New York Times - Book

The ruins of a 2,400-year-old complex suggest that, to the Greeks of antiquity, Homer’s protagonist was not just a character in a poem but a figure of genuine devotion.A 19th-century painting by the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin depicting Odysseus fleeing the Cyclops Polyphemus.

A new book by the journalist Lauren Collins chronicles the ongoing effects of the violent takeover of Wilmington, N.C., on those living in its aftermath.

In “Air,” by the Swiss writer Christian Kracht, a decorator’s unusual commission leads abruptly into another universe.

“Cloudthief,” by Nathaniel Rich, follows a dispirited writer into a scheme to get rich and find romance along the way.

Julie Buntin’s novel “Famous Men” complicates an old story with questions of ambition and consent.