Mrs. Caliban (Paperback)

By Rachel Ingalls, Rivka Galchen (Introduction by)

$13.95

Someone once said of Rachel Ingalls that she had a particularly jaunty way of writing about tragedy and this is so true it makes my teeth hurt. Mrs. Caliban is a love story between a lonely housewife and a sea monster who only recently escaped from the lab where he was imprisoned. She feeds him avocados (a heretofore unknown delicacy), he listens to her and makes her feel seen for the first time in years. It's campy, but also unexpectedly devastating: it made me think of all the things we turn away from, the deceptions that that make our lives bearable. It's a very lonely book to read, but in the best way possible--I still think about it. 

We the Animals (Paperback)

By Justin Torres

$13.99

Have you ever heard someone say they don't read fiction, and thought about all that they were missing? This novel pitches you, head-and-heart-first, into a young boy's world, the youngest of three brothers in a biracial, working class family. In the ever-hopeful child's voice; full of energy, reactive, non-judgmental, the terrain of family life is portrayed with raw, emotional clarity. Torres conjures the wrenching ties of familial love, allegiances, and expectations, and then the beginnings of personal and sexual self-discovery, with simplicity and amazing skill. This small book is an example of fiction that is breathtakingly powerful, and not to be missed.