New & Recommended Hardback Fiction

Aimee Bender’s writing is like sugar that is good for you. Her work is known for its pop and sparkle—pick up any of her short stories and you’ll immediately see what I’m talking about—but beneath the surface are characters so authentic and so flawed you’ll swear you’ve met them somewhere. Her second novel is the story of a girl who discovers she can taste emotion in food, a double-edged gift that twists the narrative of her adolescence. —Kat

 

I picked up this book in the middle of a move and managed to read it in less than two days, which should tell you something about Jean Kwok’s storytelling. This fantastic debut novel tells the story of Kimberly Chang, a brilliant girl who immigrates from Hong Kong and grows up in the void between two worlds: the elite prep school where she spends her days, and the horrific factory where she and her mother toil for hours each night. Keep this author’s name in mind—I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from her. —Kat

Brando Skyhorse’s acclaimed first novel gives voice to the Mexican-American community of Echo Park in Los Angeles. Award-winning writer Peter Matthiessen (The Snow Leopard) says, “The hard, bitter grit of life in Echo Park, especially for women, is made quite wonderful by warmth and bright color, humor and compassion; in its keenly felt insight into the human condition, Echo Park is the world: this is who we are, like it or not. Altogether a terrific book by a highly accomplished new author—where has he been?”