November releases: New novels and a hockey memoir

Six new and republished books are available in bookstores this month. The titles range from contemporary fiction to a historical account of Amazonian poison and a memoir about professional ice hockey.

Louise Kennedy releases her second novel, Stations, on November 3. The Northern Irish author previously wrote Trespasses, a book focused on young love. In a 2022 interview with All Things Considered, Kennedy described the transition from a career as a chef to writing. She said, "I just felt better somehow, which is kind of weird." She called the experience "strangely liberating." The new book explores the impact of family history on a romantic relationship.

Mary Beth Keane publishes Whale Harbor, her latest novel. The story follows an Irish father and his sons across years and continents. In a 2019 review of Keane's book Ask Again, Yes, Fresh Air critic Maureen Corrigan compared the writer to Ann Patchett. Corrigan noted that both authors transform closely observed domestic tales into universal narratives. She described Keane's work as a "modestly magnificent novel."

Matt O'Hara, a history professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, releases The Flying Death: Poison, Plunder, and the Quest for a Miracle Medicine in the Amazon. The book examines curare, a poison known as "flying death" that was used in blowdarts by Amazon tribes. The herbal mixture was also believed to have medicinal properties. The pursuit of these properties began in the 1930s and led to new avenues in pharmacology and commerce. The book details how the process impacted the tribes whose roles were often forgotten.

Daisy Johnson publishes Long Wave, her third major work. The British writer became the youngest Booker Prize finalist in 2018 for her debut novel, Everything Under, at age 27. Her catalog includes a short story collection and another novel. Long Wave features women carrying family bonds described as broken glass, aglitter with love and menace. The prose remains spare and the atmosphere foreboding.

Tahmima Anam releases Uprising, a novel set on a river island in Bangladesh. The story depicts women trapped in prostitution under the control of a cruel madam. The setting is affected by climate change and rising waters. The narrative is told largely from the perspective of the children fathered by the men who arrive by boat. The arrival of a new girl begins to change the situation on the island.

Cleo Birdwell's Amazons: An Intimate Memoir by the First Woman Ever to Play in the National Hockey League returns to print. The book is a comedy about ice hockey and romance that first appeared more than four decades ago. The author, Birdwell, is a pseudonym for American novelist Don DeLillo. He publicly acknowledged writing the book in 2020. DeLillo approved the republication earlier this year. The preface is a business card with a brief statement: "I don't want to talk about it."