly survived a torpedo in the Atlantic and is about to re-join his ship. Both men have their own wars to fight but take comfort in the knowledge that their wives and children, at least, remain safe.But in wartime, ordinary people can find themselves taking extreme action - risking everything to secure their own and their family's survival, even at the expense of others.Trade ReviewMaggie Joel's The Safest Place in London is a beautifully written exploration of desperation and hope in a time of war. The novel captures the essence of the era with subtlety and style, while the shifting new world pushes characters to extreme lengths. A remarkable story of family, survival and how one decision can change lives for better or worse. * Jane Harper, author of THE DRY *Don't let the title fool you, there is nothing safe about Maggie Joel's writing. Transporting the reader from a bomb shelter in London's East End to the deserts of Egypt, Joel's eye for exquisite historical detail combined with her nuanced characterisation will keep the pages turning. With World War II as her canvas, Joel's interest in families is again at the forefront of her new novel. In The Safest Place in London family life can be every bit as dangerous and explosive as the devastated world outside. * Aoife Clifford, author of ALL THESE PERFECT STRANGERS *

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Book SynopsisThe sixth book in the Cliff Hardy seriesIt is just another party in Sydney's eastern suburbs, a routine security job for Cliff Hardy. It leads, though, to an interesting meeting and a dangerous job.No one is more familiar than Hardy with the sleazy back streets and pubs of Kings Cross, and he follows a twisted trail over dangerous ground. As well as a hitman out to get him he deals with politically protected criminals and corrupt journalists - and meets the intriguing Helen Broadway for the first time.Trade ReviewPeter Corris is undoubtedly a major figure in our time. -- Stephen KnightCorris is writing about us and our cities, and doing it with incisive style. * Sydney Morning Herald *Hardy goes from strength to strength. * Adelaide Advertiser *

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Book SynopsisCrest has lost the use of his legs after falling off a walkway while trying to write graffiti on a roadside wall; his best friend, Bean, fell too and died. Now Crest must try to repair his relationship with Vanessa, the mother of his child, whose night-school class is alerting her to a wider world. Crest's older brother Eugene, an ex-con turned born-again Christian, is facing the temptations of his past, while their parents confront their own crisis.Powerful and moving, tender and resonant, Everyday People is an unforgettable novel that vividly captures the experience of the day-to-day struggle that is life in urban America.Trade ReviewHe is a writer who reaches out, both making and bridging worlds. . . . The novel is like a neighbourhood, with chapters about various characters set side by side like so many doors on the same street. * New York Times Book Review *A sad and haunting novel . . . The struggles of the Tolbert family, with love and obligation, with hope and the end of hope, give shape to a plot that does not wholly unspool until the last sentence-about the most dramatic and poignant I have ever read. * Atlantic Monthly *With wit, tenderness, and empathy Stewart O'Nan renders a detailed portrait of life that's more than just a description of hard knocks against the backdrop of urban blight. . . A unique and tantalising novel that celebrates the lives of everyday people in an extraordinary way. * San Francisco Chronicle *Reading this novel will reward you with a profound, sobering realisation of the differences that exist between us while insisting nonetheless that we share a profound sameness. O'Nan accomplishes a rare thing, for he has us mourn a common loss. . . .Everyday People aims at restoring to the sufferer and the victim . . . their full and due humanity. . . . It is not a thing easily done. But Stewart O'Nan has pulled it off in beautiful, heartbreaking, haunting fashion. * Chicago Tribune *

