It is becoming increasingly clear that trying to fit a book into a narrowly defined box can be a fool's errand. Blends, crossovers, and mixes quickly muddy the waters, while authors more often resist the constraints of a label. Here are six debuts in that vein.The conclusion of SPILL SIMMER FALTER WITHER (Houghton Harcourt. Mar. 2016. ISBN 9780544716193. $23; ebk. ISBN 9780544716223), Sara Baume's stunning meditation on isolation, love, and companionship, is as slippery as its title; what happens at the end could drive more than one book club meeting. What is clear is that Baume's lucid, staggering prose creates event reading as she traces the intertwined fates of an abused dog and a deeply lonely man living in an Irish village. The two find each other through the least likely of means, and one random decision to provide a home sets off a chain reaction that brings unknown comfort to both. However, do not expect a sweet tale of redemption. Baume offers an intense story full of power and edge, longing and loss.
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