Boston Book Festival

Marc Levy is the most-read contemporary French author, with 24 novels translated into 50 languages,  having sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. Many of his novels have been adapted for the screen, such as the successful Hollywood movie Just like Heaven, directed by Mark Waters and produced by Steven Spielberg. Marc Levy will explain the secret of his unique ability to tell compelling stories. His latest book translated in English, The Symphony of Monsters, is an unforgettable story of courage, resilience, and love. Marc Levy will discuss his work with internationally renowned media expert and journalist Jean Christian Agid for a horizon-expanding debate on novel writing and more.

Can we keep this just between us? Join three authors as they dive into the infatuating interplay between public personas and private passions. In Riss M. Neilson’s A Love Like The Sun, lifelong best friends Laniah Thompson and Issac Jordan navigate a fateful summer that blurs the lines between friendship and romance. When Laniah, a private homebody, tells Issac, an internet sensation, that her family’s business is struggling, the two concoct the only obvious and rational plan: they must pretend to date. The longer they keep up this charade, the more undeniable their attraction becomes, forcing them to confront their true feelings outside of the spotlight. Acclaimed author and award-winning journalist, Iman Hariri-Kia, tells the story of The Most Famous Girl In The World, exploring the dark side of fame and the relentless quest for truth. Investigative journalist Rose Advani exposed socialite Poppy Hastings as a fraud years ago, but when Poppy rises as a beloved influencer after her release from prison, Rose becomes more determined than ever to uncover her secrets, with or without the help of a particularly handsome FBI agent. In Girls With Bad Reputations, bestselling author Xio Axelrod follows Mikayla, a drummer resolute to succeed and escape her past, and Tyrell, an ex-con who lands a job as her up-and-coming band’s bus-driver. Their growing romance is in danger when a tabloid exposé threatens to unravel their lives. What are they willing to sacrifice for success, and will fame stand in their way? Meena Jain, Ashland Public Library Director, navigates this conversation about contemporary romance under the public’s watchful eye. Sponsored by Lovestruck Books.

SPARK: Reading Series.
Grief, love, death, living: The writers in this session take these existential topics and grapple with them in exciting new ways. K. Iver’s debut collection, Short Film Starring My Beloved's Red Bronco, winner of the 2022 Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry, is an elegiac tribute to a first love lost. “Framed by grief and longing, the poet's vivid and eclectic imagination sprawls through each poem." (Tyehimba Jess) Ananda Lima’s Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil centers on the modern Brazilian-American immigrant experience and is suffused with the ambition, loss, and longing that are specific to that experience as well as universal. “This is a remarkable debut that announces the arrival of a towering talent in speculative fiction" (NY Times). National Book Award finalist Joan Wickersham’s novel in verse, No Ship Sets Out To Be a Shipwreck, weaves a profound, personal story of loss from an encounter with an unsettling artifact: the sunken seventeenth-century Swedish warship Vasa, which lay undiscovered for three hundred years, and now sits in a museum exhibit dedicated to its failed journey. This session will be moderated by Dawn Tripp, bestselling author of Jackie and Georgia.

Three profoundly moving novels map the complex and intimate bonds between parents and children along with the redemptive power of stories that transcend time. Praised by the New York Journal of Books as “fresh and provocative and deep,” Days of Wonder, the latest novel of NY Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt is a bold, intricately woven story about a young mother who must reinvent her identity to clear her name and search for her lost daughter. Jeanne Blasberg’s Daughter of a Promise is a “sagacious and graceful-modern day retelling of a biblical love story” (Kirkus Reviews) that explores the tensile forces between ambition and desire. Praised  by Booklist as “a deceiving and entrancing tale”, Henriette Lazaridis’ Last Days in Plaka is a deft and layered coming-of-age novel, set in Athens, where a young Greek-American woman’s hunger to belong draws her into a fateful encounter with an aging widow. This session will be moderated by Jessica Keener whose most recent novel, Strangers in Budapest, was praised as a “tense and atmospheric thriller” by the Boston Globe.

