For a long time I would start my sentences with "In a more perfect world," but as my inexorable march toward death has collected celerity I have found myself considerably more likely to accept the inevitable and do my part to glean the good in things, no matter how difficult they are to discover and ultimately unsatisfying they may be, which means I am making many more declarations front-loaded with resignation and grudging acceptance about how "I guess we should be happy that we live in a world where." Which is to say that while in a more perfect world the novelist Percival Everett would dominate the bestseller list to [...]

There were two very nice reviews over the weekend for Percival Everett's Assumption. Here is what I would suggest that you do: not read these reviews (yet) and just get the book. Once you've finished it you'll want to read a bunch more about it to help yourself figure it out. My only caveat is that if you are the kind of person who needs neatly-tied bows at the end of your fictions, you will find yourself displeased with this one. I, not being that kind of person, thought it was terrific. I read it a couple of months ago and it still sticks with me. [...]

What new book are you most excited for this fall? Me, I can't wait for Percival Everett's Assumption, which looks to be a mystery, but like every Everett book will probably be so much more. I really like Percival Everett! Unfamiliar? Start here or here.