‘Akikos’ Quiet Happiness’ is a moving new Japan trilogy novel. Photo: Other Press
Akiko’s Quiet Happiness
The Japan Trilogy, Vol. 1 by Jan-Philipp Sendker Translated by Daniel Bowles
The first book in a new series by the beloved author of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats trilogy is now out. Jan-Philipp Sendkerreturns withAkiko’s Quiet Happiness, the opening novel in The Japan Trilogy, a tender, introspective story about grief, identity, and the courage it takes to love. (Other Press, 2025)
About the Novel
Still grieving the death of her mother, 29-year-old Akiko lives alone in Tokyo, withdrawn and emotionally isolated. Her quiet, carefully contained life is interrupted one evening when she unexpectedly runs into Kento, her first love from school.
Kento now lives as a hikikomori, leading a reclusive life and only venturing outside at night. As the two former classmates reconnect, their fragile bond begins to open doors neither of them expected.
At the same time, Akiko uncovers unsettling evidence that her mother had been lying to her about their family. The discovery shakes her sense of self and forces her to confront a painful truth: she doesn’t really know who she is.
With Kento’s support, Akiko embarks on a journey into her own past, one that leads her in surprising directions and toward questions she has never dared to ask before:
How do I want to live?
And do I have the courage to love?
Perfect for fans of Satoshi Yagisawa’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Akiko’s Quiet Happiness is a poignant story of family, identity, and belonging.
About the Author
Jan-Philipp Sendker, born in Hamburg in 1960, was the American correspondent for Stern from 1990 to 1995 and its Asian correspondent from 1995 to 1999. In 2000, he published Cracks in the Wall, a nonfiction book about China.
His first novel, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, became an international bestseller. Sendker now lives in Potsdam with his family.
About the Translator
Daniel Bowles is Associate Professor of German Studies at Boston College. His translation of Imperium won the Goethe-Institut’s Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize in 2016.
Leyla’s House is Zülfü Livaneli’s, one of Turkey’s great modern writers, musicians and activists, new novel. Photo: Other Press
Leyla’s House: A Novel by Zülfü Livaneli
Release Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Publisher: Other Press
Tradition, modernity, displacement, and human connection collide in internationally bestselling author Zülfü Livaneli’s latest novel, Leyla’s House. Richly layered and emotionally resonant, the book explores old and new money, the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, and the complexities of modern Turkey. It’s available for pre-order now. (Other Press, 2026)
A Story of Loss, Survival, and Unexpected Friendship
Evicted from her Istanbul mansion, an elderly aristocrat forms surprising new connections across class and culture in this colorful, nuanced novel.
The last living member of a great Ottoman family, the refined yet sheltered Leyla finds herself homeless and vulnerable when her house is sold by the bank to a business tycoon and his ambitious wife. Forced out of her historic mansion on the banks of the Bosphorus, Leyla is rescued by Yusuf, the son of her family’s former gardener, now a journalist, and taken into his care.
Leyla follows Yusuf to a modern, cosmopolitan district of Istanbul, where she encounters a vibrant world of artists and outcasts, including Yusuf’s partner Roxy (real name Rukiye), a hip-hop singer. Despite initial hostility, a genuine friendship slowly develops between these two women from radically different worlds.
A Hidden History Comes to Light
When Leyla’s former home is emptied of its furniture, a startling family secret emerges. A discovered photograph reveals the old woman’s uncanny resemblance to a British officer, raising an unsettling question: could Leyla be the product of an illegitimate union between an Ottoman woman and an Englishman?
With a strong sense of romance and social insight, Leyla’s House captures a society in flux, where former Ottoman aristocrats, the nouveau riche, and Turks returning from Europe all coexist, collide, and redefine what belonging means.
About the Author
Zülfü Livaneli is Turkey’s best-selling author and a prominent political activist. Widely regarded as one of the most important Turkish cultural figures of our time, he is known for novels that interweave diverse social and historical perspectives. His acclaimed works include Bliss, Serenade for Nadia, Disquiet, The Last Island, The Fisherman and His Son, On the Back of the Tiger, and My Brother’s Story.
His books have been translated into thirty-seven languages, won numerous international literary prizes, and adapted into films, stage plays, and operas.
About the Translators
Brendan Freely
Born in Princeton in 1959, Brendan Freely studied psychology at Yale University. His translations include Two Girls by Perihan Mağden, The Gaze by Elif Şafak, and—co-translated with Yelda Türedi—Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan.
