This provocative book by North…illustrates just how far an artist will go in pursuit of authentic expression…At its strongest, North's prose is as skillful as her protagonist's shot list. Filled with "the sad fumbling of human love," Sophie's story examines the relationship between art and suffering.
2015 has already been a great year for books. With so much to celebrate from big-name authors—Judy Blume! Toni Morrison! Nick Hornby!—you’d be forgiven for missing a few of the lower-profile, oddball novels. Yet some of them are just as surprising, engaging, and thought-provoking as the big guys. Here are some of the best.