The Death of Vishnu: A Novel
by Manil Suri
24.95 / HBS $19.96

"This first novel tells the story of a poor man who lives and dies on the stairs of a Bombay apartment house. The residents are struggling to make it into the middle class and Vishnu's life and death are an embarrassment to them. As Vishnu remembers his mother and his great love, the lives of the other residents continue on quite eventfully. This beautifully formed and carefully expressed work is a remarkable achievement." --Carla Cohen, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
by Eric Schlosser
25.00 / HBS $20.00

"The author shines the light on a vital issue, i.e. that it is virtually impossible for the average consumer to experience a transaction that doesn't involve processing or homogenization of some kind. It is the belief of some major players that familiarity offers comfort; independence has too many unknown variables -- too scary for us, too risky for them. This book should be read by everyone who is fighting the battle against big chains, overprocessing, and globalization. This is the most thought-provoking non-fiction I've read in awhile." --Juliana Wood, Bibelot, Baltimore, MD

In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden
by Kathleen Cambor
23.00 / HBS $18.40

A bittersweet romance set against the backdrop of the greatest industrial disaster in American history: the construction and subsequent collapse in 1889 of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania dam. Cambor is a PEN/Faulkner nominee and author of The Book of Mercy.

Mariette in Ecstasy
by Ron Hansen
12.00 pb/ HBS $9.60

It has been nearly ten years since I read this astonishing novel, but the memory of Mariette's rapture (whatever its true cause) is still indelible. Hansen's detailed portrait of convent life is itself something of a miracle. -- Chuck Pacheco, Harvard Book Store

A Small Death in Lisbon
by Robert Wilson
25.00 / HBS $20.00

"If you love mysteries with a strong historical sense, don't miss this one. This is two stories in one: the first a gripping police-procedural set in modern Lisbon; the second a historical thriller that begins in the 1940s with Portugal's wartime collaboration with the Nazis. The book alternates between the two stories, and Wilson's genius lies in the way he weaves the two together with surprising twists. Wilson won the U.K.'s top mystery award, The Golden Dagger, for this terrific book." --Bill Petrocelli, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA