While a steady stream of disturbing news continues to come from Ukraine, new works of fiction highlight the ways in which lives there have been transformed by conflict. On this week’s podcast, the critic Jennifer Wilson talks about two books, including the story collection “Lucky Breaks,” by Yevgenia Belorusets, translated by Eugene Ostashevsky.
“Belorusets has been compared to Gogol in these stories,” Wilson says. “There’s a certain kind of supernatural quality to them. I think anyone looking to these books for a play-by-play of the conflict is going to be disappointed for that reason, but I think delighted in other ways.”
Ben McGrath visits the podcast to talk about his new book, “Riverman: An American Odyssey,” which tells the story of Dick Conant, a troubled and charismatic man who disappeared while on a canoe trip from New York to Florida. Conant was in his 60s when McGrath met him, and had spent many years questing on various waterways.
“What he learned was that there wasn’t really anything he was going to find out about himself that was going to improve things, and that the secret to finding happiness was to turn his lens outward,” McGrath says. “Rather than, in the Thoreauvian model, retreating to Walden Pond and staring into his reflection, he decided to go out into the world and to keep seeing new places and meeting new people; and by doing that, keep himself sufficiently occupied that he didn’t have to struggle too much with worrying about who he was and what his own problems were.”
Also on this week’s episode, Elizabeth Harris has news from the literary world; and Lauren Christensen and MJ Franklin talk about what they’ve been reading. John Williams is the host.
Here are the books discussed in this week’s “What We’re Reading”:
“Young Mungo” by Douglas Stuart
“Heartstopper: Volume One,” by Alice Oseman
Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels, read by Hillary Huber
“Catholics” by Brian Moore
We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to books@nytimes.com.
Let's Talk About Percival Everett's 'James'
Writing About NASA's Most Shocking Moment
Fantasy Superstar Leigh Bardugo on Her New Novel
Colm Toibin on His Sequel to 'Brooklyn'
Book Club: Dolly Alderton's 'Good Material'
100 Years of Simon & Schuster
Looking Back at 50 Years of Stephen King
Books That Make Our Critics Laugh
Talking to Tana French About Her New Series
Talking ‘Dune’: Book and Movies
Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘Erasure,’ by Percival Everett
Tommy Orange on His "There There" Sequel
The Rise and Fall of The Village Voice
Let's Talk About 'Demon Copperhead'
4 Early-Year Book Recommendations
'Killers of the Flower Moon': Book and Movie Discussion
Talking the Joys and Rules of Open Marriage
Our Early 2024 Book Preview
Steven Soderbergh on His Year in Reading
Book Club: 'The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store'
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Ander Louis Podcast
Strong Sense of Place
Scott Sigler Slices: SLAY Season 2
The Turn of the Screw
A Tale of Two Cities
The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson Podcast
Slate Books