Yelda Türedi
Born in Mersin, Turkey, in 1970, Yelda Türedi studied chemical engineering at Boğaziçi University. She has co-translated Ahmet Altan’s Like a Sword Wound and Love in the Days of Rebellion.
The Jinja of Blood: Of Shadows and Lost Souls is the exciting new fantasy novel by Vivian Bell. Photo: Amazon
The Jinja of Blood: Of Shadows and Lost Souls (Book 1)
By Vivian Bell
An ancient jinja is home to the Wind and Ice clans, vampires who spend eternity fighting loneliness and boredom. In modern-day Japan, the New Bloodline must navigate everyday life, love, and increasingly ferocious yokai.
Shun Holynorth, a vampire, lives in the frost of eternity, while Haruki Akayama, a mortal, exists within the fragility of human time. Their meeting becomes the crack through which both light and darkness seep.
Story Overview
The novel opens with Shun admiring the sun’s final rays at sunset. Even after centuries, sunsets still mesmerize him, though they stir an ancient unrest within his soul. Shun belongs to the New Bloodline, children born of vampires and immortals. As the youngest, he’s seen as delicate, earning him the nickname the Cub. Adam and Ryuu are assigned to protect him as he begins university at Aizawa Academy, where vampires and humans study side by side.
Haruki Akayama and Yoshi Yamamoto are among the human students attending Aizawa Academy. Haruki is a 20-year-old billionaire with no immediate direction in life, aside from his determination to find his mother, who disappeared during his childhood. He’s dating Sam, unaware that Sam is a vampire.
As the group begins school, friendships form and secrets surface. Shared struggles and personal drama draw them closer together, revealing unexpected similarities. Beneath their everyday lives, however, a lurking danger emerges, only briefly introduced here, as this is the first book in the series.
Review
The Jinja of Blood: Of Shadows and Lost Souls blends ancient myth with modern unease. Set within an ancient shrine, it explores what happens when immortality collides with change. The New Bloodline must balance mundane university life with the growing threat of increasingly dangerous yokai, creating a compelling tension between the ordinary and the supernatural.
Shun and Haruki’s connection acts as a bridge, allowing light, darkness, longing, and fear to seep into each other’s worlds. Bell writes their relationship with emotional sensitivity, making it feel earned rather than merely symbolic.
As the opening volume of The Jinja of Blood, the novel sets the tone for a saga focused less on spectacle and more on belonging, friendship, and love in all its complexities. While the central romance between two young men places the book firmly within queer fantasy, the broader cast adds depth and diversity.
The vampires and immortals are portrayed as beings seeking normalcy rather than reveling in blood and gore. Their longing for ordinary lives makes them relatable, despite their centuries-long existence.
The narrative flows smoothly, supported by vivid, poetic language:
“The leaves, no longer resisting, surrendered to the wind’s invitation and danced over gardens and rooftops, skimming aerials and skyscrapers.”
Because the story is set in Japan, Japanese terms appear throughout. While this occasionally slows the pacing, the included glossary is helpful. The incorporation of Japanese folklore, such as the story of Hachiko, the faithful dog who waited for his long dead owner at Shibuya Station for ten years, adds cultural richness.
Final Thoughts
Overall, The Jinja of Blood: Of Shadows and Lost Souls is a strong and atmospheric beginning to a dark urban fantasy saga. It explores themes of friendship, identity, coming of age, and love. Though categorized as LGBTQ+ fiction due to its central romance, the story’s emotional core and diverse cast give it broad appeal.
Fans of fantasy, vampire lore, and Japanese culture will find this an engaging and promising start to what is sure to be an exciting series.
“Yoshi was the only anchor that allowed him to maintain a connection to reality. Without him, he would have capsized in the tidal waves of his own soul.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
About the Author
Vivian Bell is a shadow behind shrine doors, writing queer gothic tales of vampires, jinja, and cursed bloodlines. The Jinja of Blood is her debut dark fantasy, set between university corridors and yokai-haunted districts in modern-day Tokyo.
*Thank you to Vivian Bell for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
The Emotions is the new novel by Jean-Philippe Toussaint. Photo: Other Press
New Book Spotlight: The Emotions by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
Do we want to know what the next few days or weeks have in store for us? Do we want to know if a new romantic or sexual encounter lies just ahead, or how close death really is? (Other Press, 2025)
The Emotions by Jean-Philippe Toussaint, one of Europe’s most celebrated contemporary writers, is a quiet yet unsettling novel that explores these questions through grief, memory, and uncertainty. Translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti, this introspective work examines how the future is imagined, misread, and often undone by the past.
