Book Reviews

Herta Müller's remarkable novel tells the story of a young schoolteacher who becomes convinced, through gruesome clues, that the Romanian dictator's secret police are closing in on her.

Jill Lepore digs into the story of Joe Gould, a legendary Greenwich Village writer and eccentric — and discovers that his missing magnum opus, long thought imaginary, may actually have existed.

Martin Seay's debut novel tells three separate but connected stories, all revolving around an alchemist in 16th-century Venice who conspires to smuggle two legendary mirror-makers out of the city.

Alejandro Jodorowsky's hallucinatory new novel follows two women on the run — one suffering from a monstrous affliction. Though disturbing in places, it has the feel of an ancient fireside tale.

Lavie Tidhar's new novel follows a motley crew of spacemen, castaways, data vampires and magical children in a beautifully realized far-future Tel Aviv. It's short, lush and close to a masterpiece.

Novelist Evie Wyld departs from straight-ahead fiction in her new graphic novel about a young girl describing childhood summers in Australia — and her dark fascination with the sharks in the water.

Ada Palmer's dizzying debut novel is dense and complex, packed with philosophy and visions of what life might be like in the year 2424: Radically different, yet based on Enlightenment ideals.

Julian Barnes' slim but powerful new novel chronicles the difficulties composer Dmitri Shostakovich suffered under repressive Soviet regimes, and mourns what is lost when tyrants try to control art.

Dana Cann's novel is packed with ghosts, literal and figurative. It centers on a married couple grieving the loss of their infant daughter — and the way that grief can make strange things happen.