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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 8d

"You gorgeous lugubrious bitch" is [chef's kiss].

Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 8d

I loved Souvankham Thammavongsa's short, searing novel, "Pick a Color," which punches above its weight. Out today from @littlebrown.bsky.social. Here's my review for @washingtonpost.com: www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...

Review | In ‘Pick a Color,’ the customer isn’t always right

Souvankham Thammavongsa’s novel follows workers and clients interacting inside a nail salon over the course of a single day.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 8d

The great Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez is back with "Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave," a literary travelogue like no other, gorgeously translated by Megan McDowell. Out today from Hogarth Books. Here's my review for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: Mariana Enriquez explores cemeteries around the world and the cultures they mirror

Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez guides us around 21 of the world’s most distinctive cemeteries in a collection of essays percolating with social commentary.

www.latimes.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 14d

Set in 1915, @danchaon.bsky.social's spellbinding new novel, "One of Us," explores American marginalization and violence via telepathic twins in a traveling circus. Just out from @henryholtbooks.bsky.social. Here's my rave review for @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/b...

In This Circus Tale, Telepathic Twins Aren’t Even the Freak Show

www.nytimes.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 16d

Patricia Lockwood's expressionistic if scattered "Will There Ever Be Another You" details one woman's struggles with Long Covid. Out tomorrow from @riverheadbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Patricia Lockwood’s ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’ never takes flight. Blame COVID

Like Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar,’ Patricia Lockwood’s latest book draws on her own fevered struggles with illness — in her case with the long tail of COVID.

www.latimes.com

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Reposted by Hamilton Cain

Katherine @katherinecrosby.bsky.social · 21d

👇 💫 Very fortunate that @hamiltoncain.bsky.social reviewed Ian McEwan’s brilliant new novel, What We Can Know. A lovely review brimming with insight and praise that captures the essence and payoffs of McEwan’s dystopian vision.

Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 21d

Ian McEwan fans, rejoice! The Booker laureate returns to form in "What We Can Know," his engrossing twist on dystopian fiction. Out next week from @aaknopf.bsky.social. Here's my rave for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/17/a...

‘What We Can Know’ ponders the present day and the literary future - The Boston Globe

Dystopian fiction is now a firm fixture in our literary landscape. Ian McEwan’s stylish, cunning “What We Can Know” takes a whack at the genre.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 17d

Print, glorious print! Today's @latimes.com:

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 21d

Ian McEwan fans, rejoice! The Booker laureate returns to form in "What We Can Know," his engrossing twist on dystopian fiction. Out next week from @aaknopf.bsky.social. Here's my rave for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/17/a...

‘What We Can Know’ ponders the present day and the literary future - The Boston Globe

Dystopian fiction is now a firm fixture in our literary landscape. Ian McEwan’s stylish, cunning “What We Can Know” takes a whack at the genre.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 23d

The author meets the moment: Jill Lepore's "We the People" is an essential guide to our embattled Constitutional order. And so beautifully written! Out tomorrow from @liveright.bsky.social. Here's my review for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Jill Lepore’s ‘We the People’ is a life buoy for a Constitution under attack

Jill Lepore’s history of the Constitution includes a colorful cast of characters and makes a case for it as a living document that continues to evolve as we evolve.

www.latimes.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Sep 4

Stephen Greenblatt's erudite "Dark Renaissance" evokes the of Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's literary rival. Out next week from @wwnorton.com. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her editorial guidance. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/04/a...

A dazzling visit to Shakespeare’s time, and a look at his most alluring rival - The Boston Globe

A tug-of-war between haves and have-nots. Elite universities engulfed in fiery disputes. A head of state pumped up by flattery and conspiracy theories. Welcome to England, circa the late 16th century...

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Aug 21

'Twas awesome to collaborate with @katekilla.bsky.social and Marion Winik on the Boston Globe's fall books preview. Bibliophiles, rejoice! www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/21/a...

Forty new books for the best fall reading - The Boston Globe

Here are some of the books we are most looking forward to dipping into this fall.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Reposted by Hamilton Cain

Gary Shteyngart @shteyngart.bsky.social · Aug 20

What a wonderful and in-depth review from the great @hamiltoncain.bsky.social

Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Aug 20

I had a blast reading @shteyngart.bsky.social's dystopian romp, "Vera, or Faith," out from Random House. Here's my review for @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social: lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-k...

We Know It’s a Show | Los Angeles Review of Books

Hamilton Cain reviews Gary Shteyngart’s “Vera, or Faith.”

lareviewofbooks.org

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Aug 20

I had a blast reading @shteyngart.bsky.social's dystopian romp, "Vera, or Faith," out from Random House. Here's my review for @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social: lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-k...

We Know It’s a Show | Los Angeles Review of Books

Hamilton Cain reviews Gary Shteyngart’s “Vera, or Faith.”

lareviewofbooks.org

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Reposted by Hamilton Cain

Tuttle Tuttle Toil & Trouble 🎃 @katekilla.bsky.social · Aug 14

Another review in this Sunday's @bostonglobe.com is @hamiltoncain.bsky.social's smart take on THE GOSSIP COLUMNIST'S DAUGHTER by the masterful Peter Orner. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/12/a...

