Switzy
Emma Cline
A man's mind dissolves mid-flight as he travels toward some final reckoning he can't quite remember. Cline writes David's disintegration with such tenderness—you're watching someone slip away while he's still moving forward. Haunting.
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★ 5The Guest
Emma Cline
A beautiful twenty-something is staying with her older lover on Long Island. She flirts with someone else in front of him, and he kicks her out. Most people would go home… but Alex stays. Typically, after a few months, a book’s plot becomes hazy — I read this one three years ago and could write the Wikipedia plot summary.
★ 5Writers & Lovers
Lily King
The protagonist of Lily King’s novel Writers & Lovers lives in Cambridge, too, but Casey is older than Becky, a little more rudderless. Her mother has just died, her boyfriend has broken up with her, and she’s living in a garden shed splitting her time between waitressing and writing. It sounds depressing. It’s not. Casey’s wit, relatability, and dogged ambition make her easy to spend time with, and I ended the book almost hoping I’d run into her in Harvard Square.
★ 5Sandwich
Catherine Newman
Sandwich, by Catherine Newman, describes a family’s week-long vacation in Wellfleet and instantly transported me back. It’s funny, moving, and relatable, much like Newman herself (Aliza and I saw her speak in Boston a few weeks ago.) If you just finished All Fours and aren’t ready to stop thinking/reading about menopause, try Sandwich next.