A staid academic’s life in the English department is shaken by the appearance of a charismatic younger law professor in this new Seattle-set novel by the author of How to Raise a Feminist Son. The characters separately traverse emotional, professional, and political minefields, guided by protocols of power, gender, and race (he’s white, she’s Pakistani) that they do not hold in common. This is the territory that Philip Roth explored, but reexamined by a sharp, invigorating, 21st-century intelligence. It’s clear from the beginning that things won’t end well, but following the slow-burning fuse as it burns toward the bomb is captivating.
—James, Madison Books, Seattle, WA
Challenge yourself with books from Madison Books and other independent bookstores.