Here are five fiction books to check out this month. Three of them come out on the 16th; start saving your money.
Sweetgirl – Travis Mulhauser (2/2)
Percy James’s mother has gone missing. She’s an addict and might be with another no good member of the northern Michigan community. Percy sets off to put her family together, but an abandoned infant puts everything at risk. It’s been likened to Winter’s Bone, and I can’t say that I disagree.
The Lost Time Accidents – John Wray (2/9)
This door-stopper (over 500 pages) blends sci-fi and family epic to tell the tale of two brothers in the early-20th century. The time shifts backwards and forwards to tell about the Austrian brothers’ lives as one becomes loyal to Adolf Hitler and the other becomes a writer.
Why We Came to the City – Kristopher Jansma (2/16)
The tradition of following mid-twentysomethings lives’ has grown strong in recent years, and Jansma’s second novel continues the trend. He uses autobiographical moments of his sister’s battle’s with cancer in this story, which makes the tragedy all that more real. The dark shroud that engulfs four close friends centered at the work. It’s a heartbreaking ode to morality and friendship.
Tender – Belinda McKeon (2/16)
Two friends, Catherine and James, meet in Dublin at the close of the last millennium. The book follows their lives as their personalities morph, life trajectories change, and their friendship faces the normal trials and tribulations. McKeon’s prose is, well, tender. It’s an invigorating read that balances the melodrama quite nicely.
The Fugitives – Christopher Sorrentino (2/16)
Sandy Mulligan escapes the bustle of New York City to return to her hometown in Michigan with the goal of finishing her novel. It’s a thrilling exploration into what the life of a writer could be and should be. The narrative follows her as she befriends locals and becomes intertwined with a local reporter.
ADAM VITCAVAGE 