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Book Synopsis'Part glamorous travelogue, part slow-burn mystery, this full-bodied tale of a runaway is at once formally inventive and heartbreakingly familiar... (It's also insanely funny.)' -- Lena DunhamFrom the acclaimed author of Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name and The Lovers comes a tensely drawn, spellbinding literary thriller that gets to the heart of what defines us as human beings-the singular identity we create for ourselves in the world and the myriad alternative identities that lie just below the surface.In Vendela Vida's taut and mesmerizing novel of ideas, a woman travels to Casablanca, Morocco, on mysterious business. Almost immediately, while checking into her hotel, she is robbed, her passport and all identification stolen. The crime is investigated by the police, but the woman feels there is a strange complicity between the hotel staff and the authorities-she knows she'll never see her possessions again.Stripped of her identity, she feels both burdened by the crime and liberated by her sudden freedom to be anyone at all. Then, a chance encounter with a film crew provides an intriguing opportunity: A producer sizes her up and asks, would she be willing to be the body-double for a movie star filming in the city? And so begins a strange journey in which she'll become a stand-in-both on-set and off-for a reclusive celebrity who can no longer circulate freely in society while gradually moving further away from the person she was when she arrived in Morocco.Infused with vibrant, lush detail and enveloped in an intoxicating atmosphere-while barely pausing to catch its breath-The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty is a riveting, entrancing novel that explores freedom, power and the mutability of identity.Trade ReviewA thriller-taut story of a crisis of identity and opportunity, full of lies, shadows and subterfuge. * Psychologies *Very funny... The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty is also moving, clever and bright as a button. * Independent on Sunday *Full of surprises, it demands to be read in one go. * Good Housekeeping's ‘Ones to Watch’ *This enigmatic psychological thriller... puts the reader squarely in the shoes of the protagonist, making this already taut mystery thriller an even more intense read. * Scotsman *[A]n intimate and understated tale...powerful and empowering, thanks to the author's innate skill. * The Big Issue *Ms Vida's novel portrays with cool wit and suspense the explosive emancipation of a woman who is finally empowered to grab some warmth, drama, magic for herself. * International New York Times *An intoxicatingly strange quest for anonymity... what emerges from this shifting, uncertain terrain is a novel of sublime unease and delicious bewilderment. You are not yourself, and it is wonderful. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS'Tender, challenging and as warm as it was razor-sharp' Beth O'Leary'If you've read Joanna Cannon I think you'll love this' Simon Savidge'A sublimely witty and touching story' Jonathan Coe The standout new novel by acclaimed author Ayisha Malik - perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Candice Carty-Williams.In the sleepy village of Babel's End, trouble is brewing. Bilal Hasham is having a mid-life crisis. His mother has just died, and he finds peace lying in a grave he's dug in the garden. His elderly Auntie Rukhsana has come to live with him, and forged an unlikely friendship with village busybody, Shelley Hawking. His wife Mariam is distant and distracted, and his stepson Haaris is spending more time with his real father.Bilal's mother's dying wish was to build a mosque in Babel's End, but when Shelley gets wind of this scheme, she unleashes the forces of hell. Will Bilal's mosque project bring his family and his beloved village together again, or drive them apart? Warm, wise and laugh-out-loud funny, This Green and Pleasant Land is a life-affirming look at love, faith and the meaning of home.Trade ReviewI absolutely devoured this book . . . It was tender, challenging and as warm as it was razor-sharp - I was in awe of Ayisha's ability to cut you to the core in one paragraph and make you laugh in the next. Every single character was fascinating, and so many of them stayed with me after finishing the book that I was basically carrying the whole village round in my head for a while . . . * Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare *Beautifully written. If you've read Joanna Cannon I think you'll love this * Simon Savidge *A gorgeous, funny, smart, uplifting story about seeking unity during times of division. Wish I could prescribe it to the country * Daisy Buchanan *I have to say it's not often I read a book as thoughtful, funny, excellently written and important as this one. I've always been a fan of Ayisha's writing, but this book takes her work to another level. I really hope this becomes a huge hit, because it deserves to be read by everyone. Witty, insightful, and shot through with pathos, Ayisha Malik's This Green and Pleasant Land is the prescient tale of Bilal, a middle-class British muslim and his quest to fulfil his mother's dying wish that he builds a mosque in the sleepy English village of Babbel's End. This book is laugh out loud funny, but is so much more than that. It challenges out preconceptions and our prejudices about what it means to be British in today's world. As such, in these turbulent times, it is also an important book. It's Malik's best work to date, and more importantly, for me, it's the standout book of the year * Abir Mukherjee *A modern comedy of manners ... Malik's great gift is to present seemingly insoluble issues of faith and intolerance in a light, accessible manner * Guardian *Malik was another of last year's standout discoveries for me . . . she writes about the Muslim experience of living in England from the inside, and in this novel constructs a sublimely witty and touching story . . . It has an Ealing comedy vibe to it, but is of course utterly contemporary, offering many clear-eyed perspectives on the fractured, mutually-uncomprehending country we have somehow managed to create for ourselves * Jonathan Coe *Beautifully written. If you've read Joanna Cannon I think you'll love this. * Simon Savidge, (Savidge Reads) *Warm, funny and thought-provoking...A joy to read. * The People's Friend *

