A dark and comic family drama, Ronit Matalon’s "And the Bride Closed the Door" takes place in Tel Aviv and begins with Margie making a big announcement through her bedroom door: “Not getting married.” The ensuing action takes a few... Read More

Maya Abramovna Klotsvog, a Jewish Ukrainian mathematics teacher born in 1930, comes of age during the Soviet Union’s post-war era of power and becomes an exemplary Russian woman, wife, and mother in every respect. If you believe this,... Read More

Damián Lobo is a fix-it man who’s unable to fix his own life. Middle-aged and just laid off from his dead end janitorial job, he wanders Madrid’s streets alone, imagining himself as an interview subject—and figure of ridicule—on... Read More

Nabarun Bhattacharya’s "Harbart" is a wild ride—a short novel that documents the unexpected rise and precipitous fall of Harbart’s fortunes in vibrant, humorous prose. The novel opens with a scene of debauchery that is followed by... Read More

Matéi Visniec’s "Mr. K Released" is a delightfully absurd and surreal novel about the disorienting qualities of freedom. Mr. K, called Kosef J in a nod to Kafka, finds himself released from prison. He is jubilant but also confused by... Read More

Behrouz Boochani is a young Kurdish journalist, poet, and refugee imprisoned on Australia’s Manus Island, and that his astonishing memoir "No Friend but the Mountains" exists at all is a miracle and a testament to his resilience. After... Read More

In the aftermath of World War II, as the Russian army rolled through East Prussia, many German citizens were displaced. Women were raped and children starved, their army husbands nowhere to be found, presumably dead or prisoners of war.... Read More

Stéphane Larue’s debut "The Dishwasher" is a precision piece of youthful omphaloskepsis and urban fatigue. Its crisp narration and nearly journalistic aplomb with detailing the addictive spiral of its protagonist make it compelling.... Read More