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Open Letters Review

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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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April 08, 2026

The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz

April 08, 2026/ Jim Abbiati
The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz

A somewhat unKoontzian novel from the Dean of Suspense

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April 08, 2026/ Jim Abbiati/
The Friend of the Family, Dean Koontz, fiction, horror
April 06, 2026

Transcription by Ben Lerner

April 06, 2026/ Tom LeClair
Transcription by Ben Lerner

A review of the new novel by “The Topeka School” author Ben Lerner

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April 06, 2026/ Tom LeClair/
Transcription, Ben Lerner, fictino, fiction, contemporary fiction
April 01, 2026

I Give You My Silence by Mario Vargas Llosa

April 01, 2026/ Steve Donoghue
I Give You My Silence by Mario Vargas Llosa

A translation of Mario Vargas Llosa’s final novel

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April 01, 2026/ Steve Donoghue/
Mario Vargas Llosa, Adrian Nathan West, I Give You My Silence, novel, fiction
March 20, 2026

Lucien by J. R. Thornton

March 20, 2026/ Steve Donoghue
Lucien by J. R. Thornton

A novel in which a newcomer to Harvard is bedazzled by a glamorous fellow student

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March 20, 2026/ Steve Donoghue/
J.R. Thornton, Lucien, fiction, contemporary fiction
March 18, 2026

Medium Rare by Natasha Joukovsky

March 18, 2026/ Ryan Davison
Medium Rare by Natasha Joukovsky

The myth of Icarus in a perfectly placed romp through modern times

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March 18, 2026/ Ryan Davison/
Natasha Joukovsky, Medium Rare, fiction, contemporary fiction
March 15, 2026

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

March 15, 2026/ Jim Abbiati
The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

The latest addition to a romance author's burgeoning catalog

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March 15, 2026/ Jim Abbiati/
Jayne Ann Krentz, The Shop on Hidden Lane, fiction
March 08, 2026

The Halter by Darby McDevitt

March 08, 2026/ Jim Abbiati
The Halter by Darby McDevitt

A cyber-noir novel that's satisfying, snarky, and simmering with insight.

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March 08, 2026/ Jim Abbiati/
The Halter, Darby McDevitt, fiction
February 21, 2026

When We Were Briliant by Lynn Cullen

February 21, 2026/ Gabrielle Stecher Woodward
When We Were Briliant by Lynn Cullen

A novel that re-imagines Marilyn Monroe

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February 21, 2026/ Gabrielle Stecher Woodward/
When We Were Brilliant, Lynn Cullen, ficton, fiction, contemporary fiction
January 15, 2026

The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgard

January 15, 2026/ Brock Covington
The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgard

A disappointing new novel from the popular “My Struggle” author

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January 15, 2026/ Brock Covington/
The School of Night, Karl Ove Knausgaard, fiction, contemporary fiction
January 11, 2026

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

January 11, 2026/ Jim Abbiati
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

A British author's US debut mystery/thriller novel

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January 11, 2026/ Jim Abbiati/
The List of Suspicious Things, Jennie Godfrey, fiction
December 14, 2025

Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos

December 14, 2025/ Jim Abbiati
Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos

A frolicking good novel filled with music and mayhem.

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December 14, 2025/ Jim Abbiati/
Fun City Heist, Michael Kardos, fiction
November 19, 2025

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

November 19, 2025/ Jim Abbiati
King Sorrow by Joe Hill

An overlong and predictable suspense/thriller/horror novel riddled with political proselytizing.

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November 19, 2025/ Jim Abbiati/
Joe Hill, King Sorrow, fiction, American fiction
November 13, 2025

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan

November 13, 2025/ Jim Abbiati
The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan

A bewilderingly subpar cozy mystery/romance from a best-selling author

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November 13, 2025/ Jim Abbiati/
The Secret Christmas Library, Jenny Colgan, fiction, romance
November 08, 2025

The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas

November 08, 2025/ Jim Abbiati
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas

A visually creepy novel perfect for the Halloween season.

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November 08, 2025/ Jim Abbiati/
Isabel Canas, The Possession of Alba Diaz, fiction, gothic horror
November 01, 2025

The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien by Brit Griffin

November 01, 2025/ Jim Abbiati
The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien by Brit Griffin

An enjoyable hybrid of entwined genres, themes, and narrative styles.

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November 01, 2025/ Jim Abbiati/
The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien, Brit Griffin, fictino, fiction, contemporary fiction
October 29, 2025

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

October 29, 2025/ Tom LeClair
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

A review of Ian McEwan’s ambitious new novel

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October 29, 2025/ Tom LeClair/
Ian McEwan, What We Can Know, fiction, contemporary fiction
October 10, 2025

Picket Line by Elmore Leonard

October 10, 2025/ Jim Abbiati
Picket Line by Elmore Leonard

Picket Line, a new posthumous Elmore Leonard novella, is a must-have for completists and a maybe-have for anyone else.

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October 10, 2025/ Jim Abbiati/
Picket Line, Elmore Leonard, fictino, fiction, contemporary fiction, American fictionm
October 07, 2025

Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon

October 07, 2025/ Tom LeClair
Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon

A review of the new novel from the legendary Thomas Pynchon

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October 07, 2025/ Tom LeClair/
Thomas Pynchon, Shadow Ticket, fiction, contemporary fiction
September 30, 2025

Lion Hearts by Dan Jones

September 30, 2025/ Steve Donoghue
Lion Hearts by Dan Jones

The rousing conclusion to the historical fiction “Essex Dogs” trilogy

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September 30, 2025/ Steve Donoghue/
Dan Jones, Lion Hearts, fiction, historical fiction
September 17, 2025

The Elements by John Boyne

September 17, 2025/ Ryan Davison
The Elements by John Boyne

A stunning reading experience by one of Ireland’s finest

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September 17, 2025/ Ryan Davison/
The Elements, John Boyne, fiction, contemporary fiction
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
Britta Böhler
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Olive Fellows
Jack Hanson
Jennifer Helinek
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