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Book SynopsisThe Hunting Party meets Our House in this gripping, claustrophobic new locked-room thriller. When you're sharing a house with seven murder suspects, you can't lock the danger out . . . Immi think she has found the perfect new home in central London: a shared warehouse with luxury accommodation, a rooftop terrace and daily yoga, all with a surprisingly affordable price tag. The Dye Factory is a 'co-living' community, designed to combat the loneliness of big city life.But soon after she moves into her new haven, Immi realises that it's not quite as idyllic as it appears. No one seems to know who is behind this multi-million pound urban experiment. And her housemates may be hiding a dangerous secret.Then, as a series of pranks escalates into something much darker, Immi is left questioning whether, in this group of strangers, she can ever really be safe . . . ------------------'Twisty, menacing and compelling, you won't be able to put it down' C.L. Taylor, Sunday Times bestseller'Truly creepy . . . I loved it' Elly Griffiths, Sunday Times bestseller'A brilliant book. Beautifully written, brilliantly characterised, and with a wonderful sense of threat. The way the various truths gradually emerge was masterfully handled, too. I was absolutely hooked' Gytha Lodge, Sunday Times bestselling author of She Lies in Wait'Pacy, brilliantly plotted and completely absorbing' Caz Frear, bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies'I loved The House Share. A great premise, compelling characters and a twisty plot kept me totally gripped' Paul Burston'Black Mirror in book form' RED magazine'So intense and sinister we kept getting out of bed to read a bit more' HEAT magazine'Creepy and compelling' Women's Weekly'A book that had me gripped . . .Thoroughly enjoyable, it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck' Woman's Way------------------Readers are LOVING The House Share:'I loved this book!! Couldn't put it down!''Woah! That was something else... definitely creepy, unsettling, and unpredictable and I couldn't get enough of it''I couldn't put this book down and read it in a matter of hours. A must read''Full of tension with twists and turns, and a dramatic ending which I really didn't see coming!''This original and thoroughly entertaining read had me guessing the entire way through''I loved this novel and rattled through it at break-neck speed'Trade ReviewCreepy and compelling. * Women's Weekly *'So intense and sinister we kept getting out of bed to read a bit more' * Heat magazine *A book that had me gripped for over a day until I finished it . . . Thoroughly enjoyable, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up * Woman's Way *Black Mirror in book form. * Red magazine *A truly creepy premise, lots of tangled relationships and a sinister building with its own secrets. I loved it * Elly Griffiths *Beautifully written, brilliantly characterised, and with a wonderful sense of threat. The way the various truths gradually emerge was masterfully handled, too. I was absolutely hooked! * Gytha Lodge *Pacy, brilliantly plotted and completely absorbing - I TOTALLY felt like The Factory's honorary 8th housemate, watching drama unfold from the sidelines with a growing sense of dread (and appalled excitement)! Loved it * Caz Frear *Twisty and compelling. Deviously plotted, cleverly written and utterly nerve-wracking. You'll never want a flatmate again! * C.L. Taylor *What a cracking read. You're in for a treat! * Cass Green *I loved The House Share. A great premise, compelling characters and a twisty plot kept me totally gripped * Paul Burston *Thoroughly entertaining and a lot of fun. It's well-written, humorous, dark and curious as well as being very hard to put down * For Winter Nights *Pacy yet detailed, with interesting characters and an intriguing setting, this is an absorbing read. But most importantly, it's impossible to second-guess the outcomes * Sussex Life *Fresh, wonderful and unexpected * Lisa Jewell, on The Secrets You Hide *Original and pacy, with intriguing characters and a great back story * Clare Mackintosh, on The Secrets You Hide *I read the whole thing in one huge unstoppable whoosh and it was just so great, hugely original, unexpected and completely fascinating. I loved it * Jill Mansell, on The Secrets You Hide *There aren't enough adjectives to describe how much I loved The Secrets You Hide, but after careful consideration, I'll go with brilliant, original and shocking * Caz Frear, on The Secrets You Hide *An incredible, unique and compelling novel. I tore through this book. So, so good, and I did not see the end coming! A new talent has exploded onto the crime scene * Angela Clarke, on The Secrets You Hide *

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Book SynopsisA gripping and chilling suspense novel about the deadly intentions of office life, for fans of Lesley Kara's The Rumour and Michelle Frances' The Temp.What if a prank leads to murder?When Freya arrives at her dream job with the city's hottest start-up, she can't wait to begin a new and exciting life, including dating her new colleague Jay. However, Nicole, Jay's ex and fellow employee, seems intent on making her life a misery. After a big deadline, where Nicole continually picks on her, Freya snaps and tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank. The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment . . .Is this just a prank gone wrong? Or does Freya know someone who is capable of murder - and could she be next? Trade ReviewWith plenty of twists and turns throughout, this thriller will keep you guessing. You'll be gripped right up until the last page * Heat Magazine's 'Read of the Week' *A great thriller about a situation that will be oh so familiar to many people - but taken to a very dark extreme. It's pacy and shocking, but written with real heart too * Phoebe Locke *Timely and pacy, with a devastating and totally unexpected twist, I devoured this in one sitting * Chris Whitaker *Highly entertaining and brilliantly written * JO SPAIN on Shame on You *The dark heart of obsession is laid bare in this terrifying debut . . . [She] writes with passion and ferocity * JS CAROL on Shame on You *Dark, original and thoroughly gripping . . . a breathless ride through the dark side of social media * T M Logan, bestselling author of Lies *The Pact should go straight to the top of your must-read list. Dark, twisty and original. I loved it * James Carol *A cleverly twisted tale . . . highly addictive because you are never quite sure where it's going and the ending is ultimately satisfying. I love how this author plots and the writing is brilliant * Liz Loves Books *The #MeToo movement has inevitably sparked a wave of books and other media that addresses these issues [of harassment]. The Pact is the best I've read yet . . . manages to hit all the requirements for a riveting, explosive and involving thriller while also being an acutely observed commentary on some of the most harrowing, difficult and important issues we face. I was left with my jaw on the floor when the author delivered the coup de grace * Emma’s BiblioTreasures blog *A fabulously fast-paced story . . . compelling and riveting reading that had me turning those pages as fast as I could . . . A very relevant, very current, very exciting book * Short Book and Scribes blog *A real page-turner . . . a great thriller, the perfect book to break those reading slumps we sometimes find ourselves in * Always Need More Books blog *A twisted and gripping tale. Completely unexpected in many ways and left me feeling chilled to the bone . . . highlights the everyday reality of this world for so many people . . . There are plenty of twists and turns and unexpected revelations and I'm sure The Pact will appeal to psychological thriller readers everywhere * Books of All Kinds blog *I could not put this down! It's the perfect holiday read . . . It's a 5-star read. I loved it! * Jans Book Buzz *