As a wave of murders grips Southern California, an unlikely pair in the form of rule-abiding Carmen Sanchez and outside-the-lines Professor Jake Heron, must untangle the mysterious patterns of an elusive killer. Join bestselling authors Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado for an exciting behind-the-scenes peek at their collaborative creative process on Fatal Intrusion, Book 1 in the new Sanchez-Heron series. Jeffery Deaver is the #1 internationally bestselling author of the Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw series which have both been turned into TV series, as well as a major feature film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Maldonado is the WSJ bestselling author of the Miranda Cruz and X series; her novel The Cipher is currently in development as a feature film with Netflix and Jennifer Lopez. Prior to her career as a writer, Maldonado worked in law enforcement, where she was the first Latina woman to attain the rank of captain in her police department and was hand-picked to go to the FBI Academy in Quantico. These two masters of mystery—a former homicide detective and lawyer—will share how they create suspense, compelling characters, and compulsively readable stories that keep readers up late. They will be joined by Sara DiVello, author of Broadway Butterfly, a true crime thriller exploring corruption, justice, and power in the Jazz Age. Sponsored by Meet Boston.

Written in a style that evokes Annie Ernaux’s precise and intimate work on social milieu and sexuality, Swimming in Paris is a decades-long exploration of the complicated relationships that women so often have with their own bodies. Whether depicting a teenage abortion in the midst of a privileged Parisian upbringing, or unexpected romances, Colombe Schneck’s prose exudes an unwavering elegance and intimacy. In Pamela Druckerman’s words, “Schneck offers a periscopic view into bourgeois Paris and captures the terror and truth of love like only a Frenchwoman can.” Join the author to know more about  this powerful meditation on a lifelong journey to reclaim the female body. She will be interviewed by Shuchi Sarawsat, writer, journalist and founder of the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith, a reading series focused on stories of migration, the intersection of politics & literature.

In these three novels, the protagonists make decisions that alter their life trajectory and spark new creative awakenings. In Ann Hood’s page-turning novel, The Stolen Child, an elderly Rhode Island man, haunted by a choice he made during World War I, seeks to make amends with the help of a college dropout. This unlikely duo embark on a journey through France and Italy to find out what happened to the French artist who thrust her paintings and baby in the young soldier's arms. In J. Courtney Sullivan’s “capacious and engaging sixth novel,” (NYTimes) The Cliffs, Jane Flanagan returns to her childhood home in Maine after a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and marriage. While there, she is hired to research the history of a house that has always enchanted her. Jane uncovers the stories of the house’s inhabitants, which tell a larger and more complicated tale of forbidden love, colonialism, and stolen historic artifacts. The book “makes the case that knowing what came before offers us our best chance to truly understand our connections to one another, and what we owe to the land we inhabit” (NYTimes). Diane Richards’ debut novel, Ella, examines the teenage years of Ella Fitzgerald and how she struggled to escape her abusive stepfather, poverty, and racism. During her struggles, she comes to the realization that it is her voice, and not the dancing career she had embarked on, that would set her on the path to fame, success and renown. Richards, who was a former background vocalist for Whitney Houston, “conducted extensive research, resulting in bringing the sights and sounds of 1930s Harlem to vivid life” (PW, Starred Review). Hood, Sullivan and Richards are joined by Katherine Sherbrooke, the award winning author of three novels including NYTimes notable and MA Book Award finalist, Leaving Coy's Hill.  Sponsored by Lesley University.

SPARK: Reading Series. In this session, you’ll hear three authors whose work takes us to far-flung locales: from the Scottish Highlands to the wilds of Calabria to surreal interplanetary worlds—all of them peopled with richly depicted characters who blaze with life. Juliet Grames’s The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia is a wild ride through the crime-ridden cliffs of Southern Italy, where an American woman tries to solve a murder—and find meaning in her life at the same time, described by The Boston Globe as a “deeply compelling, well-crafted mystery.” In NY Times bestselling author Margot Livesey’s historical novel, The Road From Belhaven, a young girl with the gift of second sight sets out to forge her own future at a time when women’s options were limited by circumstance. “Margot Livesey is an incandescent writer…always imbuing her characters with astonishing humanity and grace” (NY Times). The stories in Ruben Reyes Jr.’s There is a Rio Grande in Heaven range widely across time and place, creating dreamlike worlds that help us to make sense of our own. "Tethered to historical fact and enlivened by speculative elements, Reyes' fiction brings into focus the troubling legacies that stalk so many Central American nations." (Kirkus) This session will be moderated by Whitney Scharer, founder of the Arlington Author Salon and author of The Age of Light.

