Word’s pick: “The Lesser Bohemians” by Eimear McBride
How Eimear McBride wrote a love story that is both believable and defies reason is beyond me. I read this book in two sittings; enthralled both by her prose and by the mind of its heroine, a young college student who falls for an older man. McBride spares you neither the pain nor the joy of learning and loving another person while discovering yourself.
— Hannah Oliver Depp, Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
Community Bookstore’s pick: “Cassandra at the Wedding” by Dorothy Baker
This 1962 novel masterfully depicts the complicated relationship between twin sisters Cassandra and Judith. Author Dorothy Baker portrays the California setting in vivid and beautiful fashion, but the writing really shines in her deft characterization of the Edwards clan. In no more than a page or two she creates characters so real and complex that you’d swear they were in your own family. The novel is consistently hilarious and entertaining, which is especially impressive considering the anxiety and tribulations the characters (and the reader) are put through. Highly recommended.
— Michael Bender, Community Bookstore [43 Seventh Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.communitybookstore.net].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “The Ballad of Black Tom” by Victor LaValle
Literary genre wiz Victor LaValle is deeply engaged with the legacy of H. P. Lovecraft, one of the 20th century’s foundational horror writers. In this reworking of Lovecraft’s short story “The Horror at Red Hook” (set in Brooklyn’s own waterfront nabe), LaValle takes on the insidious and vile racism present in Lovecraft’s work, which turns out to be intertwined with the nasty eldritch forces pushing for the end of the world, in often surprising ways. Read it and be entertained, disturbed, and educated.
— Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
