The Cruz Chronicle

Henry H. Roth. Rutgers University Press, $12.25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-8135-1750-6

Raymondo Cruz, killed robbing a bank with a water pistol, leaves behind three sons; he watches over them in spirit form, appearing only to his eldest, Victor. ``Marquezian in flavor and . . . distinctly American-urban in spirit,'' said PW. ``Veteran short story writer Roth tells the brothers' improbable adventures with a gritty, lively realism.'' (Aug.)

Featured Fiction Reviews

Robert Seethaler

The beautiful latest from Seethaler (A Whole Life) revolves around the diverse patrons of a Viennese café. In summer 1966, war orphan Robert Simon, now 31 and tired of manual Continue reading »

Roisín O'Donnell

Irish writer O’Donnell debuts with a wrenching and scrupulously realistic narrative of a Dublin-based mother who, after years of emotional and sexual abuse, decides to leave her Continue reading »

Dino Buzzati

These captivating stories selected by Venuti and written over a 50-year-period by Buzzati (1906–1972) exhibit the author’s interest in fantasy, futility, and fate. In “Seven Continue reading »

Maggie Su

In Su’s marvelous debut, a Taiwanese American woman sculpts a seemingly perfect partner out of a sentient blob. Two years after failing out of college, Vi works as a hotel Continue reading »