Reading the Room
'A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing' confronts family, trauma and history
Alice Evelyn Yang’s debut explores a fractured father-daughter relationship shaped by the lasting pull of inherited memories.
Reading the Room
2025: The year of the sophomore novel
"Reading the Room" columnist Serena Puang looks back on critically acclaimed authors who released their second novels in 2025.
Reading the Room
Shadi Hamid attempts to make 'The Case for American Power'
Shadi Hamid’s latest book argues that the world needs more U.S. influence.
Reading the Room
Jacquira Díaz’s ‘This is the Only Kingdom’ is a love story after the fairy tale ends
Díaz debuts with a tender exploration of what comes after “happily ever after.”
Reading the Room
'What a Time to be Alive' is a dive into the fragmented realities of influencer fame
Jade Chang’s newest novel mirrors internet stardom itself: messy, fast-moving and some unexpected moments of connection.
Reading the Room
R.F. Kuang turns academia into a descent through hell in ‘Katabasis’
Kuang’s newest release is a departure from the gossip-filled thriller that was "Yellowface" toward a hellscape, exposing the cost of academic ambition.
Reading the Room
‘Julie Chan is Dead’ and the dark side of influencer fame: A Q&A with author Liann Zhang
In her gripping debut novel, Liann Zhang taps into her own past and explores twin identity, influencer culture and internet infatuation.
Unmasking
Isa Garcia's journey of home, grief and renewal
Isa Garcia finds resilience through loss, showing us that through pain, there is room for joy, connection, and growth.
Reading the Room
Love, War and Yuanfen: Karissa Chen's stunning debut
"Homeseeking" is a heartbreaking tale exploring the choices that shape two lovers bound by fate, separated by circumstance.
Reading the Room
Shepherd's 'All This and More' delivers a captivating adventure
The first thing readers will want to do after finishing Peng Shepherd’s ‘All This and More’ is flip it over and start again.
Reading the Room
Yulin Kuang on romance debut, book adaptations and tropes
Kuang calls “How to End a Love Story” a “contemporary romance that felt like a historical romance novel.”
Literature
College, class and money moves in Kiley Reid’s ‘Come and Get It’
Kiley Reid’s sophomore novel “Come and Get It” brings readers to contemplate money, early adulthood and relationships.