Overview: What Is The Emotions About?
Set against the bureaucratic machinery of the European Union, The Emotions follows Jean Deprez, a European civil servant specializing in strategic foresight. After the death of his father, Jean begins to revisit his past while obsessively anticipating what lies ahead. He is professionally trained to predict outcomes, yet increasingly incapable of doing so in his personal life.
As political and personal upheavals unfold, including Brexit, the election of Trump, the dissolution of a relationship, and a night spent with a stranger, Jean confronts the limits of prediction and the instability of memory.
Fiction That Disrupts Reality
Toussaint’s novel functions as an experiment in how fiction destabilizes our sense of reality. Jean foresees events that never occur, fails to imagine those that will devastate him, and often does not fully grasp what he is experiencing in the present moment. Even his recollections of the past remain unreliable, filtered through grief and self-doubt.
This deliberate uncertainty transforms The Emotions into a meditation on time, both the time that has passed and the time we imagine is still to come.
Themes: Love, Politics, Masculinity, and Memory
The Emotions is an intimate exploration of mourning and emotional disorientation. Toussaint weaves together:
Personal grief and the death of a parent
The fragility of romantic relationships
Political instability in contemporary Europe
Masculinity and emotional restraint
The failure of rational systems to account for human feeling
The result is a subtle, contemporary novel that lingers long after the final page.
Why You Should Read The Emotions
Fans of European literary fiction in translation will find much to admire here. Readers who enjoyed Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck or Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov will appreciate Toussaint’s restrained prose, philosophical depth, and emotional precision.
The Emotions is ideal for readers drawn to introspective novels that examine grief, memory, and the illusion of control in modern life.
About the Author: Jean-Philippe Toussaint
Jean-Philippe Toussaint is a Belgian novelist, photographer, and filmmaker. He is the author of eighteen books, translated into more than twenty languages, and has received numerous literary awards, including the Prix Médicis (2005) for Fuir (Running Away) and the Prix Décembre (2009) for La Vérité sur Marie (The Truth About Marie).
In 2012, Toussaint created a multimedia exhibition at the Louvre Museum combining photography, video, installation art, and performance to convey literary works without written text.
About the Translator: Mark Polizzotti
Mark Polizzotti is an award-winning translator of more than fifty books from French, including works by Gustave Flaubert, Patrick Modiano, Marguerite Duras, André Breton, and Raymond Roussel. His translation of Kibogo by Scholastique Mukasonga was shortlisted for the National Book Award (2022), and his translation of Éric Vuillard’s The War of the Poor was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize (2021).
Polizzotti is also the author of eleven books, including Revolution of the Mind: The Life of André Breton and Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto.
‘The Dream of the Jaguar’ by Miguel Bonnefoy. Photo: Other Press
New Book Spotlight: The Dream of the Jaguar by Miguel Bonnefoy
Miguel Bonnefoy’s prize-winning novel The Dream of the Jaguar is a sweeping and enchanting family saga. Echoing the lush storytelling of One Hundred Years of Solitude and the emotional depth of Isabel Allende’s work, this novel explores colonialism, cultural identity, and the enduring ties of heritage. Through unforgettable characters, Bonnefoy illuminates the vibrant, complicated history of Venezuela. (Other Press, 2025)
A Story Born on the Steps of a Church
The novel opens when a beggar in Maracaibo, Venezuela, discovers a newborn on the steps of a church. She cannot foresee the extraordinary destiny awaiting the child she takes in.
Raised in poverty, Antonio’s life begins as a cigarette seller and porter, later a servant in a brothel, yet his relentless energy and charisma ultimately lead him to become one of the most celebrated surgeons in his country.
A Lineage Shaped by Love, Ambition, and Country
Antonio’s life intertwines with that of Ana Maria, who becomes the first female doctor in the region. Their daughter, named Venezuela, dreams not of her homeland but of Paris, yet the novel reminds us that no matter how far we travel, our roots remain.
It is through the notebook of Cristobal, the final link in this extraordinary lineage, that the family’s full, astonishing story unfolds.
A Lush, Multi-Generational Epic
Inspired by Bonnefoy’s own ancestry, The Dream of the Jaguar paints a vivid portrait of a family whose fate is inseparable from that of Venezuela itself, a vibrant, emotional saga of identity, ambition, and history.