What are the repercussions of our most powerful relationships, and how do faith, desire and devotion formed from these relationships shape our personal histories? Award-winning author Susan Minot’s provocative new novel Don’t Be a Stranger traces a woman’s relationship with a man twenty years her junior, exploring themes of intimacy and obsession, integrity and art, in a story praised by Booklist as “ravishing, haunting, and insightful.” The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali maps the story of two best friends - their initial loyalty, inevitable betrayal, and costly redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran. A national bestseller, Kamali’s latest is described as “a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism” (People). In Jamie Quatro’s new novel Two-Step Devil, two societal outsiders form an unlikely but tender friendship that shapes a young woman’s future and solidifies a self-proclaimed prophet’s faith. Praised by Booklist as “a spectacular masterpiece,” Two-Step Devil explores the intricacies that steer the course of human lives. Quatro, Kamali and Minot will be joined in conversation by Tim Ehrenberg, creator of Tim Talks Books, President of the Nantucket Book Foundation, and co-host of the literary podcast Books, Beach, & Beyond.

Renowned and most lauded French playwright, short story writer, novelist and member of the Goncourt Academy, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt will present his latest book published in the United States, Paradises Lost, where he combines his religious, scientific and philosophical research to propel readers from one world to another, and from pre-history to today. This publication is the first installment of Schmitt’s monumental project of recounting the history of humanity, the fruits of more than thirty years of research.  Stephanie Ravillon will moderate. This session takes place at THE FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH, across the street from the French Library.

Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world’s greatest puzzle master has 24 hours to unlock an ancient puzzle box with ties to Japan’s Imperial Family in NYT bestselling novelist Danielle Trussoni’s The Puzzle Box which has been praised by Booklist as “a first rate thriller.” Teddy Wayne’s The Winner is an explosive literary thriller, described by Vogue as a “page-turning story of sex, power, and money." A young tennis pro from Yonkers finds himself in uncharted perilous waters at an oceanfront paradise, navigating steamy flings with a client until he makes an irreversible mistake. In highly acclaimed author Vincent Tirado’s propulsive psychological thriller, We Came to Welcome You, a married couple moves to a seemingly idyllic gated community, where strange and inexplicable things start happening in their dream house, and the gated community closes in. These three novels harness the pulse-pounding engine of mystery to wrestle with complex dynamics of class, systemic racism, and the injustices that have kept women from the highest realms of power. This session will be moderated by Deborah Goodrich Royce, whose latest thriller, Reef Road, was a national bestseller and named one of the best books of 2023 by Kirkus. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America - New England.

SPARK: Reading Series.
Any writer worth their salt knows about “The Hero’s Journey”, Joseph Campbell’s archetypal template for storytelling. The first step on that journey? The hero gets a “call to adventure”… and what happens next is up to the novelist. In Stephen McCauley’s You Only Call When You’re In Trouble, the story begins with a literal call that sends the main character on a journey to save a family member’s career—and shows us how meaningful the bonds of even the most dysfunctional family can be. This witty novel is a perfect example of there being  “no greater pleasure than reading a seasoned writer at the top of his form” (Shelf Awareness). Mark Cecil’s Bunyan and Henry reimagines the origin stories of folk heroes Paul Bunyan and John Henry, who join forces in the novel to battle the ultimate nemesis: corporate greed. “This big-hearted take on the mythic past feels all too relevant right now” (Ben Percy). In Crystal King’s In The Garden of Monsters, a model receives a call to a truly surreal adventure: to accompany Salvador Dali on an artistic journey to the Sacro Bosco—Italy's Garden of Monsters. Eerie and hauntingly atmospheric, the novel “is an exciting reinterpretation” (Publishers Weekly) of the myth of Prosperpina. This session will be moderated by Whitney Scharer, founder of the Arlington Author Salon and author of The Age of Light.