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Book Synopsis'Had me hooked from the first page' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I felt myself dreaming of being there... until the body count started piling up!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The twists along the way were great and so unexpected right up to the end' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Highly recommended for a brilliant summer book' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐For fans of The Beach, The Sanatorium and Catherine CooperESCAPE TO PARADISE.Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand's world-famous party island. It's supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control...LEAVE YOUR SECRETS BEHIND.By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another badly injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.BUT DON'T GET LOST FOREVER...Because there's a killer in paradise - and Cass has a feeling she might be next...Take a deep breath, before you dive into the summer thriller of 2023...'A compelling and accomplished debut, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.' STEVE CAVANAGH'The Dive is an escapist, up-all-night thriller that holds you under and doesn't let you surface for air until the very final page. Utterly compelling!'' LUCY CLARKE'The Dive turns paradise into a nightmare... and I loved every minute of it.' AMY McCULLOCH'A hot contender for best travel thriller of 2023.' JANICE HALLETTTrade Review'The Dive by Sara Ochs is as stunning as the tropical island on which it is set. A pacy and accomplished murder mystery, its deep, sinister and intriguing plot draws you into a flawed paradise where everyone has a tale to tell... and one they keep to themselves. It really is The Beach for a new generation - a hot contender for best travel thriller of 2023.' * Janice Hallett, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal *'The Dive is an escapist, up-all-night thriller that holds you under and doesn't let you surface for air until the very final page. Utterly compelling!' * Lucy Clarke, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Castaways *'A compelling and accomplished debut, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.' * Steve Cavanagh, Sunday Times bestselling author of Thirteen *'The Dive turns paradise into a nightmare... and I loved every minute of it. Amongst the diverse cast of characters, there is no one you can trust and everyone has a secret to hide. I was captivated by Sara's writing and can't wait to see what she does next.' * Amy McCulloch, author of Breathless *'A deadly, dangerous, beautiful nightmare. The Dive will leave you breathless yet gasping for more.' * Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End *

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Book Synopsis'Absorbing, intelligent and atmospheric... Genius' Elizabeth Haynes_________________________Fortune favours the fraud...When she was thirteen years old, Ada Howell lost not just her father, but the life she felt she was destined to lead. Now, at eighteen, Ada is given a second chance when her wealthy godmother gifts her with an extravagant art history trip to Italy.In the palazzos of Venice, the cathedrals of Florence and the villas of Rome, she finally finds herself among the kind of people she aspires to be: sophisticated, cultured, privileged. Ada does everything in her power to prove she is one of them. And when a member of the group dies in suspicious circumstances, she seizes the opportunity to permanently bind herself to this gilded set.But everything hidden must eventually surface, and when it does, Ada discovers she's been keeping a far darker secret than she could ever have imagined...'Intelligent, elegant and immersive' Claire Kendal'A compulsive story, written with steely intelligence and wicked prose' Elizabeth BuchanTrade ReviewA treat ... excellent insights ... elegant prose * Daily Mail *With a frisson of uneasiness throughout, this intensely captivating thriller will cast its spell, leaving you on edge with unexpected twists. * Heat Magazine *Intelligent, elegant and immersive. I found myself absorbed by the voice and story, and fascinated by a complex narrator who made me feel both empathy and horror. -- Claire Kendal, bestselling author of 'The Book of You'Absorbing, intelligent and atmospheric, full of cool, incisive observations on class, loyalty and friendship - and oh my goodness, a razor-sharp twist. Genius. -- Elizabeth HaynesAmbition, lust, family secrets and lashings of Italian art - what could go wrong? A compulsive story, written with steely intelligence and wicked prose, that should propel the author into the bestseller lists. -- Elizabeth BuchanA heady tapestry of desires, secrets and entitled cruelties, suffused with the heat and shimmer of Italy... beautifully written, intoxicating... Fab! -- Philippa EastGlamour and art with a very dark underbelly of deceit and jealousy, that kept me guessing (and gasping) to the very end. -- Cressida McLauglinThe Favour is a refreshing, fun and compelling read about deception and consequences that had me hooked from the start. Ada is a wonderful creation who will stay with me for some time. * Lisa Ballantyne *Intense and intelligent, with a deliciously dark and dangerous atmosphere, and a story suffused with secrets and lies. Not to mention the intrigue of Italy, a fascinating central character and a killer twist. I loved it! * Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl *Devious and manipulative, she pulls the reader through this tale of gilded youth misbehaving and paying the price. The tension comes not so much from whether the truth about the crime will emerge as from whether or not Ada will ultimately get what she wants or the punishment she so richly deserves. * Literary Review *Riveting ... an enormously engrossing, satisfying book - darkly funny, sharply ironic, keenly observed and elegantly written * Western Mail *A gripping plot, fascinating characters and a glorious backdrop ... a hugely ambitious debut that delivers handsomely on its promise * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisOn every page of this delicious book you will meet characters and situations that tell you this could only be New York. The parents who are determined to get their children literally to fly at the school production of Peter Pan - the Cambodian cashier at the local deli who is more Jewish than Gopnik's grandfather - his gloriously peculiar analyst who argues that a name can be damaging to the human psyche, saying Adam's name is very ugly - the birder who takes Adam to see the huge flock of feral parrots that have taken over Flatbush. No one knows how they got there or how they survive the brutal winters, but they do. And flourish on it. 'These birds are so bold. They are real New Yorkers. They have so much attitude'. Through the Children's Gate is written with Gopnik's signature mix of mind and heart, elegantly and exultantly alert to the minute miracles that bring a place to life.Trade ReviewEngaging, witty, thoughtful, clever, casual, ebullient, erudite and thoroughly modern - Spectator * Spectator *The distinctive brilliance of Gopnik's essays lies in his ability to pick up a subject one would never have believed possible to think deeply about then cover it in thoughts … he is truly able to see the whole world in a grain of sand - Alain de Botton, New York Times * Alain de Botton *

