Featured Book
The King of Corsica
Written by Michael Kleeberg, Translated by David Dollenmayer
Publishers Weekly
German writer and translator Kleeberg probes pockets of early 18th-century power in his smartly droll debut about a larger-than-life poseur. Following the death of his father, an impoverished Theodor von Neuhoff is raised by his doting mother, Amalia. Under her indulgent hand, Neuhoff grows up a dreamer bereft of “willpower and discipline,” and with the help of Amalia's admirer, the young baron secures a position in the court of Louis XIV at Versailles. Neuhoff successfully parlays his connections and his glib charm into a career as an adventurer and secret agent for several European governments. He marries an Irish noblewoman and settles in Germany, but he soon abandons her and flees to Italy, where he sells his services to Austria. When asked to lead a Corsican rebellion against the Genovese republic in return for the promise of a crown, the long-suffering baron hopes that his moment has finally arrived. Imaginative characterization, rich historical detail and expressive language—“[t]he dress... enclosed her body like a metaphor, expressing everything and revealing nothing”—make for an impressive American introduction for Kleeberg. (May)
Featured Book
Adam the King
Written by Jeffrey Lewis
Publishers Weekly
*STARRED REVIEW*
Lewis's gripping fourth novel (after Theme Song for an Old Show) traces one man's heroic but flawed attempt to make good of past mistakes. In the summer town of Clement Cove, Maine, billionaire Adam Bloch, now in his 50s, returns to build an outsized mansion with his new wife, Maisie Maclaren, a prominent local family's divorced daughter. Bloch still smolders from the shame of having been involved decades ago in the car accident that killed Maisie's sister, Sascha--an event not forgotten or quite forgiven by the locals, among whom is the narrator, an interested observer. While Bloch adores Maisie and hopes his new marriage will provide "the antidote to tragedy," Maisie's feelings for Bloch seem lukewarm, and her desire for a pool at the mansion pits them against longtime resident Verna Hubbard, who doesn't want to sell her adjoining spit of land and trailer to Bloch. Lewis juxtaposes the opinions of the locals at the general store as a kind of Greek chorus while the struggle between rich and poor plays out. The narrative is tense, and Lewis's well-meaning, blinkered hero is a marvelous creation. (May)
Featured Book
Kafka Comes to America
Written by Steven T. Wax
Publishers Weekly
*STARRED REVIEW*
Federal public defender Wax masterfully delivers a harrowing story of the erosion of civil liberties after the September 11 terrorist attacks in a powerful testimony that reads like a thriller. Wax follows the stories of two men he represented, both victims of post-9/11 counterterrorism measures. The first—American citizen and fellow lawyer Brandon Mayfield—was arrested by the FBI as a suspect in the Madrid train station bombings in 2004, after the FBI claimed that a latent fingerprint found on the scene matched Mayfield's. The second story revolves around Adel Hamad, a Sudanese-born hospital administrator arrested in Pakistan while doing refugee relief work. Imprisoned for six months in 'a fetid hell' for alleged connections with al-Qaeda, Hamad was hooded and shackled and transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he has languished for the past four years. With considerable finesse, the author narrates these two gripping stories in alternating chapters through each stage of his clients' cases. Wax offers personal insight and professional outrage; his is a powerful voice that deserves to reach all Americans. (June)
