8 Books Coming in December
Cursed Bunny: Stories, by Bora Chung. Translated by Anton Hur.
These selections, by an acclaimed South Korean writer, are scatological, surreal and flat-out creepy. In the title story, a rabbit-shaped lamp unleashes a tragedy for anyone who touches it; in another, a pregnant woman is told she must find a father for her unborn baby or face terrible consequences.
Algonquin Books, Dec. 6.
The Easy Life, by Marguerite Duras. Translated by Olivia Baes and Emma Ramadan.
The second novel Duras wrote has been published in English for the first time. It follows Francine Veyrenattes, a woman in her mid-20s who leaves behind her family farm and battles an existential crisis. Though short and sparse, the book is “seeded with early indicators of its complicated author’s talent,” our critic Alexandra Jacobs wrote.
Bloomsbury, Dec. 6.
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures, by Sabrina Imbler
Imbler, a science journalist, shines a light on some of the ocean’s most delightful and overlooked creatures: goldfish that flourish in the wild, an aquatic worm named after Lorena Bobbitt, octopus mothers that make sacrifices for their offspring. Along the way, the author draws connections between these fascinating animals and our own needs and desires — for safety, family and more.
Little, Brown, Dec. 6.
No One Left to Come Looking For You, by Sam Lipsyte
Jack, the hapless narrator of Lipsyte’s latest novel, is an East Village musician trying to break into the punk scene of the 1990s. He’s almost made it: His band has been described as “scabrous, intermittently witty, post-skronk propulsion.” But after a bandmate steals his bass — presumably to hawk it and buy drugs — Jack goes on a mad romp through the neighborhood to recover his instrument, stumbling upon an even bigger plot involving real estate greed.
Simon & Schuster, Dec. 6.
A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré. Edited by Tim Cornwell.
When he died at age 89, le Carré, the best-selling writer who revolutionized espionage novels, left behind stacks of correspondence: to other authors, to his family and fans, to politicians and actors. Edited by one of the author’s sons, this volume spans most of le Carré’s life, stretching back to 1945, when he was a teenager writing to his new headmaster, and ending shortly before his death.
Viking, Dec. 6.
Scatterlings, by Resoketswe Manenzhe
This debut novel follows a mixed-race South African family in the 1920s blown apart by the Immorality Act, which essentially criminalized interracial relationships. Alisa, a Black woman; her white husband, Abram; and their daughters soon come under scrutiny by bureaucrats, bringing a tragic end to the life they knew.
HarperVia, Dec. 13.
Secrets Typed in Blood: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery, by Stephen Spotswood
In 1940s New York, a pulp novelist realizes that three recent murders have been copied from her own writing, and asks Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean Parker, two ace detectives and the heroes of two earlier mysteries, to look into the pattern. The Book Review’s crime fiction columnist, Sarah Weinman, is enthusiastic about this team, urging “every mystery lover to get acquainted with them.”
Doubleday, Dec. 13.
Stella Maris, by Cormac McCarthy
A companion volume to “The Passenger,” which was released in October, this novel focuses on Alicia Western, a mathematics genius at an inpatient psychiatric center. The book is structured as the transcripts of conversations between Alicia and her therapist, with digressions on grief, physics and love.
Knopf, Dec. 6.