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Book SynopsisThe River's Song is a moving, lyrical novel which deftly weaves together the themes of love, South-East Asian music and culture, and the social and political consequences of urban modernisation. Ping, the daughter of a renowned folk musician in Singapore's Chinatown's, loves Weng, the voice of the people, but family circumstances drive them apart. While Ping goes to university in America, Weng is sent to prison for his part in local protests. Many years later, Ping returns to a country transformed by prosperity. Gone are the boatmen and hawkers who once lived along the river. In their place rise luminous glass and steel towers proclaiming the power of the city state. Can Ping face her former lover and reveal the secret that has separated them for over thirty years?Trade Review"...Unashamedly details Singapore's past and present in gripping stories... Lim draws characters effortlessly and draws readers to them." The Sunday Times; “Lim’s affecting, lushly textured historical novel… A fine, deeply felt saga of lives caught up in progress that’s as heartbreaking as it is hopeful.” - Kirkus, 5 * Blue Star Review; “Just as the best novels should be but so rarely are: like immersion in a vivid dream. I couldn’t decide whether to read it slowly in order to savour every word, or to race along, mesmerised by Lim’s dazzling story-telling.” - Jill Dawson, British author of The Great Lover, (Richard and Judy’s Bookclub); “A winning coming of age novel that bridges the years and countries. Here is the buoyancy of sentences and a testimony of resilience.” - Krys Lee, award-winning Korean author of The Drifting House; “Powerful, deep and moving – draws you in and pulls you along irresistibly. Its heartfelt swell will carry you away to a place of passion and resonant conviction.” - Kevin MacNeil, Scottish author of the best-selling The Stornoway Way; “A touching story that retrieves Singapore’s fast disappearing past and gives its famous river the depth and colour of a people’s history, and a wonderful rendition of the pipa, on the page, as mother and daughter play their songs from the heart.” - Romesh Gunasekera author of Reef, shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

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Book SynopsisThe new satire from the author of Radio Sunrise.Who will be the next president of the Society of Journalists in Lagos? Who is qualified to lead the esteemed body of journalists and help uphold professional ethics in the state? Will honesty and integrity be able to beat charisma and misinformation?When a sick man flies in from a neighbouring country, he becomes Nigeria's first ebola case-patient zero. As the cases rise and journalists across the country vie for the lead in reporting the news on the imminent pandemic, Ifiok and his colleagues must immediately tackle the spread of the virus by raising awareness, sharing information, and supporting the outreach efforts of health workers. Unfortunately, they also have to battle against hysteria, misinformation, corruption and denial. Ifiok's love life could be a much needed escape from the stresses of work, if not for his meddling mother and the outdated traditions of society.Will Ifiok succeed in his quest to become the next president of the Society of Journalists, win the battle against misinformation and find love along the way?

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Book SynopsisA young, restless Alabama teacher searching for a sense of purpose accepts a position at a tiny Louisiana bayou school, where a lonely Cajun fisherman, a tight-knit community, and a legendary white alligator will change her life forever.

