Mark's Top 10 Books Under the Radar
With thousands of books released every year it can be difficult for a single book to be noticed or gain recognition. Oftentimes being a bookseller seems like a passion project, an enterprise focused solely on getting those undiscovered gems in people’s hands, perhaps the book with a small publisher or the book not endlessly lauded in the major newspapers and websites. Below is a list of some incredible books that may have been missed, perhaps received some acclaim but not, in my opinion, nearly enough.
This novel is easily my favorite book of the year as well as a sad statement about the lack of curiosity (or sense of possibility) for major US publishers. How this was largely ignored by American publishers is embarrassing. It's a groundbreaking novel whose themes accumulate slowly until one understands the web Mallo has spun. This novel incorporates history (our own and the world’s): the moon landing, the Spanish Civil War, and moves literally everywhere, from Brooklyn to Florida to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Complex, but never complicated. Ideal for fans of Roberto Bolaño and the films of David Lynch.
A dense, bitter book about family, money, and the lies we tell ourselves. Told by a chorus of voices, the different characters slowly begin to blend, leaving the reader immersed in the echoes of the greed that took place following the dictatorship in Spain. Ideal for fans of Faulkner.
What is family? What is it supposed to look like? In stunning prose Singh walks us through a humane and new way of seeing oneself in the world. Told as a letter to her daughter, this book-length essay is tender, loving and filled with some of the most beautiful writing. While never ignoring the social, environmental, and political problems we face, this is a magical and singular book.
One of America’s great writers returns with a collection of essays ranging from art to subjects as vast as photography, epiphany, and family. A stunning collection that contains essays read at the University of Chicago.
A light and luminous collection that feels like a dream. Steeped in the pleasures of books and reading, Eisendrath focuses on Sir Philip Sidney’s 16th century pastoral romance, Arcadia. Yet the reader needs no knowledge of this work as the essays inside are universal and uplifting.
Rikki is an American treasure. Her novels and essays are some of the most original and singular works in the last two decades. This tiny novel bursts with imagination and a love of language. A post-earth, cosmic adventure, Quiver (mostly human) and her sidekick robot, Mic travel through space until they find themselves on the run. Evoking a longing for a planet they never knew, Quiver and Mic search for the fabled planet Trafik. An entire galaxy in under 100 pages. Magnificent.
Based largely on events which took place during the Chinese Civil War, Anderson’s brief novel is a powerful statement on the futility, mania, and waste of war. A group of young civilians are conscribed to fight a mysterious enemy and, once indoctrinated, they travel. This, in fact, is all they do: travel. Amidst skirmishes and death the soldiers slowly realize no one is in charge and never has been. Even more frightening, they realize there is no safe haven in their own country. A haunting little novel.
A classic of contemporary Italian literature, this is Calligarch’s first novel translated into English. A young man moves to Rome as a freelance journalist. He mostly drinks, attends parties, and reflects on his circle of friends writing and living in Rome. A love letter to youth, aimlessness, and the classic Italian city.
A thoughtful, provoking meditation on nature, migration, and the spaces we inhabit. This book is both grounded and yet light, with essays on the Berlin Wall, Revolutionary Cuba, and more. Delightful and quietly profound.
A day in the life of a plumber and yet so much more. It’s the plumber’s first day back at work after a nervous breakdown. The plumber is also a married father whose son went to prison for attempting to kill his mother (yes, the plumber’s wife) believing she was an imposter and not his ‘real’ mother. This novel's inner monologue is as funny and manic as it is sad and human. A tender look at masculinity and mental health.
