Alice Elliott Dark recommends
Refuge (2017)
Dina Nayeri
"Deeply felt . . . I was completely taken up by this book--invigorated by the intelligence, and inspired by the sensual descriptions of Iranian food and Amsterdam life. I'll keep this one in my bookshelf of favorites."
Gods of Wood and Stone (2018)
Mark Di Ionno
"Engrossing from the first page, this clear-eyed and atmospheric novel hurtled me through a roller coaster of emotions—from curiosity to outrage to relief. How are American men raised to think about fame, talent, hard work, and women? What happens when two men with opposing worldviews get in each other’s way? Gods of Wood and Stone raises important questions of our time."
Rules for Moving (2020)
Nancy Star
"Rules for Moving highlights once again Nancy Star’s sense of humor and empathy for tenderhearted people who are struggling to find a place in the world. I rooted for Lane Meckler, the snappy advice columnist who has no quick comeback when her six-year-old son goes silent with everyone but her. The novel is as suspenseful as a mystery and as wise as an Elizabeth Strout book."
The Party Upstairs (2020)
Lee Conell
"I savored every word of this funny, wise, and cool book. Ruby's post-college return to her parents' apartment in the basement of a building near the Museum of Natural History is hardly triumphal, yet on one March day and night she and her father—the building's super—manage to do and undo their best-laid plans and beliefs about who they are to each other and in the world. Lee Conell is profound, wise, and witty, and in The Party Upstairs has offered us all a manual for how to care for the spaces we inhabit and the people and events that upset our equilibrium in ways both good and bad—including ourselves. This novel will take its well-earned place among the enduring books about young women. It is serious-minded and relevant in the hardest times, and also offers the pleasures of a great party."