Much-anticipated, curious, or simply thrilling, here are some new and notable books out this month.
Scissors: A Novel (Random House) by Stéphane Michaka — This fictionalized biography is based on acclaimed American writer Raymond Carver’s last ten years of life, with particular focus on the relationship between the writer and his editor and their creative differences. Michaka reworks biographies of Carver and the people closest to him into a powerful examination of literature and the influences and choices leading to its final form and production. Release Date: August 13, 2013
The Infatuations (Knopf Doubleday) by Javier Marías, translated by Margaret Jull Costa — Narrated by waitress María who takes a strange interest in a couple that frequents her café, this murder mystery prompts inspection of significances of chance encounters and human curiosity, and how “truth” is shaped and narrated in consideration of these experiences. Release Date: August 13, 2013
In Love with Art: Françoise Mouly’s Adventures in Comics with Art Spiegelman (Coach House) by Jeet Heer — Packed with visual examples and behind-the-scenes interviews, In Love with Art celebrates the journey of comic powercouple Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman and their many contributions to the genre of comic art. Release Date: September 3, 2013
Red Girl Rat Boy (Biblioasis) by Cynthia Flood — Do not search for a grand overarching theme in this collection of short stories by the prize-winning Canadian author. Flood freely experiments with a style she describes as ” elliptical, compressed, imagistic” and features protagonists who are flawed, varied, and – enticingly – only partially relatable. Release Date: September 10, 2013. (Details for Vancouver launch event can be found here.)
Savage Love (Goose Lane) by Douglas Glover — Expect the unexpected: “Glover skewers every conventional notion we’ve ever held about that cultural-emotional institution of love we are instructed to hold dear.” This short story collection promises to make readers both laugh out loud and reel back in horror. Release Date: September 10, 2013. (Details for Toronto launch event can be found here.)