From The Magazine
Delicious new releases for long days by the pool.
In the online literary discourse, “beach read” as a term has gone the way of “chick lit” — as in, why do the books women bring to enjoy at Jacob Riis or El Matador have to be unserious?
You could, conceivably, haul every volume of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in an extra-large Boat and Tote to prove a point, but you could also save yourself the back pain and pack one of the juicy (but substantive) new releases below instead. From It Girl Honor Levy’s surreal short stories to a Lorde-backed, 18-year-old Māori poet’s incendiary second collection, see 18 titles you won’t be able to put down, not even for a quick dip.
Exhibit by R. O. Kwon
Jin Han has been told that she’s never to share anything about an old familial curse, lest she risk death and ruin. But she can’t help herself when she meets Lidija, an injured pro ballerina on hiatus for sketchy reasons from her ballet company. R.O. Kwon’s Exhibit is an exhilarating novel about being caught between the desires of the future and the specters of the past.
Brat by Gabriel Smith
Gabriel Smith, a buzzy literary talent with an irreverent clarity of voice, debuts an inventive and spooky novel about a writer living in his dead father’s house while struggling to finish his second book. As his surroundings slowly start to deteriorate, the writer embarks on a surreal journey into the mystery of his home, which further unravels when he finds a bizarre homemade video.
Role Play by Clara Drummond
In this original satire, a wealthy young gallery curator in Rio de Janeiro has a class awakening when her picture-perfect existence is threatened by a shocking proximity to state violence. Translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn, Clara Drummond’s English-language debut skewers the fun-house effects of wealth for a biting and seductive read.
Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour
Reality TV, Los Angeles, and a fast-food empire are all ingredients in Porochista Khakpour’s tragicomic story of Iranian-American multimillionaires living in an L.A. McMansion with their four spirited daughters. The family is on the verge of landing its own reality TV show when it becomes clear that their deepest secrets are about to be dragged out into the open before the cameras even roll.
Ask Me Again by Clare Sestanovich
Clare Sestanovich’s intimate short stories paved the way for her novel Ask Me Again, a coming-of-age story set between two boroughs of New York. The book follows Eva and Jamie, who develop a profound friendship but are pulled into separate worlds, leading to an ultimate reckoning exploring destiny, identity, and faith in the world at large.
Parade by Rachel Cusk
Rachel Cusk has been praised for her gut renovation of the novel in her Outline trilogy. Now, she’s back with a new novel that demolishes traditional storytelling conventions. In Parade, an artist starts painting upside down, finally reaching great acclaim.
Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi
Lives get plunged into chaos when a sex party goes awry — thrusting a newly single man, his best friend, and two sex workers into the tangled elite underbelly of a Nigerian city as they all desperately try to locate the escape hatch.
Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler
Halle Butler’s mastery of writing uniquely infuriating characters is front and center in her latest novel, Banal Nightmare. This exacting and hilarious work follows Moddie as she returns to her Midwestern town of X, where she’s met with old friends, renewed revenge fantasies, and demons that refuse to stay hidden.
The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya
Father-daughter animosity is on full display in Jo Hamya’s The Hypocrite, a searing novel that follows young playwright Sophia, who debuts a well-received new show centered around a Sicilian vacation she took with her dad, a famous and embattled author, years prior.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
As you await the TV adaptation of Coco Mellors’ debut novel, Cleopatra and Frankenstein, whet your appetite with Blue Sisters, which follows three estranged siblings who return home to save the New York City apartment they grew up in from being sold after the untimely death of their other sister.