“The beginning of the end can feel a lot like the middle when you are living in it.” – Karen Russell, Swamplandia!
All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman
fiction / mystery / suspense / comedy.
“The missing boy is 10-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he’s a little shit.”
Florence Grimes is a thirty-one-year-old party girl who always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect. Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name, or risk losing Dylan forever.
The only problem? Florence has no useful skills, let alone investigative ones, and all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and Florence has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe…
Hilarious and twisted, propulsive and furious, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is the must-read book of 2025.
“[A] funny, fast-paced blend of domestic thriller and social satire… Harman’s winning protagonist, page-turning plot, and delightfully irreverent tone will have readers clamoring for a sequel.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] sensational debut work of comic domestic suspense… extremely entertaining… Fast paced and engrossing, All the Other Mothers Hate Me is a book that readers are sure to enjoy and will want to share widely–before it inevitably shows up as a series on one of the streaming services.” – Elizabeth DeNoma, Shelf Awareness
“It’s no easy feat to write an equally comical and compelling novel about a missing child, but Sarah Harman accomplishes just that in her wild romp of a debut… All the Other Mothers Hate Me introduces an unforgettable bumbling detective, and hopefully Florence will find other mysteries to solve. Whatever the case, Sarah Harman is a writer to be watched.” – BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
The Antidote by Karen Russell ★
fiction / historical fiction / fantasy.
The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the dust bowl drought but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a “Prairie Witch,” whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.
Russell’s novel is above all a reckoning with a nation’s forgetting—enacting the settler amnesia and willful omissions passed down from generation to generation, and unearthing not only horrors but shimmering possibilities. The Antidote echoes with urgent warnings for our own climate emergency, challenging readers with a vision of what might have been—and what still could be.
“A storytelling tour de force that lives up to the promise of its name.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“As in the best of her short stories, Russell creates a rich, grounded world that uses the supernatural as a means to explore the depths of her characters’ emotions — loss, loneliness, longing, and even hope — and reach a transcendent, lyrical honesty.” – Tolly Wright, Vulture
“Sweeping, gothic and gritty, The Antidote is a genre-bending tour-de-force from the bestselling author of Swamplandia!. Journey to the heart of Nebraska in this transportive story about history, American ideology, and community.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
“Highly honored Russell follows two stellar story collections with her second novel, an ardent work of encompassing and compassionate historical fiction supercharged with her signature imaginative, astutely calibrated supernatural twists. A dramatic and uncanny tale of the drastic consequences of our destruction of nature and Indigenous communities.” – Donna Seaman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Fan Service by Rosie Danan
fiction / romance / fantasy.
The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show’s star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes—sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)
Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiraled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that the once-in-a-century Wolf Blood Moon crested last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex—the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help…
Once he makes her an offer she can’t refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal quickly comes back to bite them.
“Both playful and thoughtful, with extra appeal to readers involved in fandoms.” – Kirkus Reviews
“This quirky, humorous romance is well-written and plotted, and readers will quickly fall in love with its interesting characters. Fans of Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert series will especially fall for this superfan homage from Danan.” – Heather Miller Cover, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“The scenes from the show are humorous and even realistic in Danan’s well-written twist on the appealing fish-out-of-water trope. Even readers who don’t normally enjoy paranormal romance will find it hard to resist Alex and Devin.” – Amy Alessio, Booklist
The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli
fiction / mystery / historical fiction.
1938, London. The four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women’s Voluntary Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event, and all the elites of London society are attending. The gala is a brilliant success, despite a few hiccups, but the next morning, Sir Henry is found dead in the library.
Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are quickly summoned and discover a cluster of potential suspects among the guests, including an upset fiancée, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter, and the deputy home secretary.
Quietly recruiting the four queens of crime, DCI Wyles must sort through the messy aftermath of Sir Henry’s death to solve the mystery and identify the killer.
