We wouldn’t dream of abandoning our vast semi–annual Most Anticipated Book Previews, but we thought a monthly reminder would be helpful (and give us a chance to note titles we missed the first time around). Here’s what we’re looking out for this month (the last of 2018!). Find more December titles at our Great Second-Half Preview, and let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments!
North of Dawn by Nuruddin Farah: Farah has been writing about the world’s greatest catastrophes for years, and his novels, especially Hiding in Plain Sight, have been about the tragedy that accompanies the loss of one’s original country. That strong theme is the centrifugal force of this novel about a calm home engulfed when a son leaves quiet and peaceful Oslo to die back in Somalia. His widow and children return to Norway to live with his parents, and in bringing their devoted religiosity with them, threaten to explode the family once again. Farah is a master of shifts and turns, so this novel promises to be among the year’s most exciting publications. (Chigozie)
Revolution Sunday by Wendy Guerra (translated by Achy Obejas): Translated for the first time into English, internationally bestselling novelist Guerra’s book follows a writer from Cuba to Spain, where her expat compatriots assume she is a spy for Castro. Back home in Cuba, she is treated with equal suspicion by her government. (Lydia)
America and Other Fictions by Ed Simon: In a collection of essays, Millions staffer writes about the complicated history of religion in America—especially in the context of this particular moment of cultural and political crisis. Simon touches on everything from mortality, legacies of American violence, Walt Whitman, Bob Dylan, and the need for an Augustinian left. About the collection, writer Tom Bissel wrote: “His goal as an essayist is a kind of secular reenchantment of the old, dead creeds—to acknowledge, and cherish, truths that go deeper than mere belief. Most remarkable of all is how often he succeeds.” (Carolyn)
The Day the Sun Died by Yan Lianke (translated by Carlos Rojas): Winner of the Dream of the Red Chamber Award, Lianke’s newest novel takes place in a town over the course of one haunted night. In their small village, fourteen-year-old Li Niannian helps his parents run a funeral parlor. One night he notices something strange: dreamwalking neighbors are gathering outside to continue on with their daily routines, seemingly unaware it’s nighttime. Over one chaotic, disturbing evening, Li Niannian and his parents must save their town from the brink of collapse. (Carolyn)
The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash: Freshly off a stint in the Peace Corps, 23-year-old Anton Winter returns to find his father, a popular night talk show host, has suffered a mental breakdown. In an effort to help reignite his father’s career, Anton travels far and wide—to Lake Placid, the Hollywood Hills, the Bermuda Triangle—and rubbing elbows with the likes of Johnny Carson and John Lennon. About the book, Publisher’s Weekly wrote it’s “packed with diverting anecdotes and a beguiling cast, making for an immensely entertaining novel.” (Carolyn)
Milkman by Anna Burns: Winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, the novel is set in an unnamed city and focuses on middle sister, a young woman who must navigate political and social pressures in a tight-knit, paramilitary-patrolled community. In a starred review, Kirkus called it a “deeply stirring, unforgettable novel that feels like a once-in-a-generation event.” (Carolyn)
