What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week
Featuring Joy Williams, John Edgar Wideman, Solvej Balle, and More
Joy Williams’s The Pelican Child, John Edgar Wideman’s Languages of Home, and Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume (Book III) all feature among the best reviewed books of the week.
Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews.
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1. The Pelican Child by Joy Williams
(Knopf)
6 Rave • 1 Positive • 1 Mixed
“The singular, disconcerting uneasiness that is so characteristic of Joy Williams’ fiction, yet so hard to pin down, is once again dazzlingly on display in her latest collection … Though now in her 80s, Williams’ imagination clearly hasn’t failed, so hopefully her remarkable stories will keep coming.”
–Cory Oldweiler (The Star Tribune)
2. The Ferryman and His Wife by Frode Grytten
(Algonquin)
5 Rave
Read an essay by Frode Grytten here
“Gentle … Each page is made marvellous … Grytten’s characters are intriguing, unique and reassuringly flawed … It’s these sweeping questions of life and death that are at the heart of this offbeat book.”
–Ceci Browning (The Times)
3. On the Calculation of Volume (Book III) by Solvej Balle, trans. by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell
(New Directions)
2 Rave • 5 Positive
“A current of grief and longing runs through the series … The provisional nature of this society mirrors an improvisatory quality in the books, with their changing casts of characters and fluid metaphors. Balle’s protean impulse—her constant rewiring of thematic attachments—makes our reading experience varied and rich … It’s a philosophical experiment illuminated by a novelist’s sensuous and humane way of looking.”
–Katy Waldman (The New Yorker)
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1. Mexico: A 500-Year History by Paul Gillingham
(Atlantic Monthly Press)
5 Rave
“Enormous but enjoyable .. Imposing at 700 pages, Gillingham’s book is nevertheless an engrossing read, from the droll cadences of its skeptical first line describing the embellished Spanish estimates of the Indigenous armies they encountered … On page after page, his narrative remains grounded in the smaller-scale experience of the communities that persisted under a power that has always been more spectacular than strong.”
–Álvaro Enrique (The New York Times Book Review)
2. Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult by Ellen Huet
(MCD)
3 Rave • 2 Positive
“A compelling, deeply researched look into the group’s manipulative and exploitative practices … Will appeal to fans of true crime and cult narratives, and to anyone interested in the dark side of the wellness movement.”
–Catherine Hollis (BookPage)
3. Languages of Home: Essays on Writing, Hoop, and American Lives 1975-2025 by John Edgar Wideman
(Scribner)
4 Rave
“Through a mixture of journalism, literary and cultural criticism, and biographical and political essays, the varied career of the prolific Wideman is on full display in this new collection of his long-form nonfiction writing … Wideman is always insightful, honest, and absorbing. This collection is an essential addition to a masterful oeuvre.”
–Allison Escoto (Booklist)
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