“Limoncelli makes a splash with her riotously entertaining debut… a shrewd whodunit and an insightful look at the lives and careers of her heroines, with fizzy conversations about each woman’s writing style seamlessly woven into their crime-solving. The result is a note-perfect Golden Age pastiche with a satisfying metafictional twist.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“The story moves quickly with short chapters told from multiple points of view. Period details and information about the lives of the four Queens of Crime and Wyles (who was also a real person) are skillfully woven through this fascinating cozy.” – Sue O’Brien, Booklist
“The inclusion of real historical figures adds to the enjoyment of Limoncelli’s traditional mystery. Fans of Christie or Rhys Bowen will appreciate the details of the gala and the prewar intrigue.” – Lesa Holstine, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander
fiction / romance / historical fiction.
The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make” and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station. But Christopher’s pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family’s fortune and the Eden estate. Christopher cannot imagine a worse fate: as he isn’t attracted to women, his chances of making a wife happy are slim. Furthermore, if his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff.
Enter James Harding, Christopher’s new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship amid the throes of the London Season… a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping. With its heady combination of dry wit, slow-burn romance, and a nuanced portrait of trans identity, A Gentleman’s Gentleman stands to transform the historical romance genre as we know it.
“TJ Alexander offers delightful surprises in their first Regency romance… Pathos and painful backstories provide a heartaching emotional heft to this tender and witty love story.” – Christie Ridgway, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“…extraordinary… Christopher’s awkward joviality combined with Harding’s extremely proper comportment makes for a pairing that is laugh-out-loud funny, as well as devastatingly tender. This is an unadulterated delight.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Alexander’s witty writing and excellent imagining of both the challenges and fierce joys of trans life in 1819 England are enthralling… well worth the time of any historical romance fan. A charming, compelling, and very queer Regency.” – Kirkus Reviews
Girl Anonymous by Christina Dodd
fiction / romance / suspense / mystery.
As a child, Maarja Daire saw her mother ignite an explosion that killed vengeful mob boss Benoit Arundel—and herself—to save Maarja’s life. Maarja’s been on the run ever since…fleeing from intimacy, from love, from consequences.
Now an adult, Maarja hides in plain sight as a fine arts mover, transporting priceless belongings. Work for a new client brings her to the mansion where the fateful blast from her childhood occurred. There she meets Dante, the ruthless, scarred and brooding Arundel family boss. He watches her with dark intent… but does he remember her? Will he use her to take revenge for his father’s death? A chance turn of events earns her his trust, when she courageously leaps into flames to rescue his mother. And what happens between them in the darkness sets their worlds on fire, as Maarja recklessly abandons her lifelong caution and self-imposed isolation.
Dante calls the urgency between them Fate. Maarja denies him, struggles against his domination and fights the slow erosion of her resistance. When he vows to end the ancient feud, his hidden enemies seize the opportunity to destroy him and the woman he will do anything to protect. Bound together by destruction, passion and destiny, Dante and Maarja must navigate uncharted depths of betrayal and loss, to create a new beginning… before the flames of the vendetta consume them.
“[Dodd] send[s] readers down a twisted road with many unexpected turns… a book you will not want to miss.” – Annetta Sweetko, Fresh Fiction
“[A] high-speed storyline full of heat courtesy of the two main characters. ★★★★★” – Amy Wilson, Novels Alive
“…addictively readable… [Dodd] ratchets up her usual exciting mix of suspense and romance to incendiary levels by successfully marrying a wildly imaginative story line involving an ancient feud, a Mafia clan straight out of La Cosa Nostra, and a rare artifact, with plenty of crackling sexual chemistry and a few love scenes guaranteed to scorch readers’ fingers as they turn the pages.” – John Charles, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Goddess Complex by Sanjena Sathian
fiction / comedy / suspense / mystery.
Sanjana Satyananda is trying to recover her life. It’s been a year since she walked out on her husband, a struggling actor named Killian, at a commune in India, after a disagreement about whether to have children. Now, Sanjana is struggling to resurrect her busted anthropology dissertation and crashing at her annoyingly perfect sister’s while her well-adjusted peers obsess over marriages, mortgages, and motherhood. Sanjana needs to move forward—and finalize her divorce, ASAP.
