About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Juli Min
Positive Booklist Enthralling ... In her masterful storytelling, Min captures the essence of life in a rapidly changing city and world, reminding readers that even in times of uncertainty, love, longing, and resilience remain unwavering constants.
Lexi Freiman
Positive Booklist Freiman’s satirical novel explores the existential search for meaning with hilarity and absurdity. At the heart of the book is a tender empathy for Anna and others like her who are so focused on finding a greater purpose that they miss where they are in the present.
Thao Thai
Positive Booklist Heartwarming ... Thai’s writing is lovely and engaging as she explores grief, trauma, and the binding power of familial love.
Mirinae Lee
Positive Booklist Though the eight stories that make up Lee’s debut are full of death, loss, war, and other heartbreaking traumas, the overarching theme of love—familial, romantic, platonic, or parental—connects them all. Inspired by the author’s great-aunt, Lee’s beautiful novel is a tale of survival, trauma, and love in the midst of modern Korea’s most tumultuous times. Her metaphorical and lyrical language, brutal and unsettling storytelling, and masterful prose will keep readers hooked until the very end.
Katherine Lin
Positive Booklist Ellie learns the power of human connections as she heals and finds the push she needs to move forward. Lin’s debut is a heartwarming novel about self-discovery after loss, as she explores grief, deep disappointment, female relationships, and the Asian American perspective of living in a dominantly wealthy and privileged white society.
R. F. Kuang
Rave Booklist [Kuang\'s] magnificent novel uses satire to shine a light on systemic racial discrimination and the truth that often hides behind the twisted narratives constructed by those in power.
Esther Yi
Positive Booklist In this sharp and humorously perverse novel, Yi examines the sort of identity-altering, obsessive fandom that is only destined to disappoint if one looks too closely.
Yan Lianke, trans. by Carlos Rojas
Positive Booklist With beautiful papercut illustrations, satirical humor, and allegorical prose, Lianke’s brilliantly reimagined campus novel showcases the author’s masterful storytelling, which uses realism and fantasy to explore the intersection between religious and secular beliefs.
Carolyn Huynh
Positive Booklist Huynh’s debut novel explores the dynamics of a stubborn Vietnamese American family with humor and tenderness, ultimately showing how the women slowly find healing, love, and happiness together.
Ella King
Rave Booklist In her debut novel, King brilliantly portrays generational abuse and trauma passed down from parent to child and a resulting, conscious fight to break free from the toxic cycle. She writes with mastery as she explores the disturbing effects of childhood trauma within a biracial family. Thrilling and suspenseful, King’s exemplary novel will keep readers fascinated until the end.
Francesca Manfredi
Positive Booklist During the summer of 1996, in the Italian countryside, 12-year-old Valentina experiences unsettling changes that alter her life forever...As Valentina explores her growing sexuality and deals with her relationships with friends and boys, she comes to believe that these horrifying things are all her fault...Yet, as she later learns, all three women carry their own guilt, secrets, and regrets that bind them to their family home, \'the blind house,\' and to each other...Using the biblical story of the ten plagues of Egypt, Manfredi’s debut is a coming-of-age story that showcases, with powerful descriptions and poetic prose, the intergenerational clash and unspoken guilt between three women.
Cecily Wong
Positive Booklist Telling a beautiful and heartbreaking story through fragments of the sisters’ lives, Wong shows how they’ve been shaped by the many experiences they’ve lived through, and how different perspectives can change the way we understand the truth.
Meron Hadero
Rave Booklist ... impressive ... Hadero’s powerful stories usher characters along their searches for belonging, often with nothing but hope and a sense of community pushing them forward.
Maria Adelmann
Rave Booklist Adelmann shatters \'happily ever after,\' showing how the women’s lives are haunted in the aftermath of their disturbing experiences, and brilliantly brings to light the historical exploitation and manipulation of female trauma in the media. With the current fascination with true crime and reality television, this powerful first novel holds up a mirror to the reader and challenges our perceptions of truth.
Paige Clark
Positive Booklist ... gives keen insight into the transnational Chinese experience and the often relatable struggles and fears these characters face ... Clark’s stories explore trauma, mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, identity, and grief with humor and an incredible wit that will capture readers.
