Powell’s Indiespensable Subscriptions are Open + Vol. 77 Spoilers!

Powell’s Indiespensable book subscriptions are open and we have spoilers for Volume 77! This subscription is $44.95 and ships every 6 weeks.

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A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

Irish novelist John Boyne has been on our radar for years with such works as the searing young adult bestseller The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2006) and, more recently, the masterful epic The Heart’s Invisible Furies (2017), which The Times Sunday Review described as “nothing less than the story of Ireland over the past 70 years.” Known for his ambitious narratives, Boyne shines a spotlight on ambition itself in his new book, A Ladder to the Sky. The suspenseful multi-act novel follows the trajectory of Maurice Swift, a writer whose life mission is to reach the pinnacle of literary glory. Employing a colorful mix of narrators and points of view, Boyne paints a portrait of a dangerous, amoral man who, aided by his striking good looks, quick wit, and knack for manipulation, finds success by exploiting other people’s talents in increasingly despicable ways. A Ladder to the Sky is as much about the characters that Maurice destroys on his way to the top as it is about the villain of the novel, and their tragic stories linger with us long after Maurice himself has abandoned them. With jabs at creative writing programs, the publishing world, and the literary elite, nothing is sacred in Boyne’s darkly humorous tour de force — we found ourselves laughing and gasping in equal measure. We also couldn’t bear to put the book down, and we hope you too find A Ladder to the Sky, our pick for Indiespensable Volume 77, to be an exhilarating read.

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