A lively novel based on a real mystery in midcentury Hollywood - The Boston Globe

Peter Orner's exuberant new novel, "The Gossip Columnist's Daughter," dramatizes a real-life unsolved murder, both a homage to Hollywood noir and a meditation on how and why our deepest connections ca...

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Aug 12

Peter Orner's new novel, "The Gossip Columnist's Daughter," is both haunting and a fun-as-hell read. Out next week from @littlebrown.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her editorial guidance. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/12/a...

A lively novel based on a real crime in midcentury Hollywood - The Boston Globe

Peter Orner's exuberant new novel, "The Gossip Columnist's Daughter," dramatizes a real-life unsolved murder, both a homage to Hollywood noir and a meditation on how and why our deepest connections ca...

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Aug 11

I adored Nicholas Boggs's epic new biography of James Baldwin, out next week from @fsgbooks.bsky.social. An amazing feat of biography and cultural history. Here's my review for @stribgoingout.startribune.com: www.startribune.com/baldwin-a-lo...

Review: New bio offers bold take on literary giant James ‘Baldwin’

Fiction: A magisterial biography focuses on four pivotal relationships.

www.startribune.com

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Reposted by Hamilton Cain

Whitney Peeling @wpeeling.bsky.social · Aug 11

@hamiltoncain.bsky.social calls BLACK MOSES @calebgayle.bsky.social "eloquent" & "engrossing." "Gayle does more than just rescue a forgotten yet crucial figure; he places McCabe at the center of radical liberation." @riverheadbooks.bsky.social @startribune.com www.startribune.com/edward-mccab...

Review: Meet the man who tried to establish a Black state within the U.S.

Nonfiction: Caleb Gayle’s gorgeous “Black Moses” illuminates a forgotten figure from our racial past.

www.startribune.com

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Reposted by Hamilton Cain

Tuttle Tuttle Toil & Trouble 🎃 @katekilla.bsky.social · Aug 7

Dying to read FONSECA, the new novel by @jfkane.bsky.social, based on Penelope Fitzgerald's time in Mexico. Expertly reviewed by @hamiltoncain.bsky.social for the @bostonglobe.com, where it will be in print on Sunday. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/05/a...

An English writer on a mysterious Mexican sojourn yields an absorbing new novel - The Boston Globe

The British author Penelope Knox Fitzgerald (1916-2000) remains a lodestar for many closet scribblers: an editor and teacher who juggled domestic responsibilities, wrote when she carved out time, and ...

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Aug 6

As a Penelope Fitzgerald fan I had a blast reading @jfkane.bsky.social's absorbing novel, "Fonseca," which recreates a mysterious episode in the British writer's life. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her guidance. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/05/a...

An English writer on a mysterious Mexican sojourn yields an absorbing new novel - The Boston Globe

The British author Penelope Knox Fitzgerald (1916-2000) remains a lodestar for many closet scribblers: an editor and teacher who juggled domestic responsibilities, wrote when she carved out time, and ...

www.bostonglobe.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Jul 24

Ed Park delivers banger upon banger in his brilliant collection, "An Oral History of Atlantis," out next week from Random House. Here's my rave for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: Ed Park drops clues like 'Barbie' throughout ‘An Oral History of Atlantis’

Ed Park, a Pultizer Prize finalist for his last sprawling novel, wrote an interlocking series of stories for his follow-up, 'An Oral History of Atlantis,' and his joy at working in shorter form is pal...

www.latimes.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Jul 23

I adore Sophie Elmhirst's "A Marriage at Sea" and you will, too: equal parts real-life castaway tale and poetic exploration of marriage. Out from @riverheadbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

‘A Marriage at Sea’ Review: An Ocean of Peril

A married couple set sail from England in 1972 aiming for New Zealand. Everything changed when a whale struck their vessel.

www.wsj.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Jul 11

I fell hard for @lauriestories.bsky.social's "The Aviator and the Showman" and you will, too: it's a glorious work of narrative nonfiction. Out next week from @vikingbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: 'The Aviator and the Showman' untangles Amelia Earhart's fateful marriage — and thrill-seeking ambition

'The Aviator and the Showman,' Laurie Gwen Shapiro's vibrant account of Amelia Earhart's union with a publicity-seeking publisher, unpacks the mystery surrounding her final flight.

www.latimes.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Jun 17

Lee Cole's gorgeous, devastating new novel delivers on the promise of his debut. Here's my rave review for @washingtonpost.com. Just out from @aaknopf.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...

Review | ‘Fulfillment’ is a splendid novel by a rising literary star

Lee Cole’s follow-up to “Groundskeeping” is colder, wiser and more ominous than his debut.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Jun 7

Set in the Pacific Northwest, @jesswalter.bsky.social's buoyant "So Far Gone" seeks a better America amid our many conflicts. Out Tuesday from @harperbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/b...

A Witty Caper Starring Gun-Toting Christians in Rural Washington

www.nytimes.com

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · Jun 5

Hop aboard Caroline Fraser's "Murderland," a wild ride of a book that expands the boundaries of narrative nonfiction. Out next week from @penguinpress.bsky.social. Here's my rave review for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: What does smelting have to do with Ted Bundy? A lot, argues ‘Murderland’ author

Caroline Fraser, a Pulitzer winner, traces the connection between a now-closed smelter in Tacoma and serial killers including Ted Bundy.

www.latimes.com

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