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New and Notable Fiction for May

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Cover art for IN THIS LIGHT
FICTION
Released: May 24, 2011
Kirkus Star IN THIS LIGHT: NEW & SELECTED STORIES
by Melanie Rae Thon
"Bluntly powerful but deeply nuanced stories from a unique voice in American fiction."
An unsettling group portrait of victimized young women whose survival on the margins of American life is its own best, or worst, reward. Read full book review >
Cover art for A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF
FICTION
Released: May 12, 2011
A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF
by Lawrence Block
"Sure, Block's written stronger mysteries. But this lonesome, wintry, compassionate tale is guaranteed to get under your skin, and make you thirsty to boot."
Matthew Scudder looks back at his first year off the sauce to recall that making amends can be murder. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE INFORMANT
FICTION
Released: May 5, 2011
Kirkus Star THE INFORMANT
by Thomas Perry
"Beneath the sky-high body count, the twisty plot is powered by Perry's relentless focus on the question of where the next threat is coming from and how to survive it."
Twenty years after a trio of lowlifes forced him out of retirement (Sleeping Dogs, 1992, etc.), the Butcher's Boy is back. Read full book review >
Cover art for TROPHY
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
Kirkus Star TROPHY
by Michael Griffith
"A quirky, imaginative, dazzling black comedy."
Vada Prickett is dying, pinned under a stupendous stuffed bear, thinking about his short life and a fond-of-puns God enjoying the "Moon over My Hammy" breakfast at the local Denny's. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE YEAR WE LEFT HOME
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
Kirkus Star THE YEAR WE LEFT HOME
by Jean Thompson
"A masterful wide-angle portrait of an Iowa family over three decades."
In Thompson's unforgettable, offbeat novel, an extended Iowa family struggles for emotional and economic stability over three decades, beginning with a modest Lutheran wedding in 1983 and ending with a bittersweet homecoming. Read full book review >
Cover art for FUZZY NATION
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
Kirkus Star FUZZY NATION
by John Scalzi
"A totally unnecessary endeavor, but an enjoyable and powerful one nonetheless."
An acclaimed modern sci-fi writer adds depth and unexpected poignancy to a "reboot" of H. Beam Piper's classic 1962 novel Little Fuzzy. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LAKE
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
Kirkus Star THE LAKE
by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Michael Emmerich
"At one point the narrator feels like she is "inhabiting someone else's dream," which is the sort of effect the reader might experience as well."
The simplicity of this elliptical novel's form and expression belies its emotional depth. Read full book review >
Cover art for A MOMENT IN THE SUN
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
Kirkus Star A MOMENT IN THE SUN
by John Sayles
"A long time in coming, with an ending that's one of the most memorable in recent literature. A superb novel, as grand in its vision as one of President McKinley's dreams--but not for a moment, as Sayles writes of that figure, "empty of thought, of emotion.""
Noted novelist/director Sayles (Union Dues, 2005, etc.) turns in an epic of Manifest Destiny--and crossed destinies--so sweeping and vast that even he would have trouble filming it. Read full book review >
Cover art for PULSE
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2011
Kirkus Star PULSE
by Julian Barnes
"Another impressive addition to an already impressive oeuvre. "
Elegance and versatility--those familiar Barnes strengths define this latest story collection from the distinguished British author. Read full book review >