A novel that is 'great, sometimes cringe-worthy, fun to read'

'Reproduction' by Ian Williams
'Reproduction' by Ian Williams
Courtesy of publisher

Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. This week, we spoke to Danny Caine at The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kan.

“Canadian writer Ian Williams is a poet and reading his new novel, ‘Reproduction,’ you can tell,” says bookseller Danny Caine. “The language just leaps off the page. The whole thing feels like its in love with words and how they’re strung together.”

“’Reproduction’ starts in a hospital room where an unlikely romance blooms between Felicia and Edgar, as they both care for their ailing mothers. Felicia is young and poor, and Edgar is the much older heir to a foreign fortune. They’re also a mixed-race couple. Their partnership ends up being a minefield of miscommunication, privilege and awkwardness. In other words, it’s great, sometimes cringe-worthy, fun to read.

“Though there are laughs aplenty, this novel is doing serious work, too. … It’s a memorable read, one of my favorites of the year.”

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