Annie Hartnett
Rave Booklist Hartnett masterfully balances a story of deep loss with the perfect amount of hilarity and tenderness. Unlikely Animals explores complex family dynamics and the growth that can occur after tragedy, with just a little help.
Melissa Fu
Rave Booklist Fu’s heartfelt debut is captivating as she examines the traumas of war and the sacrifices survivors feel forced to make for a brighter future. Following three generations of one family, readers will be moved by Fu’s sincere and tender prose and the struggles her characters face in looking for a safe place to call home.
Ella Baxter
Rave Booklist In her incredible debut, Baxter combines dark humor with a complex protagonist and bold narration to both astound and devastate her readers. Amelia is a memorable heroine who is raw with grief as she struggles with and explores the paradox of finding harmony in the dichotomy of life and death.
Destiny O. Birdsong
Rave Booklist ... stunning ... Birdsong is a masterful storyteller with a powerful voice that will keep readers captivated.
Jean Chen Ho
Positive Booklist In this tender and timeless debut, Chen Ho explores the intimate facets of female friendship, Asian American immigrant experiences in Los Angeles and New York, and the debilitating power of family traumas.
Mahsa Mohebali, tr. Mariam Rahmani
Positive Booklist In this satirical and brilliantly translated novel, Mohebali showcases Iran’s underground culture and the catastrophic realities of contemporary life. Her picturesque prose is darkly comical as she examines the political climate and social issues affecting our world.
Lucy Corin
Positive Booklist ... brilliant and surreal ... The voices of other characters add different perspectives to Em’s story ... Set against the 2008 economic crisis and the search for Osama Bin Laden, Corin’s novel unveils the madness that permeates society by scrutinizing trauma, cultural expectations, and the political and economic climate of the twenty-first century.
Emily Itami
Positive Booklist Through clever narration and humorously witty prose, Itami explores the struggle between duty and desire, and Western and Eastern cultures, in her brilliant debut.
David Hoon Kim
Positive Booklist Debut novelist Kim takes readers on a dreamlike journey through Paris. With flowing language and lavish detail, he delves deep into the \'what if’s\' of infinite possibilities and explores how language and translations can affect one’s perspectives and experiences.
Thora Hjorleifsdottir, tr. Meg Matich
Rave Booklist Poet Hjörleifsdóttir’s heart-wrenching American debut is a raw and empathetic depiction of a woman so subtly manipulated into an abusive relationship that she loses her sense of self and cannot find a way out ... The short but powerful entries are masterfully written.
Beth Morgan
Rave Booklist In this bizarre debut novel, Morgan masterfully brings dark comedy and psychedelic horror together at a slow-burning pace. Her mundane but over-the-top characters and brilliant dialogue add to the surreal and fantastical tone of this spellbinding book.
Mieko Kawakami, tr. David Boyd and Sam Bett
Rave Booklist Kawakami’s (Breasts and Eggs, 2020) powerful and unassuming novel explores horrific accounts of bullying in a Japanese school ... Kawakami’s depiction of cruelty among youths is raw and vivid ... Her sensitive, evocative storytelling sets her apart as an incredible literary talent.
Ethel Rohan
Positive Booklist Through her brilliant storytelling, Rohan explores the deep desire for human relationships, and the physical or psychological distances that affect them.
Emma Duffy-Comparone
Rave Booklist Duffy’s unforgettable debut is an intense, emotional exploration of the unconventional relationships various women and girls experience ... This collection of dark, tender, and enthralling short stories is captivating. Duffy is a masterful storyteller and uses vivid imagery to showcase the pivotal moments in the lives of these broken but resilient female characters as they go through loss, love, hurt, and healing.
Jim Lewis
Positive Booklist ... poignant vignettes ... Lewis is a master at painting developed characters captured in various moments in time. There is little dialogue in these series of vulnerable snapshots, but the lyrical narration is continuously engaging, especially as the episodic stories begin to interlace.
Dorthe Nors, Trans. by Misha Hoekstra
Rave Booklist In this masterful collection of stories, Danish writer Nors presents the lives of melancholy characters all yearning for something more meaningful ... Translated by Hoekstra, Nors weaves these somber tales of longing and disappointments with humor and bits of hope. She dives right into the heart of her stories with emotion and insight, making this a delightful collection that can easily be read in one sitting.
