Book reviews from Tin House Press — fiction, nonfiction, children’s and independent titles, read and reviewed by our editorial team.
The author focuses on a trio of figures he describes as standing at the forefront of “determinist advocacy” who argue that free will is an illusion: Sam Harris, who wrote the 2012 book Free Will, Robert Sapolsky, whose 2023 book was titled Determined, and Sabine Hossenfelder, who runs a popular podcast that discusses the subject. …
The story begins in the waning days of 1916, with the United States soon to be embroiled in World War I under President Woodrow Wilson. In a crime that presages the violent conflict to come, a married wealthy couple, the Blandens, are brutally slaughtered in their home. The only other person known to be in …
This novel, its author writes, “was born out of the real grief of the West Nickel Mines schoolhouse shooting,” when a gunman shot 10 girls at an Amish school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. While this book begins on that terrible morning in October, 2006, it doesn’t indulge in any violence, quickly switching to the voice of …
Cholera, a virulent, intestinal disease spread by contaminated water, emerged from South Asia in 1830, devastating the cities of Europe as it moved west. By 1832, it appeared in Canada, and, despite efforts to prevent its arrival, the U.S. didn’t have long to wait. Kelton meticulously documents the disease’s spread across the country and the …
Idonea learned illegal blood magic from her mother, Nellith, who goes missing shortly after completing a tattoo on her daughter’s back. Idonea locates her mother’s ring and a mysterious volume with “obscure ritual references. A sketch of a tree without roots. A map of stars that didn’t belong to their sky.” Accompanied by Nellith’s pet …
The novel’s protagonist is named Sergio (a moniker given to him by his Mexican American father); he’s known as Serge. When still a child in 1968, he and his older sister, Angela, are brought by their mother to Central California in search of “the Big Sur experience” (Big Sur being a place where, supposedly, “people …
One, two, three black dots against a bright yellow background quickly grow into lots of dots before progressing into dots of different sizes. And then one of the black dots changes color to red. Turning the page reveals that a red backdrop has replaced the yellow background; a yellow dot appears, courtesy of a small …
The New Year—not Jan. 1, but the Lunar New Year that’s celebrated in many Asian countries—“is not just a number… it’s also an animal. Each year is paired with one of twelve incredible animals.” The animal associated with a person’s birth year provides hints about personality and talents, relationships and preferences, lucky numbers and favorite …
That was, until last year, when she joined her school’s theatrical group and fell for their mysterious star, Roman Cavalero. Now, the British teen’s Type A skills are being put to the test as the Edgemoor Players venture out on an unchaperoned extra credit orienteering trip on their local moor. Faced with dangerous snowy conditions, …
Working with artists Horner and Staehle, as he did for Hidden Pictures (2022), Rekulak uses illustrations to support a paranormal thriller plot. Penny Padgett, a 27-year-old cartoonist living in Philadelphia, has published three beloved graphic novels about her life with her cat, Popcorn, and is working on a fourth when Popcorn darts out the window …
