Book cover of Children of Radium

Book description

Off-beat, irreverent and subversive - a Jewish family memoir about convenient delusions and unsayable truths, from the acclaimed author of the cult classic novel, Submarine

'The best book I've read in the past year . . . A masterpiece' Financial Times

'A slippery marvel [and] a quixotic voyage into the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Children of Radium as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Dunthorne isn't the only writer of German Jewish descent who has explored a bewildering and tragic family history, circa World War II. (His Jewish great grandfather was a scientist who—bizarrely—helped the Nazis develop things like the poison gas used in holocaust mass murders—thus his family came through relatively unscathed.) The bleakness and unfathomability are leavened by Dunthornes' hesitations and bumbling as a researcher, which he happily shares. Odd to find myself smiling so often at a story like this...and a welcome change.

If you love Children of Radium...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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