A journey through string theory and quantum mechanics courtesy of a Columbia University physicist.

This bizarre concoction from Denis Johnson almost captures the paranoia of Nicaragua in the Sandinista years.

Faber is very much at home in these dark and luminous stories about the way things go right and wrong, and unexpected hope.

Vendela Vida's psychological detective story works so long as you don't apply too much pressure on the wound.

Ultimate kewl Japanese: Hitomi Kanehara gets to the heart of Tokyo's tat scene with a cold hand and a good heart.

Chang-Rae Lee trawls ethnic New York City with a bard's eye for detail and human hurt.

A homeless bum is far more than that in Alexander Masters' hands. But that doesn't save him.

Though out of his element in Iran, Kapuscinksi still makes the 1978 fall of the shah into unforgettable history.

Viet Nam gets sensual treatment in Marguerite Duras' highly personal story of an adolescent love affair.