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A retelling of Jane Eyre set in Scotland in the 1950s and ‘60s, The Flight of Gemma Hardy is at once familiar and fresh. At first the story keeps so close to the original it seems that only the names have been changed, but at the character grows, so does the story; by the time the author really begins to depart from Charlotte Bronte’s original, the reader - whether a devotee of Jane Eyre or not - is on board. Gemma is a bit more outspoken and willing to stand up for herself than Jane is, though like Jane, she's often in the unenviable position of being the person with the least power no matter where she goes - her uncle's house, her boarding school, her job as an au pair in the far-flung Orkney Islands of Scotland. Margot Livesey has done a wonderful job of honoring Jane Eyre while also creating something lively and new.

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At a boarding school in 1982, four boys go down to the river one day. Three boys come back: the fourth, Thomas Brougton, is dead. Of the remaining three boys, one admits to drinking and is expelled, but the other two – the narrator, Alex, and his friend Glenn – lie, and are allowed to remain. Unlike the narrator of John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, Alex has in no way caused Thomas’ death, but he feels responsible nevertheless. Glenn, who may in fact be more culpable than Alex allows himself to consider, is afraid that their English teacher, Miss Dovecott (on whom Alex has a crush, and who encourages his writing), saw more that day at the river than she has admitted, and wants to oust her from the school. Alex is drawn into Glenn’s plan reluctantly, all the while trying to work through his own grief and guilt through his writing, both in his journal and in poems.

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Unique in structure, Ursula, Under begins with two-year-old Ursula Wong falling down an abandoned mine shaft in Michigan. While the story of her rescue occurs in the present, the story of her ancestors – her mother’s family is Finnish, and her father’s family is Chinese – is told in alternating chapters, starting as far back as the third century B.C. and continuing forward to the present day. Ursula, Under is a marvel of storytelling; readers will find it nearly impossible to resist empathizing with Ingrid Hill’s characters, diverse as they are. 

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What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank is a compilation of stories chronicling what it means to be Jewish from both the Orthodox and secular vantage points.  The stories cover a wide range of experiences - from Israeli settlers to Holocaust victims to modern day secularists in southern Florida.  Nathan Englander knows what he's talking about too.  He grew up as a 4th generation modern Orthodox Jewish American  on Long Island.  His mother was stereotypically overprotective, he attended a religious day school, and he experienced anti-Semitism first-hand.  His life experiences, including living in Israel as a young man, color his take on what it means to be Jewish. 

Nathan Englander is an amazing storyteller and a master at the short story.  Despite their brevity, you'll end each story feeling deeply connected with the characters and invested in their lives.   These stories will entertain you, enrage you, and on occasion, take your breath away. 

Interested in more?  Check out the Fresh Air interview.