Book Reviews

Ngozi Ukazu's charming, cheerful webcomic about a gay college hockey player has been collected in book form. Check, Please! stays squarely on the bright side of life, a brave choice in its own way.

Olivia Laing's first novel is semi-autobiographical, but written in the voice of the late literary provocateur Kathy Acker. There's no reason for the choice — but the result is breathlessly gripping.

Fall is finally here, and as the days grow shorter and colder, it's time to tell tall tales about girls who survive, girls who fight, and girls who, if given the chance, may prove to be heroes.

Kate Atkinson's new novel follows a young woman recruited to Britain's MI5 spy agency during World War II. Juliet's wartime deeds may come back to haunt her — but she still has her old spy skills.

John Kaag extracts ideas from Nietzsche and his followers — but also from his own experience — in this stimulating book about combating despair and complacency with searching reflection.

Katya Apekina's debut novel follows a pair of sisters sent to live with their estranged father in New York, challenging the bonds between parents and siblings.

Juan Gabriel Vásquez's new novel is packed with history, alternate history and conspiracies — though ultimately it's about neither history nor politics, but how they combine to shape one man.

Jessica Hopper's memoir oscillates between charting a story of gentrification, a young woman's love affair with Chicago, and the types of friendships that represent the texture of a city.

Jen Doll's new novel follows a group of misfit kids working at Alabama's legendary Unclaimed Baggage store, a place where all kinds of lost things (and people, and one purple leopard suitcase) end up.

American Prison is the remarkable story of a journalist who spent four months working as a corrections officer — and a horrifying exposé of how prisoners are treated by a profiting corporation.