What Your Book Club Should Read Next: Recommendations from Kirkus

"In World War II Malaysia, a woman discovers her pre-war miscalculations have ruined her life... The ultimate cost of her shortsightedness and self-delusion is excruciating, to the point that finishing the book is like waking up from a nightmare with relief that it didn’t really happen. A chilling exploration of the costs of human weakness and desire, in a compelling and vividly wrought historical context."

"As Ireland devolves into a brutal police state, one woman tries to preserve her family in this stark fable... Lynch brings a compelling lyricism to her fears and despair while he marshals the details marking the collapse of democracy and the norms of daily life. His tonal control, psychological acuity, empathy, and bleakness recall Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006)... Captivating, frightening, and a singular achievement."

"An English teacher documents life in the Warsaw ghetto... Delicate, warm account of a brutal, cold time, grounded in humanity, small details, and unwavering clarity."

“'On the day the world ended, Lenk Sketlish—CEO and founder of the Fantail social network—sat at dawn beneath the redwoods in a designated location of natural beauty and attempted to inhale from his navel.' Readers who appreciate everything that’s going on in the opening sentence of this novel are likely to enjoy the whole thing. This is a story about the wealthiest people in the world and how they live... A smart, engrossing fable about digital technology and human community."

"An encyclopedic yarn about Korea’s tragic and difficult 20th century, but also a compassionate study of how much we inherit culturally from the past... And for all its Pynchonian gamesmanship, it’s simply fun, rife with detours on parenthood, literature, hockey, and spycraft. Even in moments when it’s not entirely clear where the story’s going, Park is a savvy and entertaining guide. A brash, rangy, sui generis feat of speculative fiction."

"Falero tells this story in delightful prose. Meandering sentences and wry repetitions breathe personality into the characters’ inner lives, and the landscape of Porto Alegre’s slums is rendered with forlorn affection. Occasional metaphors sing: Pedro is at one point 'so tired he felt soft like butter'; we see one character’s 'sorrow brim over and touch' another... Head-on against the grim indignities of an unequal world, Falero’s poetic novel embraces humor and empathy."

"When a man accused of rape turns up dead, an Early American town seeks justice amid rumors and controversy. Lawhon’s fifth work of historical fiction is inspired by the true story and diaries of midwife Martha Ballard of Hallowell, Maine, a character she brings to life brilliantly here... A vivid, exciting page-turner from one of our most interesting authors of historical fiction."

"An exquisitely conceived and executed novel that explores [McDermott’s] signature topic, moral obligation, against the backdrop of the fraught time preceding the Vietnam War.... All the complications of power, control, and self-control; who does and doesn't get what they want; the crimes committed in service of “helping” people—what a brilliant way to tell a story about Vietnam. This transporting, piercing, profound novel is McDermott’s masterpiece."

"Libyan exile contemplates his time away from his troubled homeland... One running theme of the book is that friendship offers a space for honesty and affection that’s often foreclosed by family and country. Still, the mood is melancholy, and Matar captures it gorgeously... A subtle, graceful, intimate exploration of loss and disconnection."

"A vision of the Aztec empire on the verge of conquest... Enrigue cites Borges as a key inspiration, and the novel certainly shares an affinity for dark humor, metanarrative, and detail about history, real and imagined. But the irony and wit Enrigue brings to the story is entirely his own... An offbeat, well-turned riff on anti-colonialist themes."