“Hausfrau”
by Jill Alexander Essbaum
“Hausfrau” is the perfect Valentine’s Day antidote: Anna is a restless American housewife living in Switzerland with her banker husband and three young children. After 10 years in the country, she’s decided to finally learn the language, so she enrolls in a German class — where she quickly starts an affair with a classmate. But that’s only to get over an affair she had a couple years ago. And then there’s this other affair she’s having… OK, so Anna is a human tire fire and this book is seriously disturbing. However, the writing and the story are so amazing that you can’t look away. Have a stiff drink ready for when you finish.
“Delicious Foods”
by James Hannaham
A captivating Southern Gothic, “Delicious Foods” is the story of a young boy named Eddie, his recently widowed mother Darlene, and her raging drug addiction. Darlene is lured away from Eddie with the promise of building a better life, but her struggle with addiction threatens to destroy her and her son. Eddie’s search for his mother is heart-wrenching.
But this is also a novel full of hope, even when it’s narrated by crack. That’s right — crack, as in crack cocaine. This unusual choice of narration adds an exciting dimension. Hannaham deserves all the awards for his inventiveness and this beautiful, unsettling novel. You’ll be hearing about it everywhere really soon.
“The Tusk That Did the Damage”
by Tania James
This is an ambitious novel about the brutalities of the ivory trade. Once used for labor, Gravedigger is an escaped elephant now terrorizing the countryside in South India, murdering humans. A relative of one of Gravedigger’s victims is drawn into the world of poaching, while a young documentary filmmaker struggles with capturing these events on film even as she becomes romantically involved with one of the film’s subjects. “The Tusk That Did the Damage” is a mesmerizing tale of past and present beliefs and moral ambiguities.
“Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter”
by Nina MacLaughlin
If the last few books sounded kinda heavy, here’s something a little lighter: MacLaughlin, who spent the better part of her 20s writing for a Boston newspaper, responded on a whim to an ad on Craigslist looking to hire female carpenters. Though lacking the necessary experience, she was eager to learn and was hired. “Hammer Head” is a delightful memoir about her transition to the field, her colorful clients and coworkers, and many wise thoughts about life, intentional and otherwise. MacLaughlin is a marvelous writer and this book is utterly charming.
“A Little Life”
by Hanya Yanagihara
Warning: This book is an astounding epic that will consume your life! It’s so engrossing you’ll want to read the whole thing at once, but also try and savor it. The good news is there are 736 pages to savor. A brilliant tale of love and friendship in the 21st century, “A Little Life” follows four college friends who move to NYC and struggle to make it in the big city. Centering around Jude, who grows increasingly withdrawn and unhappy with his life despite his successes, this unbelievably remarkable novel will haunt you for weeks. This is going to make Yanagihara a household name. It’s the best.