Archives par étiquette : Wolf Literary Services

NORMAL WOMEN d’Ainslie Hogarth

In this darkly comic story about how we value female labor—and don’t—a new mother becomes embroiled in danger when her friend, a controversial entrepreneur, goes missing.

NORMAL WOMEN
by Ainslie Hogarth
Vintage, October 2023
(via Wolf Literary Services)

When her daughter Lotte was born, Dani had welcomed the chance to be a stay-at-home mother. To be good at something, for once. But now Dani can’t stop thinking about her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, dropping dead. Not because she hates him (not right now, anyway) but because it’s become abundantly clear to Dani that if he dies, she and Lotte will be left destitute.

And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at; meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark.

Just as Dani is preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears. And Dani discovers there might be something else she’s good at: uncovering secrets.

Ainslie Hogarth is the author of the novels Motherthing, The Lonely and The Boy Meets Girl Massacre (Annotated). She lives in Canada with her husband, kids, and little dog.

THE NUDE de C. Michelle Lindley

Cerebral and escapist, THE NUDE blends the moody atmosphere of Katie Kitamura’s A Separation and the complex gender dynamics and traumas of Lisa Taddeo’s Animal.

THE NUDE
by C. Michelle Lindley
Atria, June 2024
(via Wolf Literary Services)

THE NUDE opens as art historian Elizabeth Clarke arrives on a remote island in Southern Greece, sent to acquire a rare female nude sculpture for a Los Angeles collection. Disoriented by time zones, migraines, and the suspicious details surrounding the figure’s discovery, she’s dependent on her flirtatious but guileless translator. The last thing she expects is to be so pulled to his wife, Theo, a subversive artist who has amassed a small following for her provocative self-portraits, which seek to deconstruct the objectification of the female form.

As Elizabeth immerses herself in the island’s cobblestoned mazes and sumptuous cuisine, and falls deeper into an infatuation with Theo—and Theo’s art—she starts to question her role in the acquisition of cultural artifacts. And when, after a hazy night out, both Elizabeth and the nude are violated in divergent but damaging ways, Elizabeth begins to see a parallel between the sculpture and herself. What does it mean for a woman to navigate morally complicated negotiations of property in a male-directed world? What other kinds of ownership—or self-ownership—might be possible?

THE NUDE questions the exploitative transactions between art museums and nations, between institutions and the individual, and between men and women. While the plotting is taut, the reading experience is lush and full-sensory.

C. Michelle Lindley’s work can be found in Conjunctions, The Georgia Review, The Masters Review, Meridian, and elsewhere. She was accepted to Tin House’s 2022 summer workshop (but unable to attend), and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and a BA from the University of Berkeley in English and Art History.

THE PARENTHOOD DILEMMA de Gina Rushton

Should we become parents?

THE PARENTHOOD DILEMMA
Procreation in the Age of Uncertainty
by Gina Rushton
Astra House, September 2023
(via Wolf Literary Services)

When journalist Gina Rushton, afflicted with endometriosis, admitted she had little time left to make this decision, the magnitude of the choice overwhelmed her. Her search for her own “yes” or “no” only uncovered more questions to be answered. How do we clearly consider creating a new life on a planet facing catastrophic climate change? How do we reassess the gender roles we have been assigned at birth and by society? How do we balance ascending careers with declining fertility? How do we know if we’ve found the right co-parent, or if we want to go it alone, or if we don’t want to do it at all?

To seek clarity on these questions, Rushton spoke to doctors, sociologists, economists, and ethicists, as well as parents and childless people of all ages and from around the world. Here, she explores and presents policies, data, and case studies from people who have made this decision—one way or the other—and shows how the process can be revelatory in discovering who we are as individuals.

Gina Rushton is a multi-awarded reproductive rights and women’s health reporter and editor whose work has been published in BuzzFeed News, The Guardian, Vogue, Associated Press, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Monthly. This is her first book.