Scriptorium

Salman Rushdie's "The Golden House" takes him back to heart of Manhattan in a layered story about identity and politics.

In "House of Names," Colm Toìbìn reworks Aeschylus to get to the core of a suddenly godless ancient world.

Susan Van Allen experiential travel guide is an intelligent Italian companion for men and women alike.

Israeli novelist David Grossman uses the act of a stand-up comedian to get to the heart of Jewish doubt.

José Saramargo's penultimate novel is a small masterpiece of pachyderm humor.

Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railway" is a searing indictment of the biggest of all American crimes, slavery.

Zadie Smith conjures up a fictional memory lane that features two mixed race girls and their often-fractured lives.

Jonathan Safran Foer's "Here I Am" focuses on Jewish identity while gradually widening the lens.

Ian McEwan's 15th novel channels high and low Shakespeare to wicked effect.

Anna Lowenstein's sweeping historical fiction heads to the heart of ancient Rome.

In "Pétronille," Amélie Nothomb comes up with an alter ego and goes the distance.

Donna Leon's 25th Commissario Brunetti mystery dives into Venice's deep waters.