There’s just one problem: Killian is missing. As Sanjana tries to track him down, she’s bombarded with unnerving calls from women seeking her advice on pregnancy and fertility. Soon, Sanjana comes face to face with what her life might have been if she’d chosen parenthood. And the road not taken turns out to be wilder, stranger, and more tempting than she imagined.
A darkly funny, vertiginous novel about the dilemmas of procreation, pregnancy, and parenting, Goddess Complex is a twist-filled psychological thriller and a feminist satire of our age of GirlBosses turned self-care influencers, optimization cults, internet mommy gurus, egg freezing, and much more.
“…inventive… Goddess Complex is astute about the repetitiveness of misery, and how pain can accrete like an enclosing wall, rising to block out the rest of the world… Haunting and hilarious, Goddess Complex is at once a satire, a Gothic tale, a novel of ideas, a character study. Like any individual life, the book bristles with possibilities.” – R.O. Kwon, New York Times
“With its piercing exploration of the unrelenting pressure on women to have children, Sathian’s witty and wise novel will resonate with readers on either side of the debate and everyone in between.” – Kristine Huntley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Sathian wraps a whip-smart satire of Millennial womanhood around an arresting story of mistaken identity… Sathian’s social commentary is riotous (guests at Lia’s shower wear masks with Lia’s face emblazoned with the term ‘MommyBoss’) and she finds intriguing new angles on the doppelgänger theme (‘I never knew you could accidentally become the wrong version of you’). This is incandescent.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright
fiction / suspense.
Tony Malik, a half-Irish, half-Arab FBI agent based in New York, specializes in tracking money from drug and arms deals. His life takes a dramatic turn when a long-term relationship ends and his job hangs in the balance. Amid personal turmoil, Malik becomes intrigued by his Palestinian father’s past. He decides to visit his ancestral homeland for his niece’s wedding, accepting a seemingly simple FBI assignment along the way.
Upon arrival in the West Bank, Malik’s world is upended when the Israeli police chief is murdered. Initially a suspect, Malik’s investigative prowess soon earns him a place in the Israeli investigation. At the heart of the story is Malik’s complex relationship with Yossi, the hardline anti-Arab Israeli police officer leading the case. They must learn to trust each other because, as they move closer to solving the case, they realize there is no one else they can trust on either side.
Lawrence Wright populates the novel with richly drawn characters: Yossi’s daughter studying in Paris, Malik’s niece whose wedding is shattered by violence, her peacenik fiancé with ties to Hamas, and a cast of religious leaders, corrupt cops, and militants on both sides. Through these intersecting lives, Wright weaves an intricate tapestry that culminates in the devastating Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
More than a thriller, Wright’s novel explores the complex history between Israel and Palestine, revealing the tragic human scale of this long-standing conflict and offering a nuanced perspective on a tragedy that continues to shape the region and the world.
“Wright’s choice of title is a testament to his nuanced understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict… The Human Scale is part crime novel and part political manifesto. Ending on Oct. 8, 2023, the book is a haunting plea for justice… The story is spellbinding.” – Foreign Policy
“Wright, a renowned journalist and novelist fluent in the paradoxes and tragedies of the Middle East, brings all his knowledge and compassion to this profoundly insightful thriller, creating involving, conflicted, and thoughtful characters trapped in horrific predicaments and a riveting story that reveals the deep trauma of Israelis, the brutality of the Israeli occupation, the fury and despair of Palestinians, the opposing religious convictions that stoke and sanctify perpetual violence, and the criminality that funds it. As the action leads inexorably to the October 7 Hamas attack and massacre, Wright considers the scale on which we weigh the value of human lives and the perpetual struggle for peace.” – Donna Seaman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“In a fiction created with what he calls ‘a mix of compassion and anger,’ Wright offers a comprehensive view of what Sara Ben-Gal, who has abandoned the burdens of the Jewish state to study in Paris, terms ‘the world capital of hatred.’ Among Wright’s large cast of characters are Jewish fundamentalists and Muslim terrorists, as well as idealists who yearn for harmonious coexistence between two kindred peoples… Wright’s journalistic skills are evident… The Human Scale is primarily a thriller, with enough violent action as it rides cycles of vengeance to merit an extra box of popcorn… Ripped from the headlines, this is a ripping good story about a fractured world we cannot ignore.” – Steven G. Kellman, Arts Alive San Antonio
The Jackal’s Mistress by Chris Bohjalian ★
fiction / historical fiction / romance.
