Happy Monday, friends. It’s a brisk day here in NYC and we’d prefer to be at home with a cat curled up our lap and these starred debuts:
THE YID by Paul Goldberg
“In this fantastical (and fantastic) debut novel by reporter and writer Goldberg, who immigrated to the United States from the USSR in 1973, a troupe of unlikely Soviet characters assembles with a single objective…to do in Stalin before his henchmen unleash the pogrom. Highly recommended for readers with a grasp of history who enjoy imaginative deviations from what we think we know as historical truth.” — Library Journal, starred review
“Wily, rambunctiously entertaining [with] irresistible characters…. Goldberg ingeniously captures the brutality and lunacy of Stalin’s rule as well as Russia’s stoicism in this spectacularly incisive, humanizing, and comedically cathartic theater of the absurd.” — Booklist, starred review
WHAT BELONGS TO YOU by Garth Greenwell
“The life of an American expat living in Bulgaria intersects repeatedly with that of a young gay hustler in this gorgeous debut novel from Greenwell. This is a project of rare discernment and beauty, and it is not to be missed. A luminous, searing exploration of desire, alienation, and the powerful tattoo of the past.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Greenwell’s novel is a brave and articulate psychological exploration of lust and desire…the carnal pain on display is striking.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review