FICTION

This book had me up until past midnight for three nights in a row; I couldn't put it down. A loose re-telling of The Canterbury Tales but instantly captivating and seductively charming, this novel tells of the travels of nine desperate strangers who come together in a group in hopes of out-walking the Black Death of 1348 that has overtaken England. Each member has a story to tell, and each character spins his way into your imagination, one more than the next, as the tales unfold. From a peddler who sells relics, to the swan-armed boy, to the mysterious child whose rune-telling both exposes and conceals the secrets that each character holds. Part mystery, part human drama, this is a gripping read that never lets go. A perfect read for a cold winter's night! -SMC

Klosterman's career as a music journalist, pop essayist and rabid Celtics fans precede this novel, his first formal foray into fiction. His ability to deconstruct the basic elements of a song, a fad, and a celebrity and relate them in ways that force an ironic understanding is uncanny. The prose of Downtown Owl goes down easy and fast, focusing on a trifecta of loners in a podunk South Dakota town. There's an avalanche in there too. —Zack