About the Author
Miguel Bonnefoy, born in France in 1986 to a Venezuelan mother and Chilean father, is an acclaimed novelist whose previous works, Octavio’s Journey and Black Sugar, each sold more than thirty thousand copies in France and have been translated worldwide.
He received the Prix du Jeune Écrivain in 2013, and his novel Heritage earned widespread praise, becoming a finalist for the Prix Femina, the Grand Prix de l’Académie française, and the Goncourt Prize.
About the Translator
Ruth Diver holds a PhD in French and comparative literature from the University of Paris 8 and the University of Auckland. Her translation work has earned multiple honors, including two 2018 French Voices Awards and Asymptote’s Close Approximations fiction prize. She brings exceptional sensitivity and clarity to Bonnefoy’s text.
‘GRQ’ is the exciting new novel by Steven Bernstein. Photo: Partners in Crime Book Tours, used with permission.
Part of the Partners in Crime Tours Virtual Book Tours
Book Review: GRQ (Get Rich Quick) by Steven Bernstein
Motto:
Never trust someone who tells you he’s not a thief or a con artist.
Overview
GRQ (Get Rich Quick) follows Marlon, a man scrambling to save his family from financial collapse. Reeling from personal tragedy and facing eviction, he’s enticed by a mysterious financial advisor who promises a guaranteed path to wealth. As Marlon’s high-stakes gambles intensify, the line between salvation and destruction begins to blur. The story unfolds over a single, tension-filled day as Marlon confronts not only his financial ruin but also the dark secrets haunting his family.
Photo: PICT, used with permission
Review
Bernstein opens the novel with an unnamed narrator, a swaggering crypto investor who claims, “You should give me a call if you want to get rich.” Though he insists he merely tells Marlon’s story, he also claims he changed Marlon’s life. His unreliability seeps through immediately.
When Marlon nears eviction, this slick “advisor” offers him a surefire financial escape. With nowhere to turn, Marlon takes the bait, though every shortcut in Bernstein’s world carries a hidden cost.
The brief chapters alternate between Marlon’s unraveling day and the narrator’s self-aggrandizing commentary. Through this structure, Bernstein builds claustrophobia, tension, and a constant sense of impending doom. Marlon’s excuses to the mortgage company and his lies to his wife, Viola, grow increasingly frantic. A fractured Los Angeles mirrors the fractures within his family, amplifying the emotional stakes.
This short but tense novel centers around Marlon, a man pushed to the edge by financial desperation and personal grief. As his high-risk gambles escalate, the reader is pulled into his frantic attempts to outrun debt collectors and the ghosts of his past. He is deeply flawed yet painfully sympathetic and the novel’s emotional stakes feel as real as its financial ones.
Gritty, morally ambiguous, and uncomfortably plausible, GRQ by Steven Bernstein is a sharp cautionary tale about the seductive danger of easy money and the personal reckonings it can never truly erase. Fans of satire, dark humor, and psychological tension will find much to savor.
“Me, the maker of dreams. But some things I am not. I am not a charity. I am not a mental health professional. I am not a marriage counselor. I am not a lender of money.”
Steven Bernstein, ASC, DGA, WGA, is an award-winning feature film director and screenwriter known for visually striking films spanning four decades. His work on the Academy Award–winning Monster and Like Water for Chocolate has earned him global acclaim, along with honors such as the American Film Institute Award, the Sloan Award, and the Cannes Golden Lion. He has contributed to over 50 feature films and worked with major talents including John Malkovich, Samantha Morton, and Helen Hunt. His podcast, Filmmakerandfans, explores the creative process in filmmaking and reaches millions of listeners.
Photo: PICT, used with permission
Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours is hosting a giveaway for a $25 Amazon card. Enter for a chance to win. Void where prohibited.
Photo: PICT, used with permission
*Thank you to Partners in Crime Tours and the author for my gifted copy for review as part of the tour. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
‘Maiden Voyage’ is the exciting new historical novel by Bradley Harper. Photo: Paste Creative Book Tours, used with permission.
Paste Creative Book Tours Participant
Book Review: Maiden Voyage by Bradley Harper
Three female thieves, a priceless painting, and a Pinkerton agent aboard the Titanic. What could go wrong?
