WANT TO EXPLORE OR ESCAPE? READ ON

New books from Ian McEwan, Elizabeth Gilbert and Stephen Curry mark our picks for every kind of reader in September

- By Bethanne Patrick

If this month’s selections could be awarded superlatives, they'd include Longest (for Jill Lepore’s 720-page history), Shortest (for the under-200-pages “Pick a Color”), Most Striking (for Stephen Curry’s gorgeous autobiography) and Most Surprising (for David Gelles’ portrait of Yvon Chouinard).

There’s a book for every attention span and every interest out there. Writers, journalists and authors continue to find stories and perspectives that surprise us. It’s your choice whether you want to escape or explore this world. Happy reading!

FICTION

Mercy By Joan Silber Counterpoint: 256 pages, $27 (Tuesday)

Silber's "Mercy" is not strained, pace Shakespeare, but stretches easily to include "the mercy of untold secrets told." Secrets abound among the characters whose brief encounter at a New York emergency room sets action across decades in motion: Ivan and Eddie, as well as Cara and Nina, are only tangentially connected. Yet Silber, winner of PEN/Faulkner and National Book Critics Circle awards, helps readers to see that even the most subtle moments can change lives and lead to peace.

The Wilderness By Angela Flournoy Mariner Books: 304 pages, $30 (Sept. 16)

Flournoy ("The Turner House") tells the story of five female friends whose lives from 2008 into the near future rise and fall, with the added impact of their identities as Black Americans on both personal and societal events. As sisters Desiree and Danielle and their friends January, Monique and Nakia navigate adult life, they also confront racism, the global pandemic and their evolving dreams. This novel is a triumph.

Underspin By E. Y. Zhao Astra House: 304 pages, $27 (Sept. 23)