About Book Marks
Allison Cho
Recent Reviews
Positive Booklist A posthumous collection explores the strange, ethereal worlds of author Dunn ... Perfect for readers who enjoy dark short stories.
Rave Booklist Keating’s debut is aptly named. It is fantastically odd, and it is all about bodies, specifically the ways they can be contorted and transformed. Ten short stories unfurl in tales of body horror that are not for the faint of heart ... Keating’s female-driven cast is ripped open and prodded over and over, a reflection of how women are scrutinized in everyday life ... Weird, bold, and violent, this collection is for horror readers who don’t mind being uncomfortable in their own skin.
Rave Booklist Despite its heaviness, author Yee’s novel knows to embrace the hopeful and heartwarming, such as the protagonist’s relationship with her best friend. A beautifully crafted debut that isn’t afraid to guffaw in times of darkness.
Soma Mei Sheng Frazier
Positive Booklist Beneath a budding romance and roadside banter, the story of the humanitarian crisis of the Uyghurs in China is masterfully presented ... Frazier’s debut proves to be an enthralling ride, perfect for those who love an American road trip with a twist.
Lisa Ko
Positive Booklist The novel serves as an archive of our past and a vision for what’s to come, hauntingly beautiful in a way that’s both nostalgic and dystopian. In essence, Memory Piece is about the power of remembering, especially when it’s painful.
Jeanette Winterson
Positive Booklist Haunting ... A bewitching collection for readers of horror and mystery, with just the right twists.
Kelsey Norris
Positive Booklist With its moments of dark humor, this genre-defying debut is perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood and Carmen Maria Machado.
Yan Ge
Positive Booklist Chinese author Yan has written 13 books, but this is her English-language debut—and it proves clever and delicate, finely woven with a sharp wit. This subtle but brilliant collection will draw readers in and keep them enchanted until the very last word.
Erin Slaughter
Positive Booklist Stunningly fierce ... Slaughter intentionally blurs the line between real and unreal and ghosts and people, creating a spellbinding tilt across stories and worlds. This dark but whimsical collection is perfect for fans of magical realism and strong female characters.
Fatimah Asghar
Positive Booklist Asghar brings that same lyricism from her poetry collection ... crafting vignettes with dark but tender prose that form a striking picture of the sisters’ daily lives. With minimal dialogue, these brief windows are told through the first-person observations of the youngest, Kausar, with occasional interludes from their uncle or father. A debut in fiction perfect for poetry readers, this poignant coming-of-age tale examines a girlhood torn apart by loss.
Ling Ma
Rave Booklist Ma again proves her biting sense of humor and gift for subtlety in a collection of eight short stories, all surreal and jarring in the most sensational way ... Ma masterfully takes on heavy topics such as abuse and loneliness with sprawling, spinning plotlines. All the while, she interweaves the experience of Chinese American women, touching on visibility, assimilation, and the expectations of immigrant mothers. A fantastical collection that grows more and more captivating with each page.
Celia Laskey
Positive Booklist Laskey’s second novel is a force of dark humor, captivating in its boldness and its portrayal of a friendship torn apart by tradition. For readers of satire and thrillers with an added dose of dystopia.
Katie Runde
Positive Booklist A comforting debut on family and finding resilience in the face of sorrow.
Sarah Manguso
Rave Booklist Gritty ... Manguso paints a haunting portrait of innocence lost, with snippets of prose that gradually evolve from brief paragraphs to pages. These first-person windows into Ruthie’s upbringing, though initially jarring and seemingly mundane, masterfully unveil the tragic and disturbing fates of girls in Waitsfield ... A gripping debut novel on the vulnerability of girlhood for readers who enjoy steady but intense storytelling.