David Malouf's all-but-forgotten collection of autobiographical essays is an exceptional pleasure.
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Scarred Hearts
Dying Max Blecher had time and will enough provide a remarkable "fictional" chronicle of his decline.
A sense of Venice
Tiziano Scarpa's tactile guide is still probably the book you want at hand if you're lagoon-bound.
My Documents
Chilean Alejandro Zambra's stories move from fictional autobiography into handsome melancholy.
The End of Days
Jenny Erpenbeck denies death repeatedly to give a character a full 20th-century life.
Aquarium
David Vann's vision of family redemption starts magically, but grows foul with rage.
Robinson, Lila, and God
Marilynne Robinson's "Lila" completes her Gilead, Iowa trilogy with brilliance and compassion.
As Good As Dead
Elizabeth Evans' new novel is a powerful look at women friends "reunited" in name only.
Young Skins
Young Irish writer Colin Barrett's first book of short stories is an out-of-nowhere knockout.
Adventures in Immediate Irreality
Max Blecher's musing about the terrors of life, and youth, is a near-perfect voyage into sadness.
The Dream of My Return
A paranoid Salvadoran expat in Mexico City dreams of going him — but conspiracies come first.
The Buried Giant
Kazuo Ishiguro's tame Arthurian allegory ultimately shortchanges its considerable promise.