Welcome to our literary circle, in which San Diegans pass the (printed) word on books

Seth Marko

Job: Owner, The Book Catapult

He recommends: “Interior Chinatown” by Charles Yu (Pantheon, 2020; 288 pages)

Why? Charles Yu’s brilliant 2020 National Book Award winner is unusually written in a film script format, but this is not just a critique on Hollywood typecasting — this is about all of us and our own inherent stereotyping. Willis has spent his life as “Generic Asian Man,” even though he has aspirations of breaking out of that role, beyond even the coveted “Kung Fu Guy” gig. And that’s the story here — this character’s desire to break from typecast and live a “normal” life, only to have the rest of society constantly view him through their own stereotype-glasses. Disarming with biting humor, this novel genuinely pulled me out of my own head, forced me into discomfort, and made me realize that I’m guilty of that racial typecasting even when I don’t realize it. In reality, the recent rise of attacks on Asian Americans is the ugly side of that societal stereotyping bubbling to the surface. I can’t think of a more timely novel out there in the world today — one that has an urgency rarely seen in fiction.

Kelly Verheyden

Job: Manager, Kensington-normal Heights Branch Library, San Diego Public Library She recommends: “Recursion” by Blake Crouch (Crown, 2019; 329 pages)

Why? Helena Smith, a neuroscientist who focuses on memory development and retention, is in danger of losing her funding. Her mother is suffering from dementia, and she hopes her research will be able to reintroduce memories to her mother’s ailing mind. Her progress is at a standstill, due to lack of funding, and she fears she will never complete it until an eccentric billionaire offers her the unlimited resource to finish her research. She agrees and moves to an abandoned oil rig in the ocean so that her research is not subject to government regulations. Helena builds technology that enables people to relive their precious memories, but if you can plant memories, you can also erase them or replace them with something else. She was so focused on helping her mother’s dementia that she did not realize the darker side of the project.