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Fiction A to Z January 2021
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| The Opium Prince by Jasmine AimaqStarring: Afghan-born American Daniel Abdullah Sajadi, posted to Kabul in 1970 to help eradicate the opium trade; Taj Maleki, local drug kingpin.
What happens: the accidental death of a young girl forces Daniel to compromise his mission; both men must contend with rising Soviet influence and increasing political chaos within their chosen realms.
Why you might like it: This debut -- by an author who grew up in Afghanistan and who has a background in foreign affairs -- effectively captures the dynamics of a complex nation. |
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| Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon HanWhat it is: the sobering story of a hardworking Chinese family in Texas, whose fragile, happy-enough façade falls apart in the wake of a misunderstanding.
Read it for: themes of belonging and loyalty; fully realized characters suffering through discontent and disillusion; a leisurely paced unfolding of an immigrant experience in the United States.
What to read next: Akhil Sharma's Family Life, about an Indian family whose immigration to the U.S. is similarly challenged by tragedy. |
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| Eartheater by Dolores Reyes; translated by Julia SanchesWhat it is: a coming-of-age novel set in contemporary Argentina and teeming with magical realism.
What happens? The unnamed narrator, a high school dropout, feels compelled to eat dirt -- and experiences visions of people who are missing or dead when she does so. Thanks to this distressing skill, she is both shunned and sought out in equal measure in a country suffering stark violence, particularly against women.
Book buzz: Eartheater was named a Best Book of Fall 2020 by Time, Vulture.com, The Boston Globe, Cosmopolitan, Wired.com, and more. |
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A burning
by Megha Majumdar
An opportunistic gym teacher and a starry-eyed misfit find the realization of their ambitions tied to the downfall of an innocent Muslim girl who has been wrongly implicated in a terrorist attack. A first novel.
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| Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo FordWhat it is: the first collection of stories by Plimpton Prize-winning Cherokee writer Kelli Jo Ford that traces four generations of Cherokee women as they navigate cultural dynamics, disappointing men, and their relationships with each other.
Want a taste? "She’s survived a lifetime of these miracles, which trace back to Daddy emptying the bank account and leaving her with three girls and half an art education degree to pay the bills."
Reviewers say: "a stunner" (Publishers Weekly); "riveting" (Booklist). |
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Conjure women : a novel
by Afia Atakora
A midwife and conjurer of curses reflects on her life before and after the Civil War, her relationships with the families she serves and the secrets she has learned about a plantation owner’s daughter. A first novel.
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The henna artist by Alka JoshiA talented henna artist for wealthy confidantes finds her efforts to control her own destiny in 1950s Jaipur threatened by the abusive husband she fled as a teenage girl. A first novel.
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Something to talk about
by Meryl Wilsner
When her career is threatened by a red-carpet photo that appears to have romantic undertones, a Hollywood showrunner and her female assistant are targeted by paparazzi before realizing their actual feelings for each other. Original. A first novel.
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How much of these hills is gold
by C Pam Zhang
Two orphaned Chinese immigrant siblings flee the threats of their gold rush mining town across an unforgiving landscape where their survival is tested by family secrets, sibling rivalry and disparate goals. A first novel.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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