It’s another year. Which promises to be not that much different from the shit show that was last year. But the publishing industry continues to churn, which is good news for those of us whose favorite form of escapism is books. Here’s a list of the upcoming titles that have gotten us most excited—including but not limited to a guide to Swedish death cleaning and a thriller about a missing president cowritten by Bill Clinton.
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime, 1/9) Perveen Mistry is not only the first (and only) female lawyer in 1920s Bombay, she’s also a crime-fighting sleuth.
Little Reunions by Eileen Chang (NYRB, 1/16) Translated into English for the first time, this autobiographical novel is about a young Chinese woman’s romance with a Japanese sympathizer during World War II.
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers (Knopf, 1/30) A nonfiction novel about a Yemeni-American coffee importer who gets trapped in Yemen’s civil war.
What Are We Doing Here? by Marilynne Robinson (FSG, 2/20) In a new essay collection, the novelist considers faith and philosophy in the current political climate.
Census by Jesse Ball (Ecco, 3/6) A dying man and his adult son with Down syndrome travel the country taking a census for a mysterious government agency.
