Six new books hit shelves this month

November brings a slate of six new titles that range from literary fiction to a memoir about the first woman to play in the National Hockey League. The releases offer readers a mix of domestic drama, historical investigation, and sharp comedy.

Louise Kennedy returns with her second novel, Stations. The Northern Irish author spent nearly three decades as a chef before turning to writing. In a 2022 interview, she described the shift as strangely liberating. Like her debut, Trespasses, the new book focuses on the aftermath of a difficult young relationship. This time, the characters struggle with the weight of their family histories rather than religious differences.

Mary Beth Keane publishes Whale Harbor, a sweeping narrative about an Irish father and his sons. The story spans years, seas, and continents. Maureen Corrigan, a book critic for Fresh Air, previously compared Keane to Ann Patchett. Corrigan noted that both writers transform closely observed domestic tales into universal stories.

Matt O'Hara, a history professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, releases The Flying Death. The book explores the history of curare, a poison known as flying death that was used in blowdarts by Amazon tribes. The herbal mixture was also believed to have medicinal properties. The pursuit of these properties began in the 1930s and led to new avenues in pharmacology while impacting the tribes whose roles were often forgotten.

Daisy Johnson, who became the youngest Booker Prize finalist ever at age 27, publishes Long Wave. The novel features elusive images and spare prose. The story centers on women carrying family bonds that are full of love and menace. Johnson has already published a short story collection and another novel.

Tahmima Anam’s Uprising is set on a river island in Bangladesh. Women on the island are trapped in prostitution, controlled by a cruel madam. The story is told largely from the perspective of the children. Climate change raises the waters around the region, making escape seem impossible. The arrival of a new girl sets events in motion.

Cleo Birdwell’s Amazons is the oldest title on the list. It was first published more than four decades ago. The book is a comedy about ice hockey and romance. The author, identified as Cleo Birdwell, does not exist. The writer is the novelist Don DeLillo, who did not publicly acknowledge the book until 2020. DeLillo approved its republication earlier this year. His only preface is a business card with his name and the statement: I don’t want to talk about it.