BOOKS
Dive into one of these remarkable new novels (and one kids’ book) that will thrill you, chill you and even make you shed a tear.
Our top six fiction picks for fall, plus a Q&A with author Shari Lapena
Think Piece
From the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close comes a heartbreaking new story about the dissolution of a JewishAmerican family when a marriage falls apart—and the simultaneous crisis that erupts in Israel after a massive earthquake shakes the Middle East. The novel, Jonathan Safran Foer’s first in 11 years, explores the meaning of home, how we become the people we are and the speed with which we can lose all of the things we love.
Here I Am is not an easy read; it’s an important one, as it reaches to the heart of so many issues—from family dynamics to politics—and is a fascinating study in intelligent, heartfelt writing that manages to capture the essence of life in 2016. Foer writes a multitude of jewellike one-liners so poignant they’ll take your breath away, such as this excerpt from one son’s bar mitzvah speech, which holds layers of meaning for the disconnected family: “You only get to keep what you refuse to let go of.” The best thing about this book is its ability to mean different things to different people, whether you’re Jewish and understand every nuance or you’re simply a lover of literature. Either way, you’ll turn the last page knowing that someone else understands the sometimes searing pain of being alive and can also put it into words. — Andrea Karr
EDITOR’S FAVOURITE PICK!