November is finally here, and so is the fall season! And with the cooler weather comes the opportunity to bundle up with a cozy fall read. Many of the books I chose this month deal with questions of identity, albeit in very different ways. Whether it has to do with race, class, politics, or defining yourself through successes and failures, these books all approach these deeper questions. November seems like the perfect time to take a bit longer and ponder these questions in these great new fiction releases.
The Mare by Mary Gaitskill -- November 3rd
Numero Zero by Umberto Eco -- November 3rd
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende -- November 3rd
Hotels of North America by Rick Moody -- November 10th
A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham -- November 10th
Gaitskill's THE MARE is probably one of the most anticipated books of the month. It follows Velveteen, a young Dominican girl who goes on a Fresh Air Fund vacation and gains a love of horses that will alter her life. The novel explores race, class, and drug addiction, among other things, and looks to be an intriguing read.
Acclaimed author Umberto Eco's latest book, NUMERO ZERO, is a thrilling book full of conspiracies and mystery. It includes blackmail, murder, the CIA, a love story, and lots of journalists piecing it all together.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for multi-generational family epics, so it's no surprise that this book is on my to-read list. Spanning from 1939 to the present day and from Poland to San Francisco, THE JAPANESE LOVER explores themes of love, fate, and identity.
Reginald spends a lot of time reviewing hotels online, but rather than rating the accommodations, the reviews are actually about his own life. From his failings in his career to his relationships with his daughter and his wife, Reginald pens a host of self-reflexive entries. When he disappears, author Rick Moody uses these reviews to track him down, and weaves a clever and intriguing tale on identity in the process.
The acclaimed author of THE HOURS Michael Cunningham turns his attention to fairy tales in this new short story collection. Taking classic stories and modernizing them, Cunningham also gives further depth to the timeless tales.
