by Alan Cheuse
Critic Alan Cheuse likes his books thoughtfully plotted — and 2011 has made him a happy reader. A tiger haunts, a teen flees, ballplayers dream and vampires reign in beautifully conceived stories from new and distinguished authors.
by Parul Sehgal
On Tuesday evening in New York City, the finalists for the National Book Award gathered on the eve of the ceremony to share their work. Listen to the nominated authors read from five sober and splendid works of fiction.
It's all about fiction this week with a stunning magical realist debut from the young Tea Obreht, a fantastical family fable from Walter Mosley, Matt Rees' conspiracy-laden historical drama about Mozart's sister, and a haunting novel of colonialism gone awry by Swedish author Henning Mankell.
Tea Obreht makes her sparkling debut with the folkloric Tiger's Wife, and another new author, Cara Hoffman, holds her own with the creepy but elegant So Much Pretty. A Jay-Z biography falls short, but Jonathan Coe's humorous novel about Internet loneliness is an acerbic glimpse of modern times.
by Jessica Ferri
Young novelist Tea Obreht may only be 25 years old, but she writes with the maturity and confidence of an industry veteran. Her debut, The Tiger's Wife, is a haunting look into the power of mythology and shared family legends.
In The Tiger's Wife, Natalia reflects on her close relationship with her grandfather, a reasonable man with a penchant for mythical Balkan folktales. Young author Tea Obreht tells Lynn Neary about growing up in the former Yugoslavia and returning to it for inspiration.
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