Book reviews: Fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, graphic novels and more

Browse our critics' book reviews of literature from established and up-and-coming poets and writers working in every genre

Tuesday September 9 2014

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Written by Time Out contributors

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Even rabid readers need a little direction sometimes, and Time Out is happy to help with as many book reviews of intriguing, notable fiction and nonfiction as we can muster. Peruse our library for Time Out New York critics' takes on the good and bad in novels, short stories, poetry, graphic works and more.

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Book review: Girl in a Band

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Book review: Girl in a Band

Book review: Girl in a Band

In the opening pages of her memoir, Kim Gordon finds herself in the midst of two breakups
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Find Me: A Novel

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Find Me: A Novel

Find Me: A Novel

"What is memory but the telling of a story?" This could easily be the epigraph for Laura van den Berg’s debut novel but is, instead, a line found in her own book.
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Honeydew: Stories by Edith Pearlman

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Honeydew: Stories by Edith Pearlman

Honeydew: Stories by Edith Pearlman

The short-story master will bring out your inner voyeur in another collection of simple, entrancingly realistic fictions
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Loitering: New & Collected Essays by Charles D’Ambrosio

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Loitering: New & Collected Essays by Charles D’Ambrosio

Loitering: New & Collected Essays by Charles D’Ambrosio

A cult essayist expands his oeuvre—and leaves no doubt about his talent—in this deeply relatable nonfiction collection.
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Ugly Girls: A Novel by Lindsay Hunter

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Ugly Girls: A Novel by Lindsay Hunter

Ugly Girls: A Novel by Lindsay Hunter

Two teens face a stalker and deal with their own failings in a richly detailed debut.
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On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss

Myths, metaphors and vampires: Eula Biss’s expansive exploration of vaccination will surprise you
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Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

This puzzle-like book, riddled with pulpy allusions, proves Darnielle’s narrative skill
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10:04 by Ben Lerner

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

10:04 by Ben Lerner

10:04 by Ben Lerner

One of contemporary literature’s most stylistically dexterous writers shines in this unique meta-fiction
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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

The famed author’s latest does not live up to his earlier masterpieces Most popular Book events By Haruki Murakami
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Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

The author offers an exemplary portrait of Caribbean life
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At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón

At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón

This tale of art, love and family in South America becomes a driving and analytical mystery that urges the reader through to its finish.
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The Skin by Curzio Malaparte

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

The Skin by Curzio Malaparte

The Skin by Curzio Malaparte

Though this volume doesn't quite measure up to this fascinating fascist's earlier novel, Kaputt, its look at a tattered, 1943 Italy is difficult but rewarding.
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The Traymore Rooms by Norm Sibum

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The Traymore Rooms by Norm Sibum

The Traymore Rooms by Norm Sibum

Lovely prose from poet-turned-novelist Sibum can’t make personal and political chatter the stuff of great literature.
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The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Ten years in the making, this beautiful bummer of a book keeps you thinking long after you’ve finished.
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Mr. Lynch’s Holiday by Catherine O’Flynn

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Mr. Lynch’s Holiday by Catherine O’Flynn

Mr. Lynch’s Holiday by Catherine O’Flynn

Despite a steadfast and refreshing creation called Dermot, O'Flynn's incisive story is weakened by one ill-defined protagonist.
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The Roy Stories by Barry Gifford

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

The Roy Stories by Barry Gifford

The Roy Stories by Barry Gifford

Playful sketches add up a child’s life.
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The Circle by Dave Eggers

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

The Circle by Dave Eggers

The Circle by Dave Eggers

Eggers's satire of social media, which might be his 1984 or Brave New World, touches us IRL.
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MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

The last title in Atwood’s trilogy simultaneously stimulates and unnerves.
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The Kraus Project by Jonathan Franzen

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

The Kraus Project by Jonathan Franzen

The Kraus Project by Jonathan Franzen

A grumbling novelist’s confessions draw focus from his Austrian muse, the fin de siécle gadfly newspaperman Karl Kraus.
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Someone by Alice McDermott

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Someone by Alice McDermott

Someone by Alice McDermott

A tender family account from the novelist behind Charming Billy spans a century, but leaves some of its story undeveloped.
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Elsewhere by Richard Russo

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Elsewhere by Richard Russo

Elsewhere by Richard Russo

This emotionally draining memoir reflects the author's profound love and anger for a mother who imposed herself on his life and art. Read the full review

Me and the Devil by Nick Tosches

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Me and the Devil by Nick Tosches

Me and the Devil by Nick Tosches

A ostentatiously dark and fictional Nick learns to drink blood—not booze—and awaits congratulations for his naughtiness.
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Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

McEwan's Cold War spies are possessed more by love, writing and personal betrayals than they are by state secrets.
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Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman

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4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman

The British novelist's adaptations shine a light on the strange, visceral and morally complicated qualities of these inescapable fables.
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Astray by Emma Donoghue

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Astray by Emma Donoghue

Astray by Emma Donoghue

These stories, which take their cues from historical events and extant documents, fare best when Donoghue lets her imagination wander.
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Dear Life by Alice Munro

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5 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Dear Life by Alice Munro

Dear Life by Alice Munro

Whether poets at cocktail parties or lovers in TB wards, Munro finds a perfect marriage of character and setting in this evocative collection of short stories.
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The Dead Do Not Improve by Jay Caspian Kang

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

The Dead Do Not Improve by Jay Caspian Kang

The Dead Do Not Improve by Jay Caspian Kang

This stylish noir tale has two enjoyable narrators and some great patter, but its meandering story doesn't quite succeed.
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Both Flesh and Not by David Foster Wallace

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Both Flesh and Not by David Foster Wallace

Both Flesh and Not by David Foster Wallace

DFW's ruminations on language, tennis and blockbuster sci-fi movies are hilarious and informative but definitely for his fans.
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Magnificence by Lydia Millet

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Magnificence by Lydia Millet

Magnificence by Lydia Millet

This novel of a protagonist's meditations among taxidermied creatures is a fair-to-middling installment in a near-magnificent trilogy.
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Winter Journal by Paul Auster

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3 out of 5 stars
Recommended

Winter Journal by Paul Auster

Winter Journal by Paul Auster

Guided by his memory and his senses, the mature writer respsonsible for The Invention of Solitude reflects on his 63 years of life.
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Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

Sign up for our newsletter to get your city's hidden gems and cultural spots away from the crowds.

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Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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