Melanie Finn
Rave Booklist This thought-provoking literary thriller from Finn...brilliantly depicts the effects of patriarchy on women and their sense of duty to please men. This resilient heroine embodies the evolution of feminism in a male-dominant society, making this a poignant story for our time.
Simon Han
Positive Booklist In this exemplary debut, Han explores childhood trauma and the impact words and silence can have on both building and harming relationships. He writes with sensitivity and tenderness, allowing his fully fleshed-out characters to take on lives of their own and tell their heartbreaking perspectives directly to readers. Readers will be gripped by this beautiful debut.
Susie Yang
Rave Booklist Yang’s dark, spellbinding debut gives insight into the immigrant experience and life in the upper class, challenging the stereotypes and perceptions associated with both. The surprising twists, elegant prose, and complex characters in this coming-of-age story make this a captivating read.
Hiroko Oyamada, tr. David Boyd
Positive Booklist [A] fantastical story, as translated by David Boyd, in which increasingly bizarre illusions blend into reality, with a reclusive adult at the center. Oyamada unsettles readers, not allowing us to remain comfortable in the reality she creates, which makes for a beguiling read.
Michael Nye
Positive Booklist ... sure to tug on heartstrings ... In this highly satisfying collection, Nye’s characters struggle to be seen and understood, but he reminds readers that love can overcome all.
Asako Serizawa
Rave Booklist ... stunning ... With beautiful lyrical prose, Serizawa presents a powerful and heartbreaking look into the ways war, colonization, and loss affect not only the survivors, but the generations that inherit these stories.
Rufi Thorpe
Rave Booklist Thorpe...writes with savage poignancy as she explores identity, adolescent friendship, and the insatiable longing for intimacy. Her novel is devastatingly honest, her characters vulnerable, and her readers will be spellbound.
Ge Yan, Dorothy Tse, Chan Chi Wa, Si'an Chen, Enoch Tam, Hui Zhu, Ed. by CJ Evans and Sarah Coolidge
Rave Booklist With enthralling and precise language, this first book in Two Lines Press’ Calico series of collected translated literature impresses ...This collection of speculative Chinese fiction is compelling and provocative, exploring the thin line between reality and absurdity.
Catherine Lacey
Positive Booklist Lacey\'s quietly provocative novel is brilliantly composed ... She shines a light on how complicated people are and the dangers of judging others based on appearance, as Pew’s ambiguity reveals the true nature of the novel’s characters.
Souvankham Thammavongsa
Rave Booklist ... beautifully crafted ... These stories have a quiet brilliance in their raw portrayal of the struggle to find meaning in difficult times and to belong in a foreign place. Thammavongsa writes with an elegance that is both brutal and tender, giving her stories and their characters a powerful voice.
Alexandra Chang
Rave Booklist ...[a] stunning debut ... Chang portrays early adulthood with elegance and an offbeat humor that complements her poignant and deeply significant observations of life as a woman of color. She explores the struggle to be free in an oppressive society with incredible insight and clear, captivating prose that set her apart as a striking new voice in literature.
Caroline Zancan
Positive Booklist Zancan weaves together an extraordinary story peopled by fascinating characters who are not easily forgotten. She explores the communal process of literary production and creates a palpable tension between creation and destruction that will keep readers engaged.
Sok Fong Ho, Trans. by Natascha Bruce
Positive Booklist Fong’s critical and surreal prose will engage readers interested in soft magical realism and compelling imagery.
Veronica Raimo Trans. by Stash Luczkiw
Positive Booklist Italian author Raimo’s English-language debut digs deep into a web of sex, scandal, and perception. Through the anonymity of her characters, Raimo beautifully portrays the effect language itself has on creating reality, and how labels can create doubt about the people and situations we think we know. In an age when the scandals of powerful and political figures are being exposed, this is both timely and merciless in its provocative presentation.
Julia Armfield
Positive Booklist ... both provocative and thrilling ... Armfield’s collection is exemplary as she pushes the limits of reality into beautifully eerie and unsettling worlds. She blends elements of horror, science fiction, mythology, and feminism in a way that is sure to shock and amaze readers of short fiction.
