Five Great Fall Reads from Indie Presses

The first novel by the author of the memoir The Bridge Ladies follows two very different sisters, one grounded and rational and the other charismatic and beautiful but struggling with mental illness. Musician and author Patti Smith was enthralled by this story of sisterhood, girlhood and loss, "I love this book. It moves like a souped-up pickup truck."

“The translation of any of Maylis de Kerangal's books is a gift,” declared The New Yorker. And her new collection of seven short stories, anchored by a haunting novella that riffs on the legend of Buffalo Bill - is no exception. The colorful cast of women in these spellbinding tales from the author of the Booker-nominated Mend the Living confront dislocation, voices that change with language, and obsessions with everything from stones to sound waves and UFO’s.

In this “sublime” second installment of the acclaimed Japanese author’s proposed trilogy, the band of friends convene in Copenhagen for more strange, mind-bending adventures in their climate-ravaged world. Publishers Weekly raves in its starred review, “Tawada finds a subtly different voice for each character, adding to the linguistic stew, which simmers into a captivating Decameron-like tale.”

This Center For Fiction First Novel Prize-longlisted novel follows an Albanian interpreter in New York City whose work with a Kosovar survivor stirs buried traumas. “With lyrical prose and a propulsive plot, Xhoga delves deep into the shadows of the human psyche, challenging readers to confront the darker legacies of the past while pondering the delicate balance between empathy and self-preservation,” raved The Brooklyn Rail.

Anthony Bourdain fans might remember this author from his turn on “No Reservations.” Here, the erudite food and wine writer turns his expert eye to an unbelievable tale starring an absinthe-shilling con man and, of course, the legendary and once-banned beverage favored by the likes of Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Baudelaire. "The cultural history of absinthe, via an audacious contemporary fraud,” remarked Kirkus.