The Book Review: The deep end of the ocean

Plus: Sybil, vampires and literary L.A.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 7, 2023 Illustration by Chantal Jahchan/Photos, via Getty Images and Library of Congress Dear fellow readers, In the wake of the Titan submersible tragedy — which riveted many of us for days — comes Laura Trethewey's all-too-timely book, "The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World's Oceans. Our reviewer, Simon Winchester, thinks it ought to be required reading, particularly the chapter on deep-sea mining that warns of "armadas of mining ships loaded with cranes and drums of cable and giant claws and submarine dragline excavators," jostling over lodes of cobalt, gold and nickel. As always, there's much to savor in the issue, like Sarah Weinman's new crime fiction column; a fascinating history of women in American journalism; and this sprightly essay by Alexandra Jacobs about "Sybil: The True Story of a Woman Possessed by 16 Separate Personalities," 50 years after its publication: "The book is a historical curiosity and a cautionary tale of mass cultural delusion that makes one wonder what current voguish diagnoses — witness the "TikTok tics" — might warrant closer interrogation," she writes. If you have time, tell us what you're reading! (We may publish your response, or feature it in an upcoming newsletter.) I'm in the middle of Michael Finkel's addictive true-crime narrative, "The Art Thief," the story of a Frenchman who — armed with only a Swiss army knife — pried $2 billion worth of paintings, sculptures, glasswork, silver goblets, ivory carvings and the like from museums all over Europe. (He stashed everything in his mother's attic.) You can email me at books@nytimes.com. I read every letter sent. Tina Jordan Deputy Editor, The New York Times Book Review @TinaJordanNYT Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Like this email? Sign-up here or forward it to your friends. Have a suggestion or two on how we can improve it? Let us know at newsletters@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. Enjoy all of The New York Times in one subscription — the original reporting and analysis, plus puzzles from Games, recipes from Cooking, product reviews from Wirecutter and sports journalism from The Athletic. Experience it all with a New York Times All Access subscription. THIS WEEK IN THE BOOK REVIEW Lorrie Moore's first novel in 14 years, a vibrant literary guide to L.A. and a memoir that grapples with the meaning of truth in our polarized age. Alain Pilon FICTION In Love, on the Road and Undead Lorrie Moore's new novel, "I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home," braids a historical ghost story with a zombie romance. By Dwight Garner Raphaelle Macaron Read Your Way Through Los Angeles Héctor Tobar is a son of Los Angeles, a city of "perpetual cultural mixing." Here, he guides readers through the books and writers that cut through the city's layers. By Héctor Tobar Dadu Shin NONFICTION When Truth No Longer Counts, How Does a Memoirist Tell Her Story? This is the question at the heart of "To Name the Bigger Lie," by Sarah Viren, which tries to make sense of two disturbing episodes from her life in the context of a culture where truth itself is increasingly in dispute. By Claire Dederer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE BOOK REVIEW PODCAST Franziska Barczyk Revisiting 'Bridget Jones's Diary' Plus the Art of Literary Translation Elisabeth Egan and Tina Jordan talk about Helen Fielding's novel, and Gregory Cowles and Juliana Barbassa discuss all things translation. Fiction & Poetry Crime By Sarah Weinman "Deep As The Sky, Red As The Sea," by Rita Chang-Eppig Reviewed by E. Lily Yu "Old God's Time," by Sebastian Barry Reviewed by Andrew Miller "Commitment," by Mona Simpson Reviewed by Elisabeth Egan "The Mythmakers," by Keziah Weir Reviewed by Jean Hanff Korelitz "The Wind Knows My Name," by Isabel Allende Reviewed by Lauren Fox "Everything's Fine," by Cecilia Rabess Reviewed by Angela Lashbrook Nonfiction "Chaos Kings: How Wall Street Traders Make Billions in the New Age of Crisis," by Scott Patterson Reviewed by Marie Solis "Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism," by Brooke Kroeger Reviewed by Jane Kamensky "Lincoln's God: How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation," by Joshua Zeitz Reviewed by Ted Widmer "Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks," by Scott J. Shapiro Reviewed by Jennifer Szalai Children's Books Picture Books and Middle Grade Nonfiction Race and the National Spelling Bee Reviewed by Cynthia Greenlee Features By the Book Douglas Stuart doesn't need three people at his dream dinner party Essay "Sybil" 50 Years Later By Alexandra Jacobs Etc. Newly Published Other books out this week, from "Stories And Poems of A Class Struggle," to "Our History Has Always Been Contraband," a primer on the rich subject of Black studies Editors' Choice 9 new books we recommend, including Dorothy Tse's "Owlish" and "The Translations of Seamus Heaney" Inside the Best-Seller List The N.B.A. star Chris Paul learned he'd been traded in a text from his son New in Paperback Bolu Babalola's spicy campus rom-com, a history of France and a meditation on time management Best Sellers Read all of our lists Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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