The two girls central to Kim Sagwa’s haunting "b, Book, and Me" face bullying, their parents’ indifference, and a sense of helpless displacement. Teachers pretend not to notice what happens to Rang and b, averting their eyes or... Read More

Kristian Novak’s "Dark Mother Earth" is a fraught work involving tragedy, mythology, trauma, and history. Set in northern Croatia, the novel follows the tortured memories of a stalled writer, Matija. It begins in present day Zagreb and... Read More

In the novel "Include Me Out", a woman tries to remake her life on her own terms and meets unexpected obstacles. Mara is a simultaneous interpreter who has had enough of a job that demands constant attention to language. All she wants is... Read More

In Peter Stamm’s philosophical novel "The Sweet Indifference of the World", writers and actors who’re struggling to make art become a means of exploring both identity and reality. Christoph is a writer who sends Lena, a young... Read More

"The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree" is a fantastical tale set in post-revolutionary Iran that concentrates on a family’s tragedies, loves, and losses. It’s a work of magical realism with plenty to unpack. Bahar’s family... Read More

Not to up your anxiety about climate change? But: read Just after the Wave, Sandrine Collette’s postapocalyptic novel. The cli-fi thriller follows a large French family’s plans for escape as a tsunami and endless rounds of... Read More

When a teacher takes her life, an unnamed narrator proves determined to ensure that her story is not lost to memory. Driven more by psychology than its plot, "The Teacher" is a chronology-jumping character study about the individual... Read More

As a child, Maryse Condé found the family kitchen to be a refuge from a frightening, confusing world. Surrounded by enticing scents and comforting arms, she discovered her love of cooking and came to realize that she was a rebel at... Read More