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Open Letters Review

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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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February 19, 2019

American Pop by Snowden Wright

February 19, 2019/ Steve Donoghue
American Pop by Snowden Wright

A multi-generational historical novel about the Forster family and their burgeoning but perpetually troubled soft drink company.

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February 19, 2019/ Steve Donoghue/
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Snowden Wright, Harper Collins, William Morrow, literary fiction, family relationships, historical fiction, Steve Donoghue
February 14, 2019

Trump Sky Alpha by Mark Doten

February 14, 2019/ Tom LeClair
Trump Sky Alpha by Mark Doten

A speculative novel that dares to be rigorously inventive and left-field profound and wholly accessible.

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February 14, 2019/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Mark Doten, Graywolf Press, American Presidents, political satire, literary fiction, speculative fiction, Tom LeClair, Donald Trump
January 23, 2019

Hark by Sam Lipsyte

January 23, 2019/ Tom LeClair
Hark by Sam Lipsyte

Perceptive and revealing social satire about the Americans who helped elect Trump.

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January 23, 2019/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction, Politics & Economics
Hark, Sam Lipsyte, Simon & Schuster, Tom LeClair, social satire, contemporary fiction, political fiction
November 29, 2018

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

November 29, 2018/ Eric Karl Anderson
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

It’s refreshing how Emezi approaches a story of fractured national and racial identity quite differently from recent books that deal with similar themes.

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November 29, 2018/ Eric Karl Anderson/
Fiction-LGBTQ, Literary Fiction
Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi, Eric Karl Anderson, Grove Atlantic, debut novels, literary fiction, LGBTQ
September 26, 2018

Foe by Iain Reid

September 26, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
Foe by Iain Reid

This little “what-if” story develops into a complex tale bristling with unease and tension.

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September 26, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, Literary Fiction
Iain Reid, Simon & Schuster, thrillers, suspense, literary fiction, science fiction, Steve Donoghue
September 06, 2018

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

September 06, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Based on The Iliad, a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of captured women in the final weeks of the Trojan War.

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September 06, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Pat Barker, Doubleday, literary fiction, historical fiction, military fiction, French history, Steve Donoghue
August 29, 2018

Putney by Sofka Zinovieff

August 29, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
Putney by Sofka Zinovieff

A young woman falls for a powerful older man in 1970’s Bohemian London.

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August 29, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Crime & Thrillers, Literary Fiction
Putney, Sofka Zinovieff, Harper Collins, literary fiction, thrillers, contemporary fiction, women's fiction, Steve Donoghue
August 27, 2018

Cherry by Nico Walker

August 27, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
Cherry by Nico Walker

A debut novel about love, war, bank robberies, and heroin by a veteran, drug addict, and criminal.

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August 27, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Mystery/Suspense, Literary Fiction
Cherry, Nico Walker, literary fiction, crime fiction, military fiction, drug addiction, military veterans, debut novels, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, mystery fiction, Steve Donoghue
August 22, 2018

The Line That Held Us by David Joy

August 22, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
The Line That Held Us by David Joy

A riveting crime noir set against rural Appalachia.

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August 22, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Fiction-Crime & Thrillers, Literary Fiction
David Joy, Putnam, rural Appalachia, literary fiction, crime fiction, noir, Penguin Random House, Steve Donoghue
July 26, 2018

The Incendiaries by R. O. Kwon

July 26, 2018/ Michael Lindgren
The Incendiaries by R. O. Kwon

This novel explores potent themes — the nature of Christian faith and its potential for misuse and even harm.

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July 26, 2018/ Michael Lindgren/
Literary Fiction, Religion
R.O. Kwon, Riverhead Books, Michael Lindgren
July 03, 2018

OK, Mr. Field by Katharine Kilalea

July 03, 2018/ Eric Karl Anderson
OK, Mr. Field by Katharine Kilalea

A deeply meditative novel whose curious tone teases out tantalizing questions about how we position ourselves in the world.

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July 03, 2018/ Eric Karl Anderson/
Fiction-Debut, Fiction-General, Literary Fiction
Katharine Kilalea, Faber and Faber, Tim Duggan Books, Eric Karl Anderson, literary fiction, debut novels, poetry, Penguin Random House
May 31, 2018

Problems by Jade Sharma

May 31, 2018/ Eric Karl Anderson
Problems by Jade Sharma

It feels like Maya, the narrator of Jade Sharma's debut novel, could be the outsider voice of this generation.

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May 31, 2018/ Eric Karl Anderson/
Fiction-General, Fiction-Debut, Literary Fiction
Problems, Jade Sharma, debut novels, Eric Karl Anderson, substance abuse, literary fiction, translations
May 29, 2018

Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

May 29, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

Full of atmospheric historical details, this novel about King Henry VIII’s third wife portrays the dramas of the most notorious court in English history.

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May 29, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction, Biography/Memoir
Alison Weir, Ballantine Books, English history, English Monarchy, The Tudors, literary fiction, historical fiction, Queens of England, Jane Seymour, Katherine Howard, Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII, Penguin Random House, Steve Donoghue
May 19, 2018

That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam

May 19, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam

A sparkling and confident novel that asks big questions about motherhood, adoption, and race.

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May 19, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction
Rumaan Alam, Rich and Pretty, literary fiction, motherhood, adoption, parenting, Steve Donoghue
May 18, 2018

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

May 18, 2018/ Tyler Wolter
Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

A unique and satirical take on the creation of a dystopian society.

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May 18, 2018/ Tyler Wolter/
Literary Fiction
Chuck Palahniuk, Tyler Wolter, WW Norton, Fight Club, humor, satire, literary fiction
May 13, 2018

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

May 13, 2018/ Wilson Shugart
So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

A successful professional, Mara is suddenly confronted by a new reality filled with unexpected mental, emotional, and physical challenges.

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May 13, 2018/ Wilson Shugart/
Literary Fiction, Fiction-Mystery/Suspense
So Lucky, Nicola Griffith, Wilson Shugart, autobiographical fiction, disabilities, victimhood, LGBTQ, Straus and Giroux, MacMillan Publishers
April 07, 2018

The Overstory  by Richard Powers

April 07, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
The Overstory  by Richard Powers

A sweeping novel that uses the natural world to promote activism.

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April 07, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction
Richard Powers, W.W.Norton, nature, imaginative fiction, literary fiction, Steve Donoghue
March 28, 2018

Waiting for Tomorrow by Nathacha Appanah

March 28, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
Waiting for Tomorrow by Nathacha Appanah

A smart and sure standout in the lists of English-translated literary fiction.

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March 28, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction, Fiction-Translated
Waiting for Tomorrow, Nathacha Appanah, French translation, Graywolf Press, literary fiction, Steve Donoghue, translations
March 15, 2018

Back Talk: Stories by Danielle Lazarin

March 15, 2018/ Jennifer Helinek
Back Talk: Stories  by Danielle Lazarin

A collection of short stories about women who do and say what’s expected of them, only to turn around and question where those expectations came from.

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March 15, 2018/ Jennifer Helinek/
Literary Fiction
Back Talk: Stories, Danielle Lazarin, short stories, women, women's fiction, literary fiction, Jennifer Helinek, Penguin Random House
February 20, 2018

The Invention of Ana by Mikkel Rosengaard

February 20, 2018/ Steve Donoghue
The Invention of Ana by Mikkel Rosengaard

This debut coming-of-age novel is a story composed of stories about stories.

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February 20, 2018/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction, Nonfiction Translations, Fiction-Debut
Mikkel Rosengaard, Caroline Waight, Custom House, coming of age, literary fiction, urban fiction, Romania, debut novels, Steve Donoghue, translations
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
Britta Böhler
____________________

Eric Karl Anderson
Olive Fellows
Jack Hanson
Jennifer Helinek
Justin Hickey
Hannah Joyner
Zach Rabiroff
Jessica Tvordi

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