Several recent releases are part of this month’s list, curated from downtown Providence’s independent bookstore.
In Hernan Diaz’s Ply, an orphan wanders the city centuries from now, living in a stateless society where humans are learning new ways to coexist with nature. After years of struggle, she grows up to become a “pincher” who steals electricity from the grid to sell on the black market. In that role, she uncovers a rich art and music scene that sustains her while also discovering a scientific invention that could change the very fabric of reality.
Set in 1932, Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket follows Milwaukee private eye Hick McTaggart. He thinks he’s found job security until he’s sent out on what should be a routine case: locating and bringing back the heiress of a Wisconsin cheese fortune who’s missing with a clarinet player. He’s soon abducted and finds himself in Hungary. Adventure ensues with entanglements and troubles with everything from Nazi sympathizers, an FBI scheme, swing musicians, and outlaw bikers.
Livia Cable has made peace with her marriage and modest lifestyle in Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita. That is, until she receives a shocking call from a past love. He requests to see her again, stirring up ghosts she’s kept at bay for a lifetime. Shifting between past and present, the novel follows Livia as she decides whether to accept or reject the reunion and confronts childhood loss, abandonment, self-immolating passion, and her perilous attachment to the man who shattered her belief in love.
Against Tech Oligarchy, by JS Tan and Clarissa Redwine, chronicles the rise of the tech-worker movement. As companies increasingly aligned themselves with the current administration’s agenda, thousands of tech workers protested against employers they believed had betrayed their once-progressive values. By the early 2020s, their efforts had sparked what observers called the tech-worker movement. As the struggle grew, so did employers’ backlash. The book offers an account of the movement and the hostile labor politics that define Silicon Valley today.
Lydia Millet’s Fair Ones: A Double Novel is a dialogue-driven work that follows two Brooklyn women in their forties as they reel from the baffling death of their friend Claire. Fair, Mara’s account, opens in the wake of initial shock as she and Jen navigate the enigma of Claire’s killing. Ones, told from Jen’s perspective, picks up a year later as she and Mara wrestle with new relationships and old secrets. Fair Ones is a love song to the banality, bombast, and humble beauties of midlife friendships.
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel is set in 2031, after the United States has dissolved. Ari Waker and her roommate pass bomb-sniffing dogs, shantytowns, and Red Cross tents as they walk to a party. That party abruptly ends when a doppelganger interrupts and the host vanishes into thin air. Ari’s story takes us from an America splintered by civil war to the seaside cliffs of Greece, the domed city of Paris, and to a moon colony. A dystopian odyssey you won’t want to miss!
For over 20 years, Symposium Books has been downtown Providence’s go-to for books, vinyl, fun merch, and conversation. Named after the ancient Greek dialog by Plato, the elegant storefront has built a solid reputation for its stellar selection of new, used, and bargain books across various genres – including independent presses, academic publishers, and art publishers. Shelves are filled with a diverse range of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, which promote differing voices and perspectives. “Symposium Books is known for fostering a welcoming environment for book lovers in a cozy space,” says Scott McCullough, who co-owns the business with wife, Anne Marie Keohane. “Also, check out our highly-curated vinyl section. Plus keep an eye out for our author events, book clubs, silent book clubs, music nights, and other events.” 240 Westminster Street, Providence. SymposiumBooks.com
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