April 11, 2020
We have always appreciated the work that the small and independent presses do, from their discovery of new voices to their commitment to bringing out literature from around the world, much of it in translation. You, our customers at the bookstore and through our online store, have always supported this literature as well, making these books some of our top sellers since we opened a little more than a year ago.
This week we wanted to spotlight some of the new April publications that particularly stand out. We hope you will find a few that intrigue you!
Happy reading,
Melanie Fleishman
Buyer, Center for Fiction Bookstore
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Godshot
By Chelsea Bieker
Published by Catapult
This much anticipated literary debut is set in a California cult featuring a teenage girl, her missing alcoholic mother, and a dodgy charismatic preacher—an unforgettable portrait of strength and spirit.
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Subduction
By Kristen Millares Young
Published by Red Hen
A terrifically promising debut from a Cuban-American writer who sets her novel in a Native American community in the Pacific Northwest where a Latina anthropologist has taken refuge.
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Optic Nerve
By María Gainza
Published by Counterpoint
This Argentinian journalist has fashioned a novel around one woman’s obsession with painting. It is beautifully translated by Thomas Bunstead and is Gainza’s first book available in English.
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Breasts and Eggs
By Mieko Kawakami
Published by Europa
A favorite writer of Murakami here recounts a woman’s travels to Tokyo accompanied by her sister and daughter to seek breast augmentation. If that plot, and the title, doesn’t grab your attention, then . . .
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The Immortals of Tehran
By Ali Araghi
Published by Melville House
A family curse and cats taking over Iran both draw you into this Middle Eastern historical novel that has just the right amount of magical realism.
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Lake Like a Mirror
By Ho Sok Fong
Published by Two Lines Press
A fascinating glimpse into Malaysian society and the women who must navigate its cultural landmines awaits in the first English translation of this author’s enthralling story collection.
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Braised Pork
By An Yu
Published by Grove Press
Yu is a Chinese writer who writes in English, and she has penned a dreamy, original novel about a woman in contemporary Beijing seeking to resolve the mystery of her husband’s death. Perfect for fans of the breakout favorite, Convenience Store Woman.
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When the Whales Leave
By Yuri Rytkheu
Published by Milkweed Editions
Beautiful and poetic, this wholly original novel set in the Arctic of Northeast Siberia reveals the indigenous people of Chukchi and their complicated relationship with man and mammal. Part of the prestigious Seedbank series of world literature.
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Sea Monsters
By Chloe Aridjis
Published by Catapult
This magical novel by an up and coming Mexican-American writer follows a young woman who flees Mexico City to search for escapees from a Russian traveling circus. It has also just won the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for 2020.