Virginia, 1864—Libby Steadman’s husband has been away for so long that she can barely conjure his voice in her dreams. While she longs for him in the night, fearing him dead in a Union prison camp, her days are spent running a gristmill with her teenage niece, a hired hand, and his wife, all the grain they can produce requisitioned by the Confederate Army. It’s an uneasy life in the Shenandoah Valley, the territory frequently changing hands, control swinging back and forth like a pendulum between North and South, and Libby awakens every morning expecting to see her land a battlefield.
And then she finds a gravely injured Union officer left for dead in a neighbor’s house, the bones of his hand and leg shattered. Captain Jonathan Weybridge of the Vermont Brigade is her enemy—but he’s also a human being, and Libby must make a terrible decision: Does she leave him to die alone? Or does she risk treason and try to nurse him back to health? And if she succeeds, does she try to secretly bring him across Union lines, where she might negotiate a trade for news of her own husband?
A vivid and sweeping story of two people navigating the boundaries of love and humanity in a landscape of brutal violence, The Jackal’s Mistress is a heart-stopping new novel, based on a largely unknown piece of American history, from one of our greatest storytellers.
“Readers will be glued to the page.” – Publishers Weekly
“…elegant, poignant, and richly atmospheric… [Bohjalian] once again demonstrates his profound respect for women, endowing his female protagonists with depth and nuance in an indelible testament to the transformative powers of resiliency, trust, and loyalty.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[The] story is propulsive and tense with each plot turn as Libby must do things she never dreamed herself capable of… a flawless novel, emotional and poignant while showing humanity in all its good and evil during war.” – Janice Ottersberg, Historical Novel Society
“[An] elegant page-turner based on a true story. A sweeping tale of humanity and hope centered on two remarkable characters faced with a gruesome time in American history, this is Chris Bohjalian is at his best.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
The Magic Books: A History of Enchantment in 20 Medieval Manuscripts by Anne Lawrence-Mathers
nonfiction / history / books.
Medieval Europe was preoccupied with magic. From the Carolingian Empire to Renaissance Italy and Tudor England, great rulers, religious figures, and scholars sought to harness supernatural power. They tried to summon spirits, predict the future, and even prolong life. Alongside science and religion, magic lay at the very heart of culture.
In this beautifully illustrated account, Anne Lawrence-Mathers explores the medieval fascination with magic through twenty extraordinary illuminated manuscripts. These books were highly sought after, commissioned by kings and stored in great libraries. They include an astronomical compendium made for Charlemagne’s son; The Sworn Book of Honorius, used by a secret society of trained magicians; and the highly influential Picatrix. This vivid new history shows how attitudes to magic and science changed over the medieval period—and produced great works of art as they did so.
“…fascinating… A learned and affectionate study of hidden knowledge.” – Kirkus Reviews
“For that friend who wants to concoct the alchemical elixir of life, or the person who cannot quit Susanna Clark’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell…” – Nathalie op de Beeck, The Millions
“Lawrence-Mathers not only shows the bonds between religion and sorcery but examines the sheer beauty of the manuscripts involved, from illumination to illustration.” – Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR by Steve Oney
nonfiction / history / business / politics / media / radio.
