Pax Atomica by Campbell McGrath
Campbell McGrath, Pax Atomica, poems: With singular verve, McGrath continues ever deeper into the jungle of American culture with poems that are musical, comedic, and impassioned. (Ecco)
Review
rev. of The Wasp Eater by William Lychack
The Wasp Eater, a novel by William Lychack (Houghton Mifflin): The scope of Lychack’s short novel—his debut book—is deceptively small. In 1979, a ten-year-old boy named Daniel in Connecticut is caught between his estranged parents. His father, a former marine with a "sweepstakes smile and sly charm" who works as a window washer, is booted…
The Stone That the Builder Refused by Madison Smartt Bell
George Garrett recommends The Stone That the Builder Refused, a novel by Madison Smartt Bell: "The magnificent final volume of Bell’s Haitian trilogy about the only successful slave revolution in history. Epic in scope, yet grounded and richly detailed, this huge work is a masterpiece." (Pantheon)
An Invitation to Poetry by Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky, An Invitation to Poetry, anthology: Pinsky and co-editor Maggie Dietz’s compelling compilation of poems is accompanied by quotations from Favorite Poem Project participants, along with a DVD. (Norton)
rev. of Citizen by Andrew Feld
Citizen, poems by Andrew Feld (Perennial): Elegant, frank, and wise, the poems in Andrew Feld’s first book initially appear composed; yet, within each is a narrative that, in its unfolding, becomes dangerous in its revelation. This is a book of journeys, literal and figurative, as Feld transverses an earlier American landscape menaced by encroaching civilization,…
The Stone That the Builder Refused by Madison Smartt Bell
Madison Smartt Bell, The Stone That the Builder Refused, a novel: Bell gives us the final, climactic novel in his glorious trilogy about Toussaint Louverture. (Pantheon)
Roads of the Heart by Christopher Tilghman
Christopher Tilghman, Roads of the Heart, a novel: In Tilghman’s generous and powerful novel, a man and his father—a former Maryland senator—journey on the road and discover the resilient truths of their family. (Random)
rev. of Animal Crackers by Hannah Tinti
Animal Crackers, stories by Hannah Tinti (Dial): "You hear animal stories every day," one of Hannah Tinti’s charming characters declares, "how a bee stung little Johnny and he went into cardiac arrest. How a snake bit Cousin Tom and it shriveled up his toe . . . These stories are supposed to give warning." Her…
Ideas of Heaven by Joan Silber
Mary Gordon recommends Ideas of Heaven, stories by Joan Silber: "This original, finely wrought collection deals with spiritual issues, always with a combination of grace and lightness." (Norton)