14 Books in Translation

In crisp, unembellished prose, Shoko’s Smile paints intimate portraits of the lives of young women in South Korea, balancing the personal with the political. In the tradition of Sally Rooney, Banana Yoshimoto, and Marilynne Robinson—writers from different cultures who all take an unvarnished look at human relationships and the female experience—Choi Eunyoung is a must read.

The darkly suspenseful tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, civility and friendship disintegrate and each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

A daring, kaleidoscopic novel about the clash of empires and ideas, told through a tennis match in the sixteenth century between the radical Italian artist Caravaggio and the Spanish poet Francisco de Quevedo, played with a ball made from the hair of the beheaded Anne Boleyn.

A shocking and addictive psychological thriller from the bestselling novelist known as “Korea’s Stephen King.” The Good Son explores the mysteries of the mind and memory, and the twisted relationship between a mother and son.

Patrick Suskind’s classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man’s indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—leads to murder. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

The feel-good bestselling French novel about a woman whose mission to cure her “routine-itis” leads her to lasting joy and true fulfillment. Perfect for fans of The Alchemist and Hector and the Search for Happiness.

Fever Dream is a nightmare come to life, a ghost story for the real world, a love story and a cautionary tale. Samanta Schweblin creates an aura of strange psychological menace and otherworldly reality in this absorbing, unsettling, taut novel.

A tale of family and romance, of youth and old age, of tradition and modernity, The Red-Haired Woman is a beguiling mystery from one of the great storytellers of our time.

On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses… Most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few able to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten. Powerful and provocative, this is a stunning novel about the trauma of loss.

This searing novel, originally banned in China but later named one of the nation’s most influential books, portrays one man’s transformation from the spoiled son of a landlord to a kindhearted peasant.

No collection of Japanese literature is complete without Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, his most famous novel and the last he completed before his death. Published here in the first new translation in more than fifty years, Kokoro—meaning “heart”—is the story of a subtle and poignant friendship between two unnamed characters, a young man and an enigmatic elder whom he calls “Sensei.”

Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But the dreams—invasive images of brutality—torture her, driving her to renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a dark tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.

A harrowing and beautiful novel of the travails of three West African immigrants in France. As these three lives intertwine, each woman manages an astonishing feat of self-preservation. In Marie NDiaye’s stunning narration, we see the progress by which ordinary women discover unimagined reserves of strength.