R. L. Maizes
Positive Booklist ... a terrific collection ... through her fantastic characters, all outsiders in some way, Maizes masterfully intertwines harsh realities with humor and a deep understanding of human nature.
Annie Hartnett
Rave Booklist Though this is a story about loss, Hartnett manages to bring humor and absurdity into it without losing focus through Elvis’ heartbreakingly honest voice. This is a truly terrific and original novel about grief, family, and finding hope in the aftermath.
Juliet Escoria
Positive Booklist Escoria here delivers a coming-of-age novel about teenage life and mental illness that’s also an explosive work of autofiction. With bold honesty, she tells an unforgettable story that’s unhindered by romanticism in its unabashed portrayal of Juliet’s darkest struggles.
Halle Butler
Positive Booklist Butler...is a master of satire ... Her darkly hilarious novel vividly captures contemporary American life and will keep readers addicted to the end.
Mathangi Subramanian
Rave Booklist The power of these fierce young women shines in spite of their circumstances, and they prove just how beautiful and influential a strong, unconditionally accepting community is. Subramanian is a remarkable writer whose vibrant words carry a lot of heart. This inspiring novel is sure to draw in readers with its lyrical prose and endearing characters.
Han Kang, Trans. by Deborah Smith
Rave Booklist Through these beautifully crafted snapshots, Kang uses language to attempt to transcend the different stages of grief and pain. She explores the dichotomies of black and white, life and death, and the pristine and tragic symbolism that runs between them. Kang’s masterful voice is captivating and nothing short of brilliant.
Juliet Lapidos
Positive Booklist Los Angeles Times editor Lapidos’ literary prowess is evident in this brilliantly witty and humorous debut. The novel’s layers explore the dangers of interpretation and the varying perceptions of one’s, and others’, intentions, all of which come together to make a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Kim Sagwa, trans. by Bruce Fulton & Ju-Chan Fulton
Rave Booklist \"Award-winning Korean author Kim’s first novel to be translated into English is a powerful portrayal of teenage angst, confusion, and the surmounting pressures on Korean teens to achieve. Her poignant and very detailed exploration of the complex and unstable emotions of adolescence will keep readers rapt until the end.\
Melanie Hobson
Rave Booklist Hobson’s debut novel is packed with complex relationships and a torrent of emotions as she lifts the highly composed veil from a seemingly put-together, affluent family and brilliantly exposes the lust and betrayal behind their palatial walls. The intricacies of Hobson’s characters and her exceptional new voice will keep readers riveted.
Catherine Lacey
Positive Booklist \"Readers will be drawn to Lacey’s rhythmic, reflective prose and the stories she tells, which are filled with affecting emotional complexity just at the point of bursting.\
Lucy Tan
Positive Booklist Online Tan’s first novel is beautiful and compassionate as it explores how identity is reinvented and the importance of confronting the past to move into the future.
Paolo Cognetti, Trans. by Simon Carnell
Positive Booklist Winner of the Strega Prize, Italy’s highest literary honor, Cognetti’s novel elegantly paints the terrifyingly beautiful landscape of the mountains at the heart of a brotherly friendship that proves to transcend anything.
Danielle Lazarin
Rave Booklist With poignant imagery and a fresh voice, Lazarin portrays these women honestly and relatably. Her exceptional craftsmanship speaks to the heart, as she paints these tales with empathy and a compassion that extends to all humankind.
Yan Lianke, Trans. by Carlos Rojas
Rave Booklist The Years, Months, Days, winner of the Lu Xun Literary Prize, is the magnificent story of an elderly man’s decision to remain in his village during a terrible drought to raise a single corn seed ... Lianke paints vivid scenes of desolate circumstances with an incredible mastery of words and control of his imagery. His masterpieces are sure to engage readers.
Emily Fridlund
Rave Booklist Eleven brilliant stories showcase childhood, adolescence, marriage, and families and how the appearances of these events and relationships in life can hide the strangeness and emptiness that pervade beneath the surface ... She unpacks these situations with thoughtful diction and complex characters, and her subdued and controlled language sets what is unsaid at the fore, unveiling hope, despair, and the paradoxes that are often ignored in such close relationships. Fridlund’s intelligent and conversational voice impressively manipulates the emotional atmosphere of her stories and will draw readers deep into exploring these seemingly commonplace topics even after they’ve put the book down.