Books Update: Sue Miller’s long-awaited ‘Monogamy’

Richard Russo reviews Miller's first novel since 2014

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story September 18, 2020 Bianca Bagnarelli Dear Reader, September often means big books — big in terms of author profile, big in terms of ambition, big in terms of pure page count. It’s a satisfying time to dig into a deep history or an extended biography or a good novel like the one on our cover this week. “Monogamy,” Sue Miller’s long-awaited 10th novel and her first book since 2014, tells the story of a 30-year marriage that ends suddenly with a death as the book begins. Richard Russo, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Empire Falls,” calls it “a rich, complex book … an old-fashioned, slow burn of a novel.” Dive in. Also worthy of a deep dive is the first volume of Fredrik Logevall’s biography of John F. Kennedy, a subject of endless fascination and ongoing scholarship. This first installment looks at J.F.K.’s life until 1956; our review is by David Kennedy. Another look at the American presidency comes from a different — and currently contentious — angle: the relationship between presidents and the media. Jack Shafer reviews Harold Holzer’s new book, “The Presidents vs. the Press.” The Times’s National editor, Marc Lacey, reviews two timely new books about the ways in which communities grapple with acts of violence, a subject that continues to be in the news, and one that Lacey and his team of reporters have covered relentlessly in recent years. The books are “Cry Havoc: Charlottesville and Democracy Under Siege,” by Michael Signer, and “The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy,” by Chris Murphy. Lacey discusses both books on this week’s podcast. For those who wish to be worlds away, by sea or by air, we’ve also got a new book about whales and another about the world’s largest owl. Please stay in touch and let us know what you think — whether it’s about this newsletter, our reviews, our podcast, our literary calendar, our Instagram or what you’re reading. We read and ponder all of it. I even write back, albeit belatedly. You can email me at books@nytimes.com. Pamela Paul Editor of The New York Times Book Review @PamelaPaulNYT Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Like this email? Sign-up here or forward it to your friends. Have a suggestion or two on how we can improve it? Let us know at newsletters@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. THE BOOK REVIEW PODCAST Ayad Akhtar on Truth and Fiction Akhtar discusses “Homeland Elegies” and Marc Lacey talks about “Cry Havoc,” by Michael Signer, and “The Violence Inside Us,” by Chris Murphy. FICTION fiction Sue Miller’s ‘Monogamy’ Begins With an Ending When her husband dies suddenly, a woman reckons with the life they shared. By Richard Russo crime Bodies of Evidence In her new Crime column, Marilyn Stasio ranges from an Alpine chalet to the sunny streets of Los Angeles to the venerable British city of Bath. By Marilyn Stasio fiction Emma Cline Knows First World Problems The stories in “Daddy,” the debut collection by the author of “The Girls,” follow the “trials” of the Hollywood and literary elite. By Brandon Taylor the shortlist All-American Stories by Walter Mosley, Matthew Baker and Ron Rash Three new collections explore the abuses, hypocrisies and awkwardnesses of living in this country today. By Rion Amilcar Scott Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NONFICTION nonfiction America Has Mistreated Its Coal Miners. Here’s Their Fight for Justice. In “Soul Full of Coal Dust,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hamby tells the story of black lung and the mining companies who refused to take responsibility for its harm. By Héctor Tobar nonfiction The Never-Ending War Between the White House and the Press Harold Holzer’s “The Presidents vs. the Press” argues that conflicts between chief executives and journalists go back to the start of the Republic. By Jack Shafer nonfiction Tested by Tragedy, Two Politicians Review Their Records — Mistakes Included “Cry Havoc,” by Michael Signer, the former mayor of Charlottesville, Va., and “The Violence Inside Us,” by the Connecticut senator Chris Murphy, grapple with racial tension, gun violence and errors of leadership. By Marc Lacey nonfiction Why Is Hillary Clinton So Hated? Michael D’Antonio’s “The Hunting of Hillary” recounts the efforts by the right to discredit Clinton and bring her down. By Noreen Malone nonfiction Through the Russian Wilderness in Search of the World’s Largest Owl In “Owls of the Eastern Ice,” Jonathan Slaght recounts his quest to track down the elusive Blakiston’s fish owl, a journey that will push him to the edge of endurance. By Tucker Malarkey nonfiction When a Black Man’s Heart Was Transplanted Without Consent In “The Organ Thieves,” Chip Jones tells the story of a heart transplant in 1968 that raised troubling questions about medical ethics and brutal realities of segregation. By Harriet A. Washington nonfiction The Story of Refugees in America Through the Gripping Tales of Two Women In “After the Last Border,” Jessica Goudeau offers a searing history of this nation’s response to humanitarian crises while recounting the stories of two refugees. By Mimi Swartz nonfiction The Housing Boom and Bust, Seen From the Front Lines In “Underwater,” Ryan Dezember, a Wall Street Journal reporter, reckons with how the 2008 financial crisis changed American homeownership. By Joe Nocera Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT nonfiction Staring Into the Eye of a Whale and Seeing the Whole World In “Fathoms,” Rebecca Giggs ranges far and wide as she explores what our relationship to these enormous mammals reveals about ourselves. By Doug Bock Clark nonfiction ‘Looking for Miss America’ Tells the History of the Legendary Pageant The new book by Margot Mifflin shows how the famous contest for women reflected conflicting ideas about female beauty, ambition and fame over the past 100 years. By Molly Fischer CHILDREN’S BOOKS children’s books An Unflinching Child’s-Eye View of Sexual Abuse The 10-year-old narrator of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s “Fighting Words” eases her way into sharing the awful truth of what she and her sister survived. By Kate Messner children’s books Black Boyhood and Its Superpowers Isaiah Dunn has a superhero alter ego who gets his powers from eating beans and rice. Nnamdi is transformed by his anger into a seven-foot-tall hulk. By Alaya Dawn Johnson FEATURES by the book Why Michael Ian Black Doesn’t Like Mystery Novels “Just tell me who did it.” sketchbook Can a Book Capture the Magic of Birding? Delving into the many tomes that try to distill the fascination that makes so many want to stare up through their binoculars. By Sophie Lucido Johnson New & Noteworthy Audiobooks, From Dan Rather to Black Lives Matter A selection of recent audiobooks of interest; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading. Letters to the Editor Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review. editors’ choice 11 New Books We Recommend This Week Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times. inside the list The Back Story Behind ‘Transcendent Kingdom’: Yaa Gyasi Is a Solid Friend Loyalty spurred the best-selling author to visit a neuroscientist’s lab. What she saw there inspired her next narrator. By Elisabeth Egan New in Paperback: ‘Speaking American’ and ‘The Seine’ Six new paperbacks to check out this week. By Jennifer Krauss Best Sellers Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All Lists New International Books Illustration by Thoka Maer Your sneak preview of books coming out in 2020 from around the world. Get globetrotting. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Books from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018