These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
At the center of Booker Prize finalist Deborah Levy’s cutting novel is Elsa M. Anderson, a 30-something British virtuoso whose piano performance in Vienna comes to a surprising halt when she walks off the stage and into chaos of her own creation. Elsa becomes fixated on a stranger who looks exactly like her—and she starts seeing the mysterious woman all over Europe. In detailing her protagonist’s journey, Levy crafts a surreal and moving narrative about identity and art. Don’t let the melancholy tone of the story fool you—at its core, August Blue is a revealing look at the power of self-discovery. —Annabel Gutterman
Buy Now: August Blue on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
