April 25, 2026
This week, we have two novels featured in upcoming events at The Center: a gorgeous and poignant story about sisters in Brazil that will be part of May’s First Novel Friday, and a renowned author’s look at childhood loss of innocence in the New Jersey suburbs. New York is a character in two novels: a seasoned writer who always has his finger on the pulse of NYC culture completes a bestselling tetralogy; and Brooklyn stars in an elegiac work of fiction about an older man who comes to terms with his own losses. We also spotlight a young, Swiss-born rising star in the literary pantheon whose subject is a Hungarian family. Domestic dynamics in numerous times and places are richly explored, and life reflections abound.
Happy reading,
Melanie Fleishman
Buyer, The Center for Fiction Bookstore
Featured Books
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Ghost Town
By TOM PERROTTA
Published by SCRIBNER
Perrotta’s novel is set in a New Jersey not unlike the one in which he grew up. This hymn to a bygone era—the tumultuous ’70s—introduces us to Jimmy, who grew up in a factory town on the decline. Narrated by an adult Jimmy, the novel looks back to his adolescence when his mother succumbed to cancer. With his friend Olivia, they attempted to contact her with the Ouija board, hence the ‘ghost story.’ Perrotta’s wonderfully moody story has echoes of Philip Roth’s New Jersey-set autobiographical fiction. He has remarked, “I don’t want to write something that scares people away…” Here, he reels the reader in like a fish on a hook, with a memorable coming-of-age tale.
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Liar’s Dice
By JULIET FAITHFULL
Published by RANDOM HOUSE
A stunning debut full of heart and heartbreak about Dolores, a feisty girl who is illiterate but longs to read and write; and Mita, her identical twin sister who develops epilepsy. Set in Brazil during the dictatorship, their parents give sparkling parties, but Dolores sees only their disappointment and disinterest in caring for a disabled child. When Mita is sent away to a home in England, it takes years for a devastated Dolores to understand why that choice was made. In the meantime, with the help of a special teacher, she learns to read and to navigate the streets of Rio. A must-read.
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See You on the Other Side
By JAY McINERNEY
Published by KNOPF
McInerney has always displayed an uncanny ability to capture the Zeitgeist of New York City. This is the fourth and final episode of the lives of Russell, a noted book editor, and Corrinne Calloway, a philanthropist, who are about to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. They have gone from youthful party animals to a 60-something successful couple with two children, lasting friendships, and rich personal and social lives. They have also weathered affairs and losses, 9/11, COVID, and now health issues—which will change their lives. McInerney’s empathy for this ensemble of characters is palpable. They leap off the page, into our hearts and minds.
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Lázár
By NELIO BIEDERMANN
Published by SUMMIT
Translated by Jamie Bulloch
Set in 20th-century Hungary, this novel opens with the birth of Lajos von Lázár, the son of a baron. Lajos’s appearance instantly causes concern: his skin is translucent. His father, Sandor, is quietly appalled and retreats to his business affairs. His mother, Maria, who habitually engages in self-harm, is worried about the child’s paternity. As Lajos grows up, the family endures societal upheavals, and their own lives fill with deceit. (Sandor has an affair with a smelly woman called Mrs. Virag!) Stalin makes an appearance among the secondary characters. It adds up to quite a clever debut by a young novelist. What will Biedermann do for an encore?
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Elegy in Blue
By MARK HELPRIN
Published by FLATIRON BOOKS
In Helprin’s affecting and skillfully crafted new novel, an unnamed, aging narrator contemplates the ghosts of his past, including his beloved wife. It is a requiem that becomes a wistful celebration, both an anthem and a eulogy of his life in Brooklyn Heights. Memories, including a violent, haunting episode from years before, resurface. He knows “that New York is a vast work of tragedy and comedy intertwined. You can’t escape either…” Just as he accepts his time is winding down, an opportunity to restore justice shakes up his placid life. Honor and justice are themes throughout much of Helprin’s oeuvre, and this beautiful, nostalgic book is no different.