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Book SynopsisSet in rural Appalachia and told through the voices of three different present-day narrators, this harrowing novel about white supremacists attempting to take over a small town focuses an unflinching eye on America’s ongoing, fraught relationship with racial and political injustice.Trade Review“White imbues his prose with deep compassion and finely honed storytelling. These skills were already on display in White’s 2018 novel, In the House of Wilderness, but here they accelerate, fueled by powerful confrontation with the violent racism and environmental hazards that endanger our current national atmosphere. White holds nothing back, and these scenes spark and blaze.” * Chapter 16 *“White separates the principled from the opportunistic, the heroic from the cowardly, in a series of harrowing scenes accelerating at such a pace that the final chapters of the novel seem to disappear. Not merely action for its own sake, White again demonstrates the sure hand that illustrates consequences of many characters’ choices and sore trials of their resilience.” * Appalachian Journal *“How Fire Runs faces down one of the most worrisome contemporary social developments, a phenomenon that, after the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, is demonstrably problematic in Appalachia: the resurgence, expansion, and organization of white supremacist and fascist groups…. The novel warns that it is … the transformation of fear and suffering into hate for the perceived other that kindles flames and allows fires to run.” * Appalachian Review *“How Fire Runs in saner times might read as a cautionary tale against the lure of authoritarianism and racist agitators. As it stands, however, the novel instead reads like reportage from the front lines of an increasingly polarized and frightening political and social landscape… White delves headfirst into the difficult questions of how a community must respond to a threat anathema to what they believe.” * North Carolina Literary Review *“A spellbinding tale….Well-drawn characters are matched by evocative prose. Socially conscious readers will want to check this out.” * Publishers Weekly *“No novel could be more timely than this suspenseful thriller that follows a delusional white supremacist who gathers an army of supporters who seek to turn an East Tennessee community into a bastion of his racist precepts.” * Appalachian Mountain Books, April 4, 2021 *“Although a deftly crafted work of fiction, How Fire Runs offers a sobering perspective on America today. A compelling and original work… especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.” * Midwest Book Review *“Both action-packed and introspective, How Fire Runs is a timely literary thriller that is hard to put down. Charles Dodd White continues to prove himself as one of the best prose stylists of Appalachian literature in a novel that transcends region to become raw commentary on this volatile moment in America.”“Moments of introspection from White’s well-delineated characters help How Fire Runs straddle successfully the contingent and the literary, transcending the ‘ripped from the headlines’ nature of many works dealing with political issues. Loss and the need to build an identity through connections that are more intimate than ethnic kinship is a theme that pulsates just as strongly in the personal stories of Kyle, Gavin, and Delilah’s partner, Harrison. Coupled with the tense pacing of a thriller and an apocalyptic ending [that] pits its characters against the fury of nature, White’s novel is an artful and suspenseful page turner.” * WV Independent Observer *“How Fire Runs is at once elemental and blisteringly contemporary—a story rooted in our past, yet crackling amid the fires of the American present. Charles Dodd White writes with the steady hand of a master, confronting complicated truths and emotions with clear eyes and grace, giving us a constellation of characters grappling over the identity of their town… and America itself. This is a brave and important novel from one of our best.”“Charles Dodd White puts to use his deep knowledge of the people who live in eastern Tennessee, the good as well as the bad. It’s a powerful portrayal of contemporary life in a landscape that serves as its own omnipresent character. White’s work gets better and better.”“With artfully complex characters…White’s work captures the rhythms of rural life as they begin to beat faster in the face of calamity.” * Booklist *“A work of artistic merit and a significant (and timely) contribution to our ongoing national discussion of extremism.”“Line for line, White is one of the most talented writers at work in the American South.”

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Book SynopsisA long-awaited second collection of original poems by Ryan Wilson that considers the haunting of the contemporary mind. With virtuosic formal variety and masterful craft, these poems range from rural America to Italy to the Holy Land, as they chronicle the dynamism of a spiritual odyssey toward the eternal through both past and present.Trade ReviewThese are brilliantly clear poems to read and read again, poems to study and to love. Few American poets working in rhyme and meter today could write poems to match them." - Shane McCrae"I have been waiting for a poet like Ryan Wilson, an unapologetic formalist whose metrical agility is precise and varied, and whose uncamouflaged rhymes unleash an intelligence that is at once wild and sensible." - Rodney Jones"In Ghostlight is a major book. With it, Wilson places himself among the best poets of his generation." - Dana Gioia

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Book SynopsisIn nine captivating short stories, RS Deeren presents a vivid portrait of life in rural Michigan. These stories reveal how a region resistant to change and outside intervention struggles to adapt and leaves locals feeling left behind.Trade ReviewThis book is the best thing I’ve read lately, with its dead-on depictions of rural life, both beautiful and heart-wrenching. With its floods, guns, car wrecks, dangerous bridges, bars that ‘stay open out of habit,’ there’s a lot at stake here. Deeren is a keen observer of what age, poverty, and bad luck can do to a body: forty-five is, he says, ‘the age where you’ll have enough to lose that you’ll lose yourself in the process of trying to hold onto everything.’ Some of his characters live so close to the edge that the failure of a freezer might mean going hungry, while others move closer to the edge to feel alive or to grieve fully. If you say these characters are stubbornly behind the times, it’s because they are not buying what America is offering them—they are holding out for something better and more meaningful. They have tasted the sweetness of romantic love, they have felt in their bones the elegance of a deer crossing a river. Deeren’s strong, sure, authentic voice sings the songs of Michigan, and you should listen." - Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of Mothers, Tell Your Daughters"Enough to Lose is compulsively readable. Like Denis Johnson, Richard Russo, and Daniel Woodrell, Deeren’s stories reflect the often brutal reality of working-class, rural life, punctuated by moments of beauty and brilliance. Filled with nuance, Enough to Lose prompts readers to think about the humanity of those who might have experiences vastly different than their own." - Donald Quist, author of For Other Ghosts and To Those Bounded"A barn burner of love and longing,Enough to Losedelivers gut-punch stories over and over, each one studded with fierce insights about class and family and rural living and rendered in tender, electric prose." - Karen Tucker, author of Bewilderness"RS Deeren’s riveting first collection, written in the vein of Jim Harrison, Bonnie Jo Campbell, and Breece D’J Pancake, spotlights rural Michigan in all of its variegated beauty and pathos. Deeren’s years as a substitute teacher, landscaper, and lumberjack perhaps contributed to the visceral quality of this fresh new work. The people in these stories often struggle to make it, but the struggle here feels real and true. Deeren’s unflinching yet empathetic attention fosters a human connection between the reader and the characters in these stories that outpaces the heartbreak and renders this book a must-read." - Kelly Fordon, author of I Have the Answer (Wayne State University Press)"Reader, be prepared, as you open Enough to Lose, RS Deeren’s wonderful debut short story collection, to enter a world—in this case the thumb of Michigan—that’s as vividly and evocatively detailed as any in contemporary fiction." - Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948, Let Him Go, and other novels

