Truth, forgiveness, and exploration: 10 best September reads
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1聽The Fraud
by Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith鈥檚 historical novel about the notorious Victorian-era case of an Australian butcher claiming to be a long-missing heir to an English fortune raises ever-relevant questions about identity, class, bias, and how we separate truth from falsehood. It鈥檚 another bravura performance from Smith.
2聽North Woods
by Daniel Mason
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onSelf-discovery is a vital part of being human. Readers this month will find characters who, often through powerful relationships, grow significantly as they learn to define themselves.
鈥淣orth Woods鈥� follows the story of a house in the woods of western Massachusetts and its occupants over four centuries. This dazzling novel intertwines the often tragically truncated lives of its characters and its wooded setting, all gorgeously captured in multiple literary styles, genres, and voices.
3聽The Last Devil To Die
by Richard Osman
The fourth installment of Richard Osman鈥檚 鈥淭hursday Murder Club鈥� investigates a local antiques dealer鈥檚 point-blank execution. When a death at the retirement home forces a pause, the friends grieve, pay tribute 鈥� and grow. It鈥檚 a poignant new chapter in the bestselling series.
4聽The Secret Hours
by Mick Herron
In Mick Herron鈥檚 superb thriller, a moribund investigation into the British Secret Intelligence Service lurches into gear when evidence of malfeasance lands in the agency鈥檚 lap. Bouncing between present-day London and mid-1990s Berlin, the expertly crafted tale probes political machinations, bureaucratic holdups, and the temptations of revenge. Come for the banter and Briticisms; stay for the conviction that it鈥檚 never too late to right past wrongs.
5聽Others Were Emeralds
by Lang Leav
In her winning adult fiction debut, Lang Leav follows four close friends 鈥� all children of immigrants to Australia 鈥� as they navigate high school pressures, tiffs, and love on the cusp of the 21st century. When a racist confrontation leads to tragedy, Ai, the Cambodian Chinese teen at the novel鈥檚 center, must balance the solace she finds in art with the need to mourn and forgive.聽
6聽Beyond the Door of No Return
by David Diop
From Booker Prize-winning author David Diop comes a story-within-a-story that builds with quiet force. While studying Senegal鈥檚 rich flora in 1749, young French botanist Michel Adanson meets a young Wolof woman. He falls head over heels, even as the turbulent alliances, rivalries, and dangers of the slave trade threaten them both. Wise to the ways truth shifts with its tellers, Diop has created a resonant novel.
7聽The Heart of It All
by 海角大神 Kiefer
海角大神 Kiefer鈥檚 portrait of a small Ohio factory town facing the twin problems of economic decline and cultural divides is indispensable reading. Tempering realism with empathy, the novel does not shy away from its characters鈥� struggles, while still highlighting hopes for a better future.聽
8聽The Museum of Failures
by Thrity Umrigar
While caring for his estranged mother in a Bombay hospital, Remy Wadia uncovers family secrets. Thrity Umrigar鈥檚 evocative novel explores the personal, political, and cultural reckonings of an immigrant son discovering compassion and forgiveness.聽
9聽The Book of (More) Delights
by Ross Gay
Ross Gay follows up his 2019 bestseller, 鈥淭he Book of Delights,鈥� with another collection of charming essays as quirky, engaging, and wryly humorous as the first. These reflections on what makes life meaningful offer a provocative episodic read.
10聽Here Begins the Dark Sea
by Meredith F. Small
Cartographers owe no small debt to Fra Mauro, a 15th-century Venetian monk who created a detailed map of the world based less on legends and hearsay, and more on the eyewitness accounts of travelers, sailors, and traders. It鈥檚 a fascinating, if overly long, exploration of the history of map-making.