How ought one to live?  How do the choices we make determine the arc of our lives?  How free are we really to make our own choices? These three novels tackle these philosophical questions with poignancy, heartache, and humor. Booker Prize nominated author Neel Mukherjee "one of the most original and talented authors working today" (NPR)  explores the theme of free will in his fourth novel Choice. Told in three parts, Choice reveals “how we graze one another’s lives with our decisions, some of which may be catastrophic for our conscience but beneficial for our art.” (NY Times). Adelle Waldman’s Help Wanted, one of the most anticipated novels of the year (and one of Barack Obama’s recommended books for 2024), draws attention to the toll capitalism exacts on low-wage workers and does so with wit, compassion, and a swift-moving plot. Help Wanted is “a rare entry to the workplace canon with this wise, funny story of an upstate New York big-box store and an opportunity that sends its employees scurrying for advancement” (LA Times).  In Samuel Kọ́láwọlé’s debut novel, The Road to Salt Sea, a young Nigerian man’s desperate attempt to leave his country after he is implicated in a violent crime leads to a series of moral compromises, and his story becomes a bracing tale of migrant desperation. “Out of this tableau of hope and disillusion, of buoyant dreams chastened by grim reality, Kọ́láwọlé has woven a trenchant, rich-veined, and gripping tale that strikes all the right keys while enthralling the reader” (The Hopkins Review). This session will be moderated by Alex George, founder of the Unbound Book Festival and author of the acclaimed national bestseller, The Paris Hours.

The Boston Book Festival is delighted and honored to present, for the first time at the festival, Louise Erdrich, acclaimed literary master and foremost writer of the Native American Renaissance. With works spanning poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature, Erdrich has built one of the most impressive bodies of work of any living American writer. Her career, marked by early honors like the Pushcart Prize and O. Henry Award, has continued to flourish with more recent accolades such as the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, solidifying her trailblazing legacy. The Washington Post’s praise for The Night Watchman described Erdrich as writing “so beautifully that it’s tempting to forget how remarkable it is.” In its review of The Sentence, The Boston Globe declared that Erdrich “captivates with [a] striking and irresistible voice.” Now, with her latest novel, The Mighty Red, Erdrich tells a story of people living in Argus, North Dakota, making choices about love and family while dealing with the impact of environmental upheaval and the economic meltdown of 2008-2009. Exquisitely rendered with poignancy and wit, Erdrich “delivers a deliciously seductive masterwork.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review.) Come hear Louise Erdrich in conversation with Kate Tuttle, The Boston Globe’s books editor as they explore the themes of The Mighty Red and the richness of Erdrich’s oeuvre. Sponsored by The Boston Globe.

As we know, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. In her award-winning second novel Djinns, Fatma Aydemir
tells the story of a family full of longings and disappointments who try to come together despite all their inner contradictions. Hüseyin has spent the past thirty years working in Germany, and his dream has at last come true: he has bought his very own flat in Istanbul, but dies of a heart attack the day he moves in. His family in Germany travel to Turkey for the funeral. In chapters narrated from the perspectives of the individual family members, we learn about each character’s personal djinns. Join Fatma Aydemir and Djinns' translator Jon Cho-Polizzi in a far-reaching conversation about this fast-paced and character-driven family saga set in Germany and Turkey at the end of the 20th century, focusing on the complexity of migration, family, relationships, and life choices.

Multi-generational family stories set against the backdrop of pivotal moments in history are told in these three narratives, exploring themes of memory, reconciling the present and past, and the far reaching after-effects of our ancestors’ choices. In Wendy Chen’s debut, Their Divine Fires, the consequences from an act of violence on a bride’s wedding night reverberates for generations amidst China’s revolution through present day. Haunting and intimate, Their Divine Fires has been praised as “deeply moving…poignant” by the Toronto Star. Ben Shattuck’s The History of Sound spans three centuries, examining how love and loss are entwined and transformed over generations. Described as “masterful” (Chicago Tribune) and “deeply resonant” (Boston Globe), Shattuck’s linked story collection is set in New England, from the woods of New Hampshire to 1700 Nantucket; each story with a companion story, resurfacing truth, artifact, and feelings that linger. In Jessica Shattuck’s Last House, an idealistic family man of the Greatest Generation rises from humble means to providing every comfort for his family, though history has other plans, sweeping them up in the counterculture and civil rights movement where new ideals will be formed. Spanning 80 years, the novel is “a richly detailed, slow-burning family saga distinguished by incisive psychological insight and masterful research” (NY Times). This session will be moderated by Stephen Kiernan, acclaimed author of seven books, most recently The Glass Chateau. Sponsored by Emerson College Graduate Programs.