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel It’s the opening weekend of deer season in Gunthrum, Nebraska, in 1985, and Alma Costagan’s intellectually disabled farmhand, Hal Bullard, has gone hunting with some of the locals, leaving her in a huff. That same weekend, a teenage girl goes missing, and Hal returns with a flimsy story about the blood in his truck and a dent near the headlight. When the situation escalates from that of a missing girl to something more sinister, Alma and her husband are forced to confront what Hal might be capable of, as rumors fly and townspeople see Hal’s violent past in a new light. A drama about the complicated relationships connecting the residents of a small-town farming community, Deer Season explores troubling questions about how far people will go to safeguard the ones they love and what it means to be a family.Trade Review"This is a standout novel of small-town life, powered by the characters' consequential determination to protect their loved ones at any cost."—Publishers Weekly, starred review“With incisive prose and finely wrought tension, Deer Season is an absorbing tale of a small town that is both severed and knitted together by tragedy. This book does not just return us to a forgotten place and time; it recreates it for us. This is fiction at its finest.”—Melissa Fraterrigo, author of Glory Days“Flanagan subverts the traditional whodunit by pointing the reader not just to multiple suspects but, more importantly and humanely, to the many victims of a single act of violence. She also does it with grace and humor, and without fetishizing or parodying her Nebraskan characters. . . . That it’s compelling, fun, and highly readable is simply the cherry on top.”—Xhenet Aliu, author of Domesticated Wild Things, and Other Stories“Flanagan takes clear-eyed aim at the foibles and strengths of the human heart, ultimately plumbing its tenderness through characters whose lives in Middle America are deftly rendered through a riveting plot. . . . Nuanced with unsentimental empathy, Deer Season delivers a literary mystery that will leave readers thinking about these characters and their story long after turning the last page.”—Jess Montgomery, author of the Kinship series of historical mysteries

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2019 Minnesota Book Award for Novel & Short StoryPoignant portrayals of life on the edge in northern Minnesota border country, from the best-selling author of These Granite Islands and Vacationland Bitter winters are nothing new in Hatchet Inlet, hard up against the ridge of the Laurentian Divide, but the advent of spring can’t thaw the community’s collective grief, lingering since a senseless tragedy the previous fall. What is different this year is what’s missing: Rauri Paar, the last private landowner in the Reserve, whose annual emergence from his remote iced-in islands marks the beginning of spring and the promise of a kinder season. The town’s residents gather at the local diner and, amid talk of spring weather, the latest gossip, roadkill, and the daily special, take bets on when Rauri will appear—or imagine what happened to him during the long and brutal winter. Retired union miner and widower Alpo Lahti is about to wed the diner’s charming and lively waitress, Sissy Pavola, but, with Rauri still unaccounted for, celebration seems premature. Alpo’s son Pete struggles to find his straight and narrow, then struggles to stay on it, and even Sissy might be having second thoughts. Weaving in and out of each other’s reach, trying hard to do their best (all the while wondering what that might be), the residents of this remote town in all their sweetness and sorrow remind us once more of the inescapable lurches of the heart and unexpected turns of our human comedy.Trade Review"Hilarious, smart, moving, and kind, Laurentian Divide is good for the soul, or anyway, it was good for mine."—Richard Russo"There aren’t many writers on the planet who can take a reader’s heart apart and put it back together again with the sureness of Sarah Stonich, who does exactly that over and over again in Laurentian Divide, her best yet. Funny and wise in equal measure, here’s a novel for everyone. What a treasure."—Peter Geye, author of Wintering"With seamless grace, Sarah Stonich has again woven the towering majesty of Minnesota's Arrowhead Country with the endearing miscellany of its denizens, creating a tapestry both elegant and earthy. Here, reader, are joy and artistry."—Faith Sullivan, author of Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse"Laurentian Divide is rich, funny, and overflowing with life—Sarah Stonich at the top of her powers."—Will Weaver, author of Sweet Land"With a nimble hand and wry voice, Sarah Stonich pilots this generous tale—incisive, musical, and spiced with pungent observation so that Laurentian Divide becomes the best sort of trip."—Leif Enger, author of Peace Like a River and Virgil Wander"It was a pleasure to spend time with these characters again and see the family they have created within their community. Sarah Stonich’s beautiful prose, sly humor, and obvious fondness for her subject matter make Laurentian Divide a must-read."—Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books"Thanks to Stonich’s keen depictions, this is a small town peopled with actual people: diverse individuals united by a common experience of place. Laurentian Divide transports attention to a ‘scrap of near-nowhere’ because ‘life isn’t something that happens to you—how you choose to react to what happens is life.’"—Foreword Review"Stonich weaves past and present into a lyrical, immersive novel. Fans of Kent Haruf and Paulette Jiles will fall in love with Stonich’s depiction of Minnesota: harsh and welcoming, friendly and unforgiving, all at once. Exploring the consequences of actions set in motion months, years, or even decades ago, Stonich’s slow burn of a novel questions what—and who—can belong to us."—Booklist "Laurentian Divide does what a good sequel should. It fills in details and updates on the characters that we love, but also tells a compelling story of its own. There is an understanding of the bittersweet realities of life, an acceptance of the good and bad that comes with the simple act of living." —Nicole M. Burrell

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Book SynopsisPittsburghese, Robert Gibb’s latest book of poems, is a work of poignant remembrance, filled with revelations found in the everyday “debris of paradise.” The collection is anchored by personal and public histories, the city’s “consensus things” and “standard archaeologies,” as well as by music—jazz, blues, R&B and gospel—“sweet rebuttal” to the world’s “cold hymns.” Throughout, motifs function like the thorns on the jaggers—Pittsburghese for brambles—whose points engage the reader “one by one.” Other poems elegize the great buildings and working stiffs of the city’s industrial past, celebrating its artifacts and artworks, the “necessary mystery” of its trees and wild creatures. Particulars of a world in which dialect is the alembic, the means of expression and the shapes it takes on as well—habitation and name.Trade ReviewPittsburghese is the language spoken in the pages of this poet’s singular concoction, a mix of keen musicality and uncommon sagacity that wound itself purposely and sinuously through my imagination like the twisty hills and bridges of its hometown. In the tradition of learning the sacred, secret loves of a burnished and bellowed metropolis, this poet’s voice masterfully testifies to neighborhoods and lives doused in enough heat to melt but then forged in enough wry and heart-busted love to craft the wiry steel of these poems. —Tyehimba Jess, author of Olio, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry"Robert Gibb’s Pittsburghese is an impressive homage to the “iron” city of Pittsburgh, its culture, its people, its industrial past of steel production, its subsequent economic decline, and its hard-won resurgence. Meditations, elegies, and ekphrastic pieces abound in which the poet renders in potent lyricism the “mills’ brutal music,” a muscular counterpoint to William Wordsworth’s “the still, sad music of humanity” from “Tintern Abbey.” Like Wordsworth, Gibb is a consummate poet of personal memory, specifically of his childhood and youth in nearby Homestead with its “crowded rows of houses [and] Steel mills billowing / Identical plumes of smoke.” His language is elegant and precise, rich with inventive images, such as the “auroras of white-hot scoria” of the blast furnaces. Gibb is the bard par excellence of Pittsburgh." —Orlando Ricardo Menes, author of The Gospel of Wildflowers and Weeds"Gibb’s poems are so natural in their tone that they might seem like someone, anyone, just talking; that is, if anyone but Gibb could have a genius for lyric precision, a painter’s eye for detail, an impeccable ear for the music of his native dialect, and an unbearable grief born from the awareness of losing everything that matters to him a little at a time." —Michael Simms, Plume Poetry

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Book SynopsisThis magical realist tale follows the travails of a burnt-out teacher from Queens who spends his time obsessing over the fact that he has been cheated out of living in his Grandma Rose’s Lower East Side apartment and is thus priced out of his “More Recent Ancestral Home” of Manhattan. In The Lower East Side Tenement Reclamation Association, David Rothman weaves a rich story about real estate, family, and memory. Daniel, the protagonist, is haunted by the memories of his childhood experiences in his grandmother’s apartment, a home that he desperately wants to inhabit. One day he discovers a hidden relic on Rivington Street: a tenement reclamation office run by an eccentric centurion named Hannah. When Daniel inquires about the chances of reclaiming his grandmother’s old tenement, Hannah is not impressed. “Things don’t work like that, you rude, young schlub!” And so begins Daniel’s journey to take back his past and to secure an affordable space for his family in downtown Manhattan. This is a journey full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and an ending that would make even the most thick-skinned New York real estate agent shake.The Lower East Side Tenement Reclamation Association is the winner of the Omnidawn Fabulist Fiction Novelette Prize, selected by Meg Ellison. Trade Review“The Lower East Side Tenement Reclamation Association is a brilliantly-written work of magical fiction in which both contemporary New York and the Jewish immigrant experience come alive. I loved Daniel, who wants a Manhattan apartment in the most desperate way, his sensible wife Julie, and their wise little girl, Hannah. The book is both moving and comic.” -- Phyllis Smith, author of I am Livia“Rothman’s novel lands readers in a magical New York City, where portals and keys lead to wondrous places. But moreover, it’s a story that profoundly explores the weight of loss, the complexities of family, and the power of nostalgia.” -- Noah Lederman, author of A World Erased

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisFinding the family she has always longed for through her marriage to Lewis, Anny Butler vows alongside her new friends that they will live together in old age rather than enter assisted-living facilities, a promise that is tested in the wake of painful challenges.Trade Review"One of her best novels to date... A beautifully detailed evocation of privileged lives." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Readers [will] linger over Islands." -- Memphis Commercial Appeal

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Book SynopsisFrom Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford: the final novel in the world of Frank Bascombe, one of the most indelible characters in American literature Over the course of four celebrated works of fiction and almost forty years, Richard Ford has crafted an ambitious, incisive, and singular view of American life as lived. Unconstrained, astute, provocative, often laugh-out-loud funny, Frank Bascombe is once more our guide to the great American midway.Now in the twilight of life, a man who has occupied many colorful lives—sportswriter, father, husband, ex-husband, friend, real estate agent—Bascombe finds himself in the most sorrowing role of all: caregiver to his son, Paul, diagnosed with ALS. On a shared winter odyssey to Mount Rushmore, Frank, in typical Bascombe fashion, faces down the mortality that is assured each of us, and in doing so confronts what happiness might signify at the end of days.In this mem

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