Jonathan Franzen kicks off a new trilogy with his brilliant latest novel, ‘Crossroads’
If you lived through the winter of 1971-1972 but have gotten hazy on the details over the past half-century, or if you just want to...
Michael Upchurch
Michael Upchurch is a novelist (“Passive Intruder,” “The Flame Forest”) and frequent book reviewer. He was the Seattle Times’ staff book critic (1998-2008) and general arts writer (2008-2014), before resigning to concentrate on fiction and literary journalism. His reviews have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post, Oregonian and numerous other publications.
Colm Tóibín pens gripping retelling of Thomas Mann’s life in ‘The Magician’
Colm Tóibín (“The Master”) takes on the life of German Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann, who lived through the swell of Nazism, in “The Magician.” The...
Memorable ‘The Way of the Saints’ follows Puerto Rican family flirting with Santeria
The memorable, surprising debut novel-in-stories, “The Way of the Saints,” won the Southeast Missouri State University Press Nilsen Literary Prize for a First Novel. It...
Fascinating ‘The Human Zoo’ bundles a political thriller, love story and social critique in one book
“The Human Zoo,” the fascinating new novel by PEN/Faulkner Award-winner Sabina Murray, is a tale of indecisiveness. Or maybe it’s a political thriller. Or it...
‘The Republic of False Truths’ proves fiction needn’t be flawless to be invaluable
“The Republic of False Truths,” the newly translated novel by bestselling Egyptian writer Alaa Al Aswany (“The Yacoubian Building”), provides a behind-the-scenes account of Egypt’s...
In ‘The Hero’s Way,’ Tim Parks retraces the steps of Garibaldi, the great general, across Italy
In “The Hero’s Way,” Tim Parks and partner Eleonora Gallitelli walk nearly 400 miles from from Rome to Ravenna, Italy, retracing the steps of Giuseppe...
An older couple considers dying on their own terms in ‘Should We Stay or Should We Go’
At the start of “Should We Stay or Should We Go,” the latest novel from Lionel Shriver, a couple of British octogenarians think about killing...
Bainbridge-raised author Jonathan Evison comes home in ‘Legends of the North Cascades’
Jonathan Evison's strength as a fiction writer is his knack for depth within small canvases and finding drama in workaday lives. His new book, “Legends...
Rachel Cusk’s latest novel, the tricky ‘Second Place,’ sets up expectations it can’t quite meet
When fiction doesn’t work for a reader, it’s only fair to admit it might work for someone else. The coy style that Rachel Cusk, writer...
PEN/Faulkner winner Joan Silber strings together ‘Secrets of Happiness’ in new book
“Secrets of Happiness,” the new collection of intertwined stories from PEN/Faulkner and National Book Critics Circle Award winner Joan Silber, spans oceans and continents, contemplating...