Manhattan Beach

Ron Charles Oct 13, 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan's new novel blends a jazzy range of tones. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

‘The Boat Rocker’: An Unsettling Book About the Moral Dimensions of Modern Journalism

By Ron Charles Nov 19, 2016 How timely it is to read this strange, intense novel from Ha Jin about the glories and limits of the press A former soldier in the Chinese army who chose to stay in the US after the Tiananmen Square massacre, Ha Jin has lived and worked under two very different sets of rules A former Chinese army soldier who chose to stay in the U. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of Your Fist

By Ron Charles Jan 15, 2016 The new year in books explodes with a fantastic debut novel set amid the melee of the 1999 World Trade Organization (WTO) protests in Seattle. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing

By Ron Charles Oct 24, 2014 You either let this innovative novel, written in an impressionistic style reflecting a fragmented and damaged psyche, teach you how to read it, or you suffer through what could feel like a migraine in print. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

By Ron Charles Sep 5, 2014 This novel, nominated for the Man Booker Prize, examines a group of Australian POWs during WWII as individuals, and their efforts to cling to the trappings of civilization no matter how slight or futile. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Fourth of July Creek

By Ron Charles Jun 13, 2014 Far from big cities or either coast, the characters of Smith Henderson's first novel are the working poor in sparsely populated towns that few escape and no one ever moves to.The characters of Smith Henderson's first novel are the working poor in sparsely populated towns that few escape and no one ever moves to. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Remember Me Like This

By Ron Charles May 16, 2014 Bret Anthony Johnston's first novel is the emotionally subtle tale of a long-missing child’s unexpected return and a family’s complicated recovery. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

In Paradise

By Ron Charles May 3, 2014 Peter Matthiessen's final novel, set in 1996, is inspired by the author's participation in a Zen retreat at the site of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

On Such a Full Sea

By Ron Charles Jan 24, 2014 Chang-rae Lee's new novel is a haunting, deeply unnerving critique of a spiritually stunted community kept satisfied with basic comforts and the promise of protection from a threatening world. (Are you getting all this, NSA?) Chang-rae Lee's new novel is a haunting, unnerving critique of a spiritually stunted community kept satisfied with basic comforts and the promise of protection from a threatening world. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )