Critics' Picks Out in Paperback in September 2024

"Murray is unsparing in vivisecting his characters. But even as the Barneses spiral downward, his prose pops from the page, precise and piquant, biting in its gallows humor. He's astonishingly versatile, tapping internet influences, stream-of-consciousness technique and social realism... The Bee Sting elevates Murray to the leading rank of his generation, alongside Colin Barrett, Kevin Barry and Claire Keegan." – Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Certainly it’s my favorite of this writer’s novels. Ms. Smith has always been superb at conjuring voices (in this she is more like Dickens than she might prefer), and the scenes come to life in whirlwinds of dialogue... Though The Fraud is capacious, its chapters are short, vivid and contained... Smith has allowed herself the freedom to be brilliant, without giving equal time to the dutiful rebuttals of guilt and misgiving." – Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal

"What makes King’s work so much more frightening than that of most other suspense writers, what elevates it to night-terror levels, isn’t his cruelty to his characters: It’s his kindness. King describes his characters’ interior landscapes, their worries and plans, with a focus like a giant benevolent beam. You can sense the goodness running through them, and that current of goodness is what makes the acts of violence so disturbing." – Flynn Berry, The New York Times

"A superb historical-fiction novel sprinkled with supernatural elements that pulls readers into the life of a slave on a long, painful journey... While accurate, this description fails to communicate the depth of this novel as well as the multiplicity of layers in which it works. Angry, beautiful, raw, visceral, and heartfelt, Let Us Descend is the literary equivalent of an open wound from which poetry pours. This novel is a thing you can't help but to feel..." – Gabino Iglesias, NPR

"Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love …Kingsolver has effectively reignited the moral indignation of the great Victorian novelist to dramatize the horrors of child poverty in the late 20th century" – Ron Charles, The Washington Post

"Enright at her lyrical, storytelling best. A portrait of a family living with the legacy, years after his death, of the abuse and neglect of their patriarch – a famous Irish poet... It’s a story of relationships, trauma, self-discovery and the healing powers of art and nature." – Nicola Sturgeon, The New Statesman

"A woman’s journey toward self-knowledge and identity is enriched by the protagonist’s particular situation as the resentfully obedient daughter of Palestinian immigrants... Rum’s nuanced approach to difficult questions of individual and cultural identity is refreshing." – Kirkus Reviews

"Knausgaard... brings to life — even celebrates — the complex and ambivalent give-and-take between men, between women and between men and women. These relationships, full of misunderstandings, concessions and reconciliations, feel real, without agenda." – Sven Birkerts, The New York Times

"Dazzling and erudite... A deft and intricate investigation of online culture and political doubling... On her highbrow romp through this disturbing underworld, Klein's writing is clear, dynamic, ruthlessly honest, imbued with a rare integrity... If I had to name a single book that makes sense of these last few dark years, it would be this one." – Katie Roiphe, The New York Times

"Newman hasn’t proved herself a worthy successor to Orwell; she’s outclassed him, both in knowledge of human nature and in character development. Julia should be the new required text on those high-school curricula, a stunning look into what happens when a person of strength faces the worst in humanity, as well as a perfect specimen of derivative art that, in standing on another’s shoulders, can reach a higher plane." – Bethanne Patrick, The Los Angeles Times