New paperbacks!

Three new paperbacks in shop. Three new designs. Three new books that you want. Check it.

Jeffrey Eugenides' widely successful The Marriage Plot tells the story of three liberal arts grad students - Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell - in the 80s at the height of Barthes, semiotics, and Bowie. The Globe & Mail suggests the book is "an attempt to explore whether an old-fashioned novel can be written in newfangled times; and whether true romance and traditional spirituality can thrive in a postmodern environment."

Full disclosure: Ben Lerner's Leaving the Atocha Station was one of my favourite books of the year. I really really liked it (as evidenced in my mid-June staff pick). It is smart, unexpected, and bright. Keep your ears open for Lerner. I suspect you will be hearing more from this poet.

About a man who leaves a dinner party mid-course only to lock himself in one of the upstairs bedrooms, There but for the by Ali Smith is both strange and seductive. Smith depicts the consequences of the man's unusual behavior, as it effects the community and everyone in the vicinity. Nuanced and singular, Smith captivates with her sly use of language.