‘The Facemaker’ Revives a Forgotten History

Reading The Facemaker also feels like an act of witnessing something that shouldn’t have ever been forgotten. We did this to ourselves, from the standpoint of humanity, and over a hundred years later, we haven’t stopped. 

‘Killers’ a Romp with a Razor-Sharp Edge

Killers of a Certain Age is a book about aging and killers and betrayal, but its heart is oddly wholesome and comforting. While I wouldn’t call this a cozy read, it’s one that makes me look at the people around me a little more positively—and at the objects around my house as so many potential murder weapons.

‘American Summer’ A Nuanced Portrayal of Trauma, Humanity

While An American Summer can be hard to read at times, it’s not hopeless. Nor are the people Kotlowitz writes about reduced to stereotypes. Rather, he has clearly taken the time to build the relationships that foster vulnerability.

‘How to Be Eaten’ A Fairy-Tale Feast

Although most of the stories don’t involve talking furniture or little, burger-scented men falling from air vents, seeing stories about strangers warping and reshaping around us in ways that may or may not be true is a fact of daily life.

‘Build Your House’ Rewards Patience

There are no twists of the traditional sort in Violet Kupersmith’s debut novel, Build Your House Around My Body, but there are a stack of stories that weave themselves around each other before ultimately tying a knot that can only truly be appreciated on the reread.