Heller McAlpin
Heller McAlpin is a New York-based critic who reviews books regularly for NPR.org, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle and other publications.
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Three new art books feature female subjects of every shape and hue from all over the world, doing the things that women have historically done — and also the things that men have historically done. -
Atypical of inspirational weight-loss books, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom by Rabia Chaudry — an advocate of Serial podcast subject Adnan Syed — is a love letter to the author's native cuisine. -
More than most books four times its size, Foster does several of the things we ask of great literature: It expands our world, diverting our attention outward, and it opens up our hearts and minds. -
Elizabeth McCracken promised her mom she'd never write about her. But this work of fiction strives to conjure her up in order to prevent her from "evanescing." -
Elizabeth Strout's latest is a chronicle of a plague year — and also of the main character's growing insights into herself, her family, and their changing relationships during this period. -
In this expansive novel, which ranks among McEwan's best work, a man assesses his life's trajectory from childhood to old age, focusing especially on what he considers wrong turns and disappointments. -
Barnes' 25th novel is about the power of influence and obsessions, wrong turns, and the difficulty of pinning down another's life, whether someone you knew or someone who predated you by centuries. -
Nell Stevens' debut novel is a curious mashup of historical fiction, a ghost story, and a queer love story. It combines elements of her prior books, both memoirs with nods to 19th century literature. -
Happy-Go-Lucky is more somber than David Sedaris' usual fare, but there are some fresh, funny bits wedged between the weighty boulders. -
Emma Straub's new novel is a charmer that unleashes the magic of time travel to sweeten its exploration of some heavy themes like mortality, the march of time, and how small choices can alter a life.
