As the leaves begin to fall and the year winds down, it's only natural for our thoughts to turn introspective. The same holds true for November's must-read new books, where mothers-to-be fight for bodily autonomy, a shape-shifter ponder the nature of identity, a memoirist with PTSD considers the fate of survivors, and a journalist debates the status of the life-altering novel.
‘Mrs. Osmond’ by John Banville
One-hundred-and-thirty-six years seems like an awfully long time to wait for a sequel, but that’s precisely what fans of Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady have done. In this (unofficial, of course) follow-up to James’s 1881 classic, Man Booker Prize-winner John Banville imagines how the next chapter of Isabel Archer Osmond’s life might have unfolded, including the returns of a number of familiar characters like Henrietta Stackpole, Pansy Osmond, and Mrs. Touchett. Fusing the essence of James’s style with his own signature wit and irony, Banville crafts a story that will delight and inspire classicists.
Mrs. Osmond by John Banville, $19, amazon.com on November 7. BUY
