King of Joy
Richard Chiem, Soft Skull Press
This is shaping up to be the breakout book for Seattle-based Chiem, whose first novel was named one of Publishers Weekly’s 10 Essential Books of the American West. In prose oft described as “inimitable,” Chiem tells the story of a woman working through her grief with a pornographer of “unconventional methods.” The LA Times says Chiem is a 2019 writer to watch: We agree.