Founded in 1970, NPR is America’s most powerful broadcast news network. Despite being overshadowed by the larger and more glamorous PBS, public radio has long been home to shows such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and This American Life that captivate millions of listeners in homes, cars, and workplaces across the nation. NPR and its hosts are a cultural force and a trusted voice, and they have created a mode of journalism and storytelling that helps Americans understand the world in which we live. In On Air, a book fourteen years in the making, journalist Steve Oney tells the dramatic history of this institution, tracing the comings and goings of legendary on-air talents (Bob Edwards, Susan Stamberg, Ira Glass, Cokie Roberts, and many others) and the rise and fall and occasional rise again of brilliant and sometimes venal executives. It depicts how NPR created a medium for extraordinary journalism—in which reporters and producers use microphones as paintbrushes and the voices of people around the world as the soundtrack of stories both global and local.
Featuring details on the controversial firing of Juan Williams, the sloppy dismissal of Bob Edwards, and a $230 million bequest by Joan B. Kroc, widow of the founder of McDonalds, On Air also chronicles NPR’s daring shift into the digital world and its early embrace of podcasting formats, establishing the network as a formidable media empire. Fascinating, revelatory, and irresistibly dishy, this is a riveting account of NPR’s unlikely launch, chaotic ascent, and ultimate triumph—a must-read for anyone interested in the history of public radio and its impact on American culture.
“A warts-and-all account that’s full of surprises, and with plenty of insight into the world of nonprofit media.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] raucous history… Backstage melodrama abounds… Oney’s gossipy narrative unsparingly dissects the network’s prima donna egos… fleet-footed storytelling and immersive prose bring to life the network’s colorful personalities. The result is an entertaining window into the creative but rancorous scene at one of journalism’s most hallowed institutions.” – Publishers Weekly
“NPR listeners look no further — this is the full and sometimes unbelievable story of the successes and scandals of a public radio juggernaut. Documented over a decade, On Air details the extensive history behind a mainstream media source through meticulous research and reporting.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters ★
fiction / short stories.
In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.
In Stag Dance, the titular novel, a group of restless lumberjacks working in an illegal winter logging outfit plan a dance that some of them will volunteer to attend as women. When the broadest, strongest, plainest of the axmen announces his intention to dance as a woman, he finds himself caught in a strange rivalry with a pretty young jack, provoking a cascade of obsession, jealousy, and betrayal that will culminate on the big night in an astonishing vision of gender and transition.
Three startling stories surround Stag Dance: “Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones” imagines a gender apocalypse brought about by an unstable ex-girlfriend. In “The Chaser,” a secret romance between roommates at a Quaker boarding school brings out intrigue and cruelty. In the last story, “The Masker,” a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip turns dark when a young crossdresser must choose between two guides: a handsome mystery man who objectifies her in thrilling ways, or a cynical veteran trans woman offering unglamorous sisterhood.
Acidly funny and breathtaking in its scope, with the inventive audacity of George Saunders or Jennifer Egan, Stag Dance provokes, unsettles, and delights.
“…strange, thoughtful, and entirely unique.” – Julia Hass, Literary Hub
“…electrifying… Peters explores her characters’ conundrums with striking honesty, revealing how they’re bound by indecision and insecurities from finding happiness, and she exhibits spectacular flexibility with language and form. It’s a marvel.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“A brilliant, mind-blowing book… Peters’ vision is one where gender roles are never stagnant, and the world is made new by queerness.” – BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“These stories are carnal, intimate, raw around the edges – they show a trans femininity that is not always soft and polite, nor hard and harsh. I fell into each story like I was drowning – they were suffocating, inevitable, purifying, lovely. Torrey Peters is a writer I know I will turn to again and again and again.” – Teddy Peak, Readings
Story of My Life by Lucy Score
fiction / romance / comedy.
Hazel Hart was a successful romance novelist until a breakup drives her straight into writer’s block. Having failed (and failed some more) to deliver her new manuscript, she’s hiding from the world behind a wall of old takeout containers until her publisher lays down the law. If she misses her next deadline it’s The End.
Desperate for inspiration, Hazel impulse-buys a historic home online and flees Manhattan to tiny Story Lake, PA. Upon her dramatic arrival—involving an incident with a bald eagle—she discovers the charm of her new home may have been slightly exaggerated.
The house is a wreck and the town is struggling after their biggest employer shut down. Also, since her raccoon-infested home came with a seat on the town council our introverted heroine is stuck with a front row seat to all the small-town shenanigans.
But Hazel isn’t worried. Not since all six-feet-three inches of grouchy contractor Campbell Bishop slapped a bandage on her forehead and unintentionally inspired the heck out of her. There’s only one thing to do: Hire Cam and his equally gorgeous brothers to renovate her new spider museum… er… house.
Okay two things. A fake date for “research purposes” will really put her work-in-progress on track. Before Hazel knows it, she’s writing a romance novel and living one. At least until the drywall dust settles, the town she’s falling in love with faces bankruptcy, and growly Cam remembers why he can’t live happily ever after.
“Score’s latest romance brings humor, heat, and plenty of hijinks.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Bestseller Score shines in this endearing tale of second chances… By turns hilarious, heartwarming, and life-affirming, this lively tale may be Score’s best yet.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore
fiction / romance / mystery.
As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.
Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction.
Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right?
We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine by Alissa Wilkinson
nonfiction / biography / writing / film.
Joan Didion opened The White Album (1979) with what would become one of the most iconic lines in American literature: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Today, this phrase is deployed inspirationally, printed on T-shirts and posters, used as a battle cry for artists and writers. In truth, Didion was describing something much less rosy: our human tendency to manufacture delusions that might ward away our anxieties when society seems to spin off its axis. Nowhere was this collective hallucination more effectively crafted than in Hollywood.
In this riveting cultural biography, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson examines Joan Didion’s influence through the lens of American mythmaking. As a young girl, Didion was infatuated with John Wayne and his on-screen bravado, and was fascinated by her California pioneer ancestry and the infamous Donner Party. The mythos that preoccupied her early years continued to influence her work as a magazine writer and film critic in New York, offering glimmers of the many stories Didion told herself that would come to unravel over the course of her career. But out west, show business beckoned.
We Tell Ourselves Stories eloquently traces Didion’s journey from New York to her arrival in Hollywood as a screenwriter at the twilight of the old studio system. She spent much of her adult life deeply embroiled in the glitz and glamor of the Los Angeles elite, where she acutely observed—and denounced—how the nation’s fears and dreams were sensationalized on screen. Meanwhile, she paid the bills writing movie scripts like A Star Is Born, while her books propelled her to celestial heights of fame.
Peering through a scrim of celluloid, Wilkinson incisively dissects the cinematic motifs and machinations that informed Didion’s writing—and how her writing, ultimately, demonstrated Hollywood’s addictive grasp on the American imagination. More than a portrait of a writer, We Tell Ourselves Stories shines a new light on a legacy whose impact will be felt for generations.
“Deftly researched, this book is a thought-provoking look at postwar American culture and how Didion’s work serves as both solace and warning about the power of the stories we tell.” – Courtney Eathorne, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“By focusing on her oft-overlooked role in the movie business, New York Times film critic Wilkinson invites us to see the literary icon’s writing—and our own screen-obsessed culture—with fresh eyes… Even if you’re not a fan of Didion—or if you think you already know everything about the obsessively chronicled star—you will uncover the literary evolution of her work in this prescient and propulsive read.” – Mandie Montes, Oprah Daily
“…Wilkinson’s insightful and generous study offers a way of reading the overlapping and contradictory desires that inform Didion’s writing in her differing modes and across her various career stages… Our lives now depend on creating a mature, inclusive, and visionary national culture and politics that refuses Hollywood game show dreams. We Tell Ourselves Stories will be useful in preparing for that cultural remaking.” – Walton Muyumba, Boston Globe
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