The Emerald Light in the Air by Donald Antrim, RM91.05
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The terse, surreal works of Antrim bring to mind Italo Calvino [Italian journalist and writer best known for ‘Invisible Cities’ and ‘If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler’] and the lyrics of Beck. His past works have centered around a hallucinogenic pancake dinner and a bitter family reunion of 100 brothers. BD
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10:04 by Ben Lerner, RM103.50
Faber & Faber
Lerner’s debut novel, ‘Leaving the Atocha Station’, the hilarious and elegiac story about an American abroad in Spain, was one of my favorite books of 2011. His new book, ‘10:04’, about a writer facing a potentially fatal diagnosis and the possibility of becoming a father, promises to be another intelligent read. AC
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Prelude to Bruise by Saeed Jones, RM60.50
Coffee House Press
Perhaps the poet and Buzzfeed LGBT editor’s writing is best summed up by his Twitter handle: TheFerocity. His debut collection is, indeed, ferocious and charged with physicality, deftly weaving themes of identity, race and sexuality into electric lines of verse. TG
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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, RM103.25
Knopf
After three excellent but underappreciated novels, Mandel’s latest promises to be her breakout gem. ‘Station Eleven’ is a magnificently-woven portrait of the world after a new strain of flu eradicates 99 percent of the population; the story will both rattle your soul and absolutely inspire you. TG
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Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood, RM99.90
Nan A. Talese
On the heels of her dazzling if awkwardly ending ‘MaddAddam’ trilogy being developed as an HBO series by Darren Aronofsky, the Canadian icon drops this story anthology. The nine shorts will undoubtedly continue her blend of black humor, mild fantasy and deep human emotion. BD
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Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle, RM99.35
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The frontman of wordy, folky indie band the Mountain Goat drops the singing and goes all in with prose for his debut novel. The plot centres around suspended adolescence, trauma and a role-playing game called Trace Italian. BD
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Lila by Marilynne Robinson, RM107.60
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
One of our most skilled living authors, Robinson continues her series of novels set in Gilead, Iowa – which began with the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Gilead’ and 2008’s ‘Home’. As always, the author’s work quietly but powerfully plumbs the depths of spirituality, family and survival. TG
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300,000,000 by Blake Butler, RM64.20
Harper Perennial
Blake Butler’s work is singular: Dense, disturbed and certainly not for everyone. But everyone should give him a chance, and his new novel may be the place to start. A portrait of a psychopath killer (think Charles Manson), ‘300,000,000’ strikes particularly relevant chords as it explores the intensity of American violence. TG
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Ugly Girls by Lindsay Hunter, RM94.50
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The Chicago author creates such lovable dirtbag girls. Hunter’s short story collection ‘Don’t Kiss Me’ was a goddamn rock ’n’ roll joy. This, her first novel, seems to involve fast food, BFFs, trailer parks and catfishing. Her sentences are suckerpunch-lines. BD
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Loitering by Charles D’Ambrosio, RM60.30
Tin House
Charles D’Ambrosio and his essays have already acquired a cult following, and this new collection gathers the 11 pieces from his out-of-print 2004 book and adds exciting recent work, covering a range of subjects from Native American whaling practices to J.D. Salinger. TG
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Top 10 books to read