Heller McAlpin

Heller McAlpin appears in the following:

'Mitz' The Marmoset Was Definitely Not Afraid Of Virginia Woolf

Sunday, August 11, 2019

The success of Sigrid Nunez' The Friend sparked the reissue of this early work, also about a beloved pet — but Mitz the marmoset was real, and she belonged to Leonard and Virginia Woolf in the 1930s.

Comment

Meaning Well And Making A Mess In 'We Love Anderson Cooper'

Thursday, July 25, 2019

R.L. Maizes' new story collection is a quirky mix of humor, gravity and warmth. She's drawn to outsiders who yearn for connection and who display behaviors and feelings they're not proud of.

Comment

In 'Very Nice,' Even The Dog Is Unfaithful

Monday, July 08, 2019

Marcy Dermansky's new novel is a tart lemonade of a summer read, full of outspoken characters, libidinous activity — much of it unwise — around a swimming pool, and a beautiful standard poodle.

Comment

Marriage Is Passionate, Not Perfect, In 'The Most Fun We Ever Had'

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Claire Lombardo's sweeping family drama — fueled by power plays between spouses and between sisters — is a wonderfully immersive read that packs more heart and heft than most first novels.

Comment

'On Earth' Is Gorgeous All The Way Through

Wednesday, June 05, 2019

Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a painful but extraordinary coming-of-age story, about a young Vietnamese American writer whose fractured family was torn by their experiences during the Vietnam War.

Comment

The Fizz Has Flattened Some In 'The Rosie Result'

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

The final volume in Graeme Simsion's Rosie trilogy — about an adorably dorky, autistic scientist and his wife and family — will enlighten readers about life on the spectrum, but may not charm them.

Comment

An Ethereal Child Causes Earthly Problems In 'Lanny'

Monday, May 13, 2019

Max Porter's propulsive, original new novel is set in a small, seemingly idyllic English village that quickly turns darker when the whimsical young son of a newly-arrived couple goes missing.

Comment

Ali Smith's 'Spring' Unfolds Like A Fern

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

The latest volume in Smith's seasonal quartet revisits some of her familiar themes — the bleakness of contemporary politics, loss, fractured families, nature and art — yet still feels spring-fresh.

Comment

In 'Nanaville,' Anna Quindlen Writes Of Her Adventures In Grandparenting

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

For decades, Quindlen has been channeling Baby Boomers' concerns, from motherhood and life-work balance to aging and downsizing. Her new book comes with a stern warning: Grandparents, know thy place.

Comment

In McEwan's Latest, The 'Machine' Is Too Much Like You

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Ian McEwan imagines an alternate, technologically-advanced 1982 England in his new novel, in which the development of lifelike, artificially intelligent cyborgs leads to some uncomfortable questions.

Comment

In 'Southern Lady Code,' Helen Ellis Brings Her Hilarity To Southern Manners

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Amid disquisitions on the importance of thank-you notes and a hilariously graphic description of a mammogram, Ellis occasionally ventures into more weighty territory in her first work of nonfiction.

Comment

'Normal People' Appeals Across Genders And Generations

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Sally Rooney avoids a sophomore slump with Normal People, a will-they-won't-they love story with sympathetic protagonists whose lives are complicated by economic uncertainty and class differences.

Comment

Teen Years Echo Through A Lifetime In 'Trust Exercise'

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

Susan Choi's new novel is set at a performing arts high school in the 1980s, as students navigate the line between adolescence and adulthood, student-teacher relationships and the drama of first love.

Comment

'Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss' Is Smart, Comforting Sentiment

Tuesday, April 02, 2019

Rajeev Balasubramanyam's fourth novel follows a cantankerous yet sympathetic economics professor whose life is upended after he fails yet again to win a Nobel Prize (among other, lesser catastrophes).

Comment

'Greek To Me' Highlights The Way Ardent Interests Can Enrich A Life

Monday, April 01, 2019

"Comma Queen" Mary Norris is an uncommonly engaging, witty enthusiast with a nose for delicious details and funny asides that makes you willing to follow her anywhere.

Comment

Theoretical Physics And Down-To-Earth Loneliness In 'Lost And Wanted'

Monday, April 01, 2019

Nell Freudenberger's new novel is a bittersweet love story — about a lost friend, a missed romance, and an all-consuming career — that uses dense scientific concepts to illuminate everyday emotions.

Comment

'The Altruists' Asks: How Do You Live A Good Life?

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Andrew Ridker's sharp, compassionate first novel follows a family of flawed but sympathetic bumblers whose efforts to do good more often end up causing harm — to themselves and others.

Comment

Real Life Informs A Tense Trip In 'Lost Children Archive'

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Valeria Luiselli's twist on the great American road trip novel follows a family with two children on a grim odyssey through the Southwest, a vision of a country blighted by industry and prejudice.

Comment

'Bowlaway' Scores A Strike

Tuesday, February 05, 2019

Elizabeth McCracken's new novel — a multigenerational saga centered around a Massachusetts bowling alley and its crew of misfits — will grab you from the very first line.

Comment

Learning What's Sacred In Screwball 'Holy Lands'

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Very little actually is sacred — at least to begin with — in Amanda Sthers' lively new novel about a Jewish pig farmer in Israel, his fractious family, and their voluminous correspondence.

Comment