A GIRL’S DISAPPEARANCE CHANGES the lives of two families and a small Pennsylvania town in unexpected ways. Offbeat, dreamlike novel a bit reminiscent of Eudora Welty. B PLUS

MARILOU IS EVERYWHERE
Riverhead Books
2019

A POET’S EXPERIENCE OF CANCER and treatment takes shape in an eloquent, learned, and ferocious tour of some truths often veiled in pink ribbons. A MINUS

THE UNDYING
Farrar
2019

A QUANTUM COMPUTER MISHAP sends an ordinary man (sometimes woman) into a dreamlike (sometimes nightmarish) set of alternate universes. Cleverly plotted science fiction! B PLUS

LIVES OF E
H. P. Burman
2018

AT THE INTERSECTION OF TOLKIEN AND HARDY, you’ll find this tale of an adventurous boy on a farm in a remote part of England where dragons are said to sleep. Rich, distinctive story. B PLUS

ORMESHADOW
Tordotcom
2019

NUANCED, HEARTBREAKING NORWEGIAN novel tells the story of a woman determined to reveal a long-held family secret. Thoughtful, precise prose. A MINUS

WILL AND TESTAMENT
Verso Fiction
2019

BREATHTAKING HIGH FANTASY thriller, set in a fascinating world of lost magic and fallen gods. Action and excitement! A MINUS

ONE MAN
Radar Avenue Press
2019

THE PARADOX OF “GENUINE FAKES”: how forgeries, replicas, and recreations shape our understanding of art, history, and even nature. Engaging and fact-packed! B PLUS

GENUINE FAKES
Bloomsbury Sigma
2019

A TEENAGED DOMINICAN BRIDE makes her way in mid-1960s Manhattan. Vividly drawn characters and a deeply relatable story. B PLUS

DOMINICANA
Flatiron Books
2019

FIERCE, DAZZLING MEMOIR weaves raw candor and witty intellectual analysis into a tapestry telling a complex story of love and abuse. A MINUS

IN THE DREAM HOUSE
Graywolf Press
2019

A SLACKER TURNS SLEUTH in this existential detective story rich with local Baltimore flavor. Witty, gritty, ultimately absurdist. B PLUS

DRUNK: A NOVEL
Wylder Dance Press, LLC
2019