Kobuk the Destroyer: And Other Tales from the Wild, Unseen World of Test Engineering by Alex Davies (W.W. Norton & Company). Reviewed by Randy Cepuch. “While engineers try to predict everything that can go wrong, surprises are inevitable. Ever wondered where the term ‘Murphy’s Law’ came from? It seems that, in 1949, an aircraft-deceleration test failed because the sensors were installed backward, and Air Force test technician Edward A. Murphy observed, ‘Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.’ (Elon Musk surely agreed when he proudly introduced the Tesla Cybertruck’s armored glass option by having an assistant throw steel balls at the windshield. It shattered.)”

White Elephant: A Novel by Jeyamohan; translated by Priyamvada Ramkumar (FSG Originals). Reviewed by Emily Hall. “White Elephant thus presents an admirably complex dilemma: How does anyone change a system when so many benefit from it? While the answers are intriguing, the novel is unfortunately weighed down by description. Nearly every conflict and entanglement is conveyed through lengthy conversations between characters, leaving almost nothing to the reader’s imagination. And many characters seem to exist solely to tell Aiden what he needs to know about the circumstances of his surroundings.”

Swell: Stories by Son Bo-mi; translated by Janet Hong (Two Lines Press). Reviewed by Alice Stephens. “Strange and surreal, Swell is a fascinating exploration of the malleability of storytelling. Son Bo-mi is unconstrained by readers’ expectations, co-opting even the legendary Babe Ruth and changing the details of his life for the sake of art, as if to declare that all the world’s a fiction.”

The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living by Dara Horn (Avid Reader Press). Reviewed by Eugene L. Meyer. “Today, country-club antisemitism has receded. Instead, there is an avalanche of incidents not just protesting the Israeli government but targeting all Jews, regardless of their nuanced opinions on the conflict in Gaza. This has led to heightened security at Jewish institutions and synagogues, paid for by worshipers. Even Horn needed an armed guard when speaking at Harvard, her alma mater, after she served on its antisemitism advisory committee, whose suggestions, she writes, were rejected or ignored. Without mentioning the president by name, she duly notes the hypocrisy of the Trump administration enabling antisemitism via its various associations while defunding universities for doing too little to combat it.”

Holy F*ck by Joseph Incardona; translated by Sam Taylor (Bitter Lemon Press). Reviewed by Drew Gallagher. “News of the malady-curing hooker travels fast and soon reaches the Vatican, which is desperate for any whiff of sainthood to boost the Catholic Church’s declining relevance and attendance. Of course, the Holy See is a bit conflicted about the possibility of a sex worker becoming a saint; apparently, the Bible frowns on prostitution. But if this