These are the fiction titles that Monitor reviewers like best this month.
The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong
At the heart of Ocean Vuong’s achingly beautiful novel “The Emperor of Gladness” is a despairing, bookish 19-year-old Vietnamese American man who forges unexpected bonds with strangers. These include an 82-year-old World War II refugee from Lithuania and co-workers at a fast-food restaurant. Vuong, a prizewinning poet, evokes the beauty of a depressed, postindustrial Connecticut river town in language that shimmers. – Heller McAlpin (Read our full review.)
Why We Wrote This
Our reviewers’ picks for this month include two crime thrillers, an ode to letter-writing, a nonfiction history of America’s grasslands, and a new biography of Paul Gauguin. Let the summer reading season begin!
The Dark Maestro, by Brendan Slocumb
Brendan Slocumb’s thriller “The Dark Maestro” unfolds the story of a child musical prodigy from a neighborhood riven by crime. When his family is forced into witness protection, young Curtis’ dreams of a cello career evaporate, forcing him to channel his creativity into a new endeavor. – Joan Gaylord
FDR Drive, by James Comey
Yes, the author is that James Comey, the former FBI director. In his latest crime thriller, New York federal prosecutor Nora Carleton builds a case against an online provocateur whose vitriolic podcasts may be inspiring physical attacks against ideological foes. Comey delivers a well-plotted legal procedural rich with flinty jargon, sharp-cut characters, and timely questions about extremist thought. – Erin Douglass
The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
In Virginia Evans’ debut novel, protagonist Sybil Van Antwerp believes “reaching out in correspondence is really one of the original forms of civility in the world.” She and her correspondents navigate life’s troubles while searching for forgiveness, love, and second chances. Have your tissues handy. – Stefanie Milligan
The Bright Years, by Sarah Damoff
Sarah Damoff’s generous-hearted debut novel is narrated by three members of the Bright family, which is struggling with secrets, including alcoholism. The story shows how hope and trust can help renew frayed family bonds. – Stefanie Milligan
These are the nonfiction titles that Monitor reviewers like best this month.
Mark Twain, by Ron Chernow
Mark Twain was America’s first modern celebrity, using multiple platforms – books, newspapers, the lecture circuit – to advance his presence as a brand. In this detailed portrait, Ron Chernow tells the story of an author whose gifts as a media influencer seem to anticipate our own cultural moment. – Danny Heitman (Read our full review.)
Melting Point, by Rachel Cockerell
Rachel Cockerell’s inventive, enthralling nonfiction debut relies entirely on primary sources to recount the plan by her great-grandfather David Jochelman to resettle 10,000 Russian Jews in Galveston, Texas. Told through carefully selected quotes from newspaper articles, diaries, and letters, this forgotten piece of history comes alive. – Barbara Spindel (Read our full review.)
The Art Spy, by Michelle Young
Rose Valland used her powers of observation – and near invisibility – to document the Nazis’ art theft during the German occupation of Paris in the 1940s. In Michelle Young’s deeply researched biography, Valland’s fearlessness and resolve are inspiring. – Erin Douglass
Sea of Grass, by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty
This exploration of the American grasslands – from soil, water, and insects to farmers, plows, and buffalo – dismays, yes, but also invigorates. In the face of soil degradation, water pollution, and punishing economics, innovators are making a difference. The authors’ arguments in defense of the prairie and its people deserve attention. – Erin Douglass
Wild Thing, by Sue Prideaux
Paul Gauguin’s place in the history of modern art is uncontested. But he was a deeply troubled soul who apparently supported French colonialism in the South Pacific and took a series of young teenagers as lovers after moving to Tahiti. Sue Prideaux’s highly readable biography argues that Gauguin’s life was far more complicated and nuanced than previously understood. – Terry W. Hartle
