Jackie Thomas-Kennedy

Commiserating about mom or fighting like cats, these sisters have one thing in common: 'Worry'

FICTION: Alexandra Tanner's "dark, funny" debut is a haunting snapshot of contemporary life.

That 'Green Dot' on your phone? This novel says it could be love

FICTION: An exceptionally funny debut explores the dull realities of work, joys of love and friendship, and extremes of hope and denial.

Review: 'They're Going to Love You' by Meg Howrey

FICTION: Howrey's latest work has a straightforward conundrum at its center but as it unfolds it becomes an increasingly rich, complex tale of aspiration and disappointment.

Review: 'Flight,' by Lynn Steger Strong

FICTION: Three siblings reunite for the first Christmas after their mother's death.

Review: 'Sugar Street,' by Jonathan Dee

FICTION: Jonathan Dee's latest novel follows an acerbic narrator into isolation, delusion and violence.

Review: 'Our Missing Hearts' by Celeste Ng

FICTION: Celeste Ng contrasts the dangers of a fearful, violent, censorious society with the beauty of untrammeled storytelling.

Review: 'Reward System,' by Jem Calder

FICTION: Jem Calder's intricately developed, self-conscious characters are the highlights of these brilliant stories.

Review: 'You Have a Friend in 10A,' by Maggie Shipstead

FICTION: Maggie Shipstead's story collection exhibits flourishing talent and general curiosity.

Review: 'A Tiny Upward Shove,' by Melissa Chadburn

FICTION: Melissa Chadburn's debut is outrageously ambitious, complex and deeply sorrowful.

Review: 'How Strange a Season,' by Megan Mayhew Bergman

FICTION: Bergman's fiction is full of smart, vulnerable people struggling with love and preoccupied by power.