Two novels, a dive into ancient Italian history, two stories about intense Jewish family dynamics, and an exploration of what “postcolonial” means make up our 10 recommendations for upcoming books you should add to your list this March.
Hearing testEliza Barry Callaghan (March 5)
In this lean and thoughtful novel, a woman wakes up one day without a sound in her right ear before traveling to Italy to attend a friend's wedding. The doctors shrug their shoulders, and the narrator simply decides to record the score for the following year; She talks with collaborators, filmmakers, artists, and friends who share wild stories and information, some helpful, some unsubstantiated. In free-flowing, dreamlike prose, Eliza Barry Callahan's debut novel is unexpected, warm, and artistic.
The extinction of Irina ReJennifer Croft (March 5)
In an overseas effort to translate her magnum opus, world-famous author Irina Ray invited eight translators from around the world to work on her masterpiece. But days after arriving in a forest on the Belarusian border, Irina disappears, setting the translators into action as they search for their famous author. As they delve deeper into her past, they begin to learn more about Irina and her work that may uncover secrets and lies that span her entire career.
Fruit of the deadRachel Lyon (March 5)
Camp counselor Corey Ansel is left aimless in life when her father suddenly offers her an alternative to traditional employment – CEO Rollo Picazo offers Corey a babysitting job on his luxurious private island, where she can self-soothe to her heart's desire. With opioids. However, her mother senses something is wrong and rushes to gather her daughter, alternating between different points of view in this intense, modern retelling of the myth of Persephone and Demeter.
But the girlJessica Zhan Mei Yu (March 5)
Born on the day her parents arrived in Australia for immediate citizenship, the girl always felt the expectations of her family looming behind her. Writing a novel about postcolonialism—she chose it because the word sounds scholarly—and a dissertation on Sylvia Plath, the girl heads to Scotland for a fellowship with other writers and artists. She soon feels at odds with the other students and wanders around town, posing for a pompous artist's portrait instead of writing her own works. Before the big presentation, she switched gears and started writing Salt column, retelling her family history, to the veiled comments of her peers. In this semi-autobiographical novel of art and friendship, the girl's musings will be relatable to anyone exposed to the absurdities of the world.
Mother dollKatya Abikina (March 12)
Burdened with a child her husband doesn't want and feeling socially adrift in Los Angeles while separated from her Russian grandmother, Xenia is not doing well. She receives a call from a pet medium explaining that Zhenia's grandmother, a Russian revolutionary, has asked him to pass on her story to her grandson, confessing what happened to her from the other side. Suddenly, Zhenia is well aware of her history, but she may ignore it in favor of a life where she doesn't have to confront herself.
Some of us just fall flat on nature and don't get betterPolly Atkin (March 19)
Described as a book not about getting better, but instead “living better with illness,” Polly Atkin’s second nonfiction work is a response to a life-changing diagnosis in her late 30s, finally explaining years of pain, fractures, and exhaustion. Returning to England's Lake District, which inspired poets such as William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter, and Taylor Swift, she finds herself through the art of poetry and the simplicity of nature. Along with scenes that highlight medical power and the urgent need to revolutionize practice, Some of us just fall It is not a resignation, but a test to live with what you are capable of.
MosquesPercival Everett (March 19)
Historical novel by The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn From the perspective of the enslaved James, rising star novelist Percival Everett brings humor and social satire to his latest novel. The unlikely duo of Jim and Huck Finn must dodge storms, floods, and crooks, as the new main character must face the burden of lying to his family and moving on. Everett turns a classic tale on its head in a brilliant, sharp new way.
enthusiasmToby Lloyd (March 19)
Filled with history and tension, Toby Lloyd's feature debut enthusiasm It is the story of a religious Jewish family that fell apart due to the threat of its past coming to light. When Hannah Rosenthal prepares to publish a novel about her father-in-law Joseph's time in Europe as a Holocaust survivor, her daughter Elsie begins to panic and eventually disappears. Her brother, Tuvia, isn't sure what to think – is it a breakdown stemming from a family with too much emphasis on ritual and tradition, or is the family reading too much into things? As he begins to settle into Oxford, he must come to grips with his sister's surroundings – an intense, horror-tinged tale of family drama and mysticism.
Glorious exploitsFerdia Lennon (March 26)
Set in Syracuse, Sicily, during the Peloponnesian War, Lambo and Gelon are just two men enjoying drinking wine in a nearby tavern, picking up women, and the plays of Euripides of Athens. There's just one problem: anyone who can remember any of his plays is trapped at the bottom of a cave in Sicily as a prisoner, hungry and cold. One day, the couple had the idea of producing two of his plays, based on the memory of the Athenians, who were promised portions of meals and wine in exchange for their acting. Haphazard and skeptical, the two source food, props, costumes, and props from around the city in preparation for opening night, but everything goes wrong when the other members of the city aren't quite happy about exploiting the imprisoned Athenians as little more than scum. . Deeply researched and highly entertaining, Ferdia Lennon's debut is as much a history lesson as it is a meditation on art, memory, and culture.
He worries, Alexandra Tanner (March 26)
Alexandra Tanner's existential, absurd, and very funny novel He worries Probably the best simulation of online presence I've read in literature. The novel's heroine, Brooklynite Jules, is forced to live with her sister, Poppy, in a cramped apartment – both floundering, trying to find meaning in their lives and careers. As a creative writer for a buzzy astrology app, Jules finds success at being overly succinct in her Scorpio recommendations, but while at home, she's glued to her phone, watching the horrors of daily life with insouciance and good humour. The Instagram moms you follow will simultaneously disavow vaccines and promote chunky sweaters, and Poppy and her friends begin to irritate Jules in a way that only sisters can. Funny, dynamic, and compulsively readable, Tanner's debut is one you'll want to start telling your friends about.