Synopsis
Maiden Voyage by Bradley Harper follows an unlikely trio of thieves, Colette DuVall, Mary Carr, and Samantha “Sam” McMurphy, as they embark on a daring mission to steal a valuable painting by the French master Blondell. Their plan takes them aboard the RMS Titanic on its ill-fated maiden journey.
Colette, a young jewel thief from Canada, finds her resolve wavering when she meets Harry Worth, a young Pinkerton agent hired to safeguard the wealthy passengers. What she doesn’t know is that Harry is the son of infamous criminal Adam Worth. Torn between his sense of duty and his complicated family legacy, Harry begins questioning where he truly belongs, especially after falling for Colette.
As loyalties collide as fiercely as the ship meets the iceberg, all aboard must fight for survival. Amid disaster, they discover that love might be the greatest thief of all.
Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Review
Maiden Voyage is a brisk, character-driven historical adventure that blends romance, crime, and maritime tragedy into an undeniably compelling read.
A Vivid Criminal Underworld
The novel opens with Mary Carr and the notorious Forty Elephants gang, a real historical group of female thieves. This grounding in true criminal lore adds texture and authenticity, making the early chapters particularly immersive. When Harry discovers what the gang is planning aboard the Titanic, the tension begins to mount, soon followed by the ship’s own looming catastrophe.
A Strong Emotional Core
The narrative delves deeply into Harry’s personal conflict. As the son of a master criminal, he grapples with the weight of his heritage and the moral ambiguity of justice. His connection with Colette is one of the book’s strongest elements: tender without slowing the pace, layered without becoming overly sentimental.
Memorable Characters & Vivid Writing
Harper’s character development shines. One particularly striking description captures the lived-in dignity of a working woman:
“Her red, chapped hands declaring how she made her way in the world, the well-worn but clean clothes presented a defiant dignity the years and work had yet to take from her.”
These small touches make the characters feel real, and when tragedy strikes, you genuinely root for their survival.
History, Heart, and High Stakes
Harper integrates historical detail without overwhelming the story. The author’s notes at the end provide fascinating context on real figures like Mary Carr and the Forty Elephants, enriching the reading experience.
The Titanic disaster is woven into the plot with restraint and emotional weight. Rather than leaning into melodrama, the novel balances suspense with tenderness, exploring themes of identity, family, and survival.
A Fresh Take on Titanic Fiction
Fast-paced, atmospheric, and surprisingly heartfelt, Maiden Voyage offers a fresh twist on stories set aboard the Titanic. Readers who enjoy historical fiction with a blend of crime, adventure, and romance will find much to love.
Harper leaves readers with a haunting reminder of the ship’s legacy:
“Beneath the water, the ship plunged 12,000 feet to the ocean floor, full of the wealth of millionaires and the humble possessions of hopeful emigrants; it carried them all away into the frigid darkness. Into legend.”
Bradley Harper is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and pathologist who has conducted more than 200 autopsies and around 20 forensic investigations.
His debut novel, A Knife in the Fog (2018), was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and winner of the 2019 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion for Best Mystery. His second novel, Queen’s Gambit, won the 2020 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense and Book of the Year. Maiden Voyage is his fourth book.
Author Bradley Harper. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Courtesy photo, used with permission.
*Thank you to Paste Creative Book Tours and the author for my gifted copy for review as part of the tour. I have not been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
‘The Name on the Wall’ is the new novel by Hervé Le Tellier. Photo: Other Press
Book Spotlight: The Name on the Wall by Hervé Le Tellier
New York Times bestselling author Hervé Le Tellier, best known for The Anomaly, returns with a moving and deeply human story in The Name on the Wall: A Novel. Beautifully translated by Adriana Hunter, this poignant work of historical fiction unearths and honors the brief but powerful life of a young French Resistance fighter during World War II. (Other Press, 2025)
Blending autofiction with historical investigation, Le Tellier begins with a simple but haunting discovery: a name scrawled on the façade of his new home. That name belonged to André Chaix, a maquisard killed at just twenty years old in August 1944.
Through deft and careful storytelling, Le Tellier pieces together fragments of history to create a vivid, emotionally grounded narrative. He avoids sentimental clichés while illuminating the courage of an ordinary young man who took up arms, one among many, during one of the world’s darkest eras. Central to this story is André’s powerful love for Simone, whose presence adds depth and tenderness to the tale.
Arriving at a moment when fascist currents are rising again worldwide, The Name on the Wall resonates as both remembrance and warning. It gives voice to the ideals for which Chaix died and poses timeless questions about belonging, sacrifice, and our human desire to be part of something greater than ourselves.
About the Author
Hervé Le Tellier is a writer, journalist, mathematician, food critic, and teacher. He has been a member of the Oulipo group since 1992 and one of the “papous” of the famous France Culture radio show. He has published numerous books of stories, essays, memoir, and novels, including the Goncourt Prize–winning The Anomaly, which has sold more than one million copies worldwide, All Happy Families, Electrico W, and Enough About Love.
About the translator
Adriana Hunter studied French and Drama at the University of London. She has translated more than ninety books, including Marc Petitjean’s The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris and Hervé Le Tellier’s The Anomaly and Eléctrico W, winner of the French-American Foundation’s 2013 Translation Prize in Fiction. She lives in Kent, England.
‘The Innocent Days of War’ is a haunting portrait of WWII lives. Photo: Other Press
Book Spotlight: The Innocent Days of War by Mario Fortunato
Fans of John Boyne and Simon Mawer will find much to admire in Mario Fortunato’s latest novel, The Innocent Days of War (On Sale: October 28, 2025). This gripping coming-of-age story unfolds against the sweeping backdrop of World War II, tracing how love, ambition, and destiny intertwine as Italy and England are forever changed by the war. (Other Press, 2025)
A Story of Youth, War, and Intersecting Lives
Set in central Italy on the eve of World War II, the novel introduces a group of young Italians whose lives are about to be upended by history. Among them is Stefano Portelli, a hopeful young lawyer filled with idealism and in love with Eleonora. His sister-in-law Nina hides a secret relationship with Sergio, a partisan leader fighting for his cause.
Meanwhile, across the Channel, the story follows Alastair Ormiston, an English Royal Air Force pilot who finds solace in the works of Virginia Woolf as he dreams of an ideal companion. His best friend, Edna, seeks her own sense of purpose and joy amid the devastation of Nazi bombings in London.
When these characters’ paths intersect, the result is both tragic and transformative—a convergence of love, loss, and fate that consumes everything in its wake, blending joy and pain into a single, unforgettable tapestry.
About the Author
Mario Fortunato was born in Cirò, Calabria, Italy. A longtime literary critic for L’Espresso, he continues to write for Süddeutsche Zeitung and has contributed to The Guardian and Le Monde. Fortunato is a former director of the Antonio Ratti Foundation and the author of several novels, including South (Other Press, 2023). He has also translated the works of literary greats such as Evelyn Waugh, Virginia Woolf, and Henry James into Italian.
About the Translator
Julia MacGibbon has translated fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including Sunken City by Marta Barone. She lives near Rome.
Praise for Mario Fortunato:
“As I read Fortunato’s writing, I have the impression of being faced with that kind of writer, rare in Italian literature, who, despite starting from a poetic state of mind, nevertheless manages to be a storyteller.” —Alberto Moravia
“Mario Fortunato is a natural storyteller.” —Doris Lessing
‘Looking for Tank Man’ by Ha Jin. Photo: Other Press
Book Spotlight: Looking for Tank Man by Ha Jin
From Ha Jin, the acclaimed author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Waiting, comes a riveting and timely new novelLooking for Tank Man. In this powerful story of protest and suppression, Ha Jin explores the enduring impact of truth, memory, and moral courage. Available for pre-order, it has a release date of October 21.(Other Press, 2025)
About the Book
When the Chinese premier visits Harvard, international student Pei Lulu encounters a lone protester whose act of defiance will upend her understanding of the People’s Republic—and of herself.
For the first time, Lulu learns of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and the government’s violent response. Her search for answers takes her deep into her family’s past, uncovering surprising stories of resistance, and into the heart of a university course built around firsthand accounts of that fateful time.
At once a compelling coming-of-age story and a tribute to the courage of activists, Looking for Tank Man keeps the tragedy of Tiananmen alive in the public memory and serves as a stark warning about the perils of authoritarian power.
About the Author
Ha Jin grew up in mainland China and served five years in the People’s Liberation Army before pursuing a degree in English at Harbin University. He has become one of the most acclaimed voices in contemporary fiction.
His novel Waiting won the National Book Award for Fiction, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Ha Jin is currently the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor in English and Creative Writing at Boston University and a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
His works have been translated into over thirty languages. His most recent novel, The Woman Back from Moscow, was published by Other Press in 2023.
SA Examiner 