Good People by Patmeena Sabit

 What happens when tragedy strikes an Afghani immigrant family, when older members have the memories of war fresh in their histories? When the Sharaf family goes through the unimaginable, their loss is dissected in the court of public opinion. Sabit narrates the readable story using a chorus of voices — from members of the close-knit Afghan community, to neighbors, and the children’s classmates. Through this kaleidoscope of perspectives, the reader pieces together the narrative of the frayed family fabric. The inclusion of multiple characters feels gimmicky but Sabit paints an impressive portrait of the strains that cause close-knit ties to unravel. 

Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer

Luna, Phoenix and Queen are all avatars of the same dog, the firm glue that holds this marvel of a story together. Orringer delivers another knockout in this nuanced portrait of life’s infinite complications. Dava Pennington is gradually fading from Alzheimer’s, worrying both her husband, Barr, a fellow professor, and Svetlana, Dava’s lover, also a professor at the same school. It’s hard to tell if Barr knows about his wife’s affair with Svetlana. When the complexities and betrayals come to light, the resulting reboot is achingly nuanced and brilliantly executed. A different book from Flight Portfolio, but still a winner. 

The Simp: A Novel Without a Hero by Roshan Sethi

 

Raj Ladlani’s non-starter of an acting career has been circling the drain for a while but living in LA, he aspires to at least some modicum of proximity to those in power. He gets a chance in a job as personal assistant to a famous Hollywood director and his wife. Desperate to hold on to the minimum-wage job that will barely pay his rent, the servile Raj is labeled a “simp” (slang for simpering) but he also has his own cards to play. A sharp satire on the vacuous and elusive nature of fame, especially during our frenetic digital age. 

Kutchinsky's Egg: A Family's Story of Obsession, Love, and Loss by Serena Kutchinsky

Who would fall in love with the idea of a large jeweled egg made with pounds of gold, dripping with diamonds, made to create theater? The author's father, smitten with the concept of a signature item, embarked on a mission that brought financial ruin to the Kutchinsky family name. While the memoir sticks well to the constructs of its genre, I hoped for some interesting asides on the history of manufacturing such objets d’art or setting the events against a broader contextual backdrop. Will hold interest for those familiar with the Kutchinsky name but will likely not engage the rest. 

Every Happiness by Reena Shah

As childhood friends in India, Deepa and Ruchi were inseparable. Bound together by shared experiences that left no room for anyone else, their lives are rebooted when Deepa marries a rich doctor and moves to Connecticut. Ruchi follows closely behind, marrying a software engineer whose teetering career places Ruchi and her husband in a different class than her richer friend. Navigating the unsaid complexities of class, mining the contours of their friendship, adjusting to life as an immigrant — it all presents challenges. Shah’s expert writing weaves a nuanced story where there’s gold buried in every understated sentence. A knockout debut. 

Country People by Daniel Mason

 

What does the family dog know about the real Vermont than two newly arrived California intellectuals? As it turns out…a lot. Kate Krzelewski has a one-year appointment at a Vermont college teaching the works of Milton and Blake to eager students. Kids in tow, the family decides to move to Bernie-land. Husband and Dad Miles hopes this will be the year he’ll complete his doctoral thesis, which had taken many detours. But, in trying to befriend the real Vermont country people, Miles stumbles on hollow-earth conspiracy theorists. A departure from Mason's earlier work, this is nevertheless a clever and raucously funny romp. 

Women, Seated by Zhang Yueran

 

The goose often attacks because its vision is skewed and misleads it to think the goose is bigger than everyone else. It’s an apt metaphor for nanny Yu Ling, a 30-year-old nanny in Beijing, whose efforts to dare and dream big are repeatedly thwarted by her circumstances and her past. Within 200 pages, the author expertly weaves in commentary about both class and gender, in a tightly knit story. The story takes many fresh turns as Ling has to constantly recalibrate her situation with her seven-year-old charge, Kuan Kuan, but it never loses the plot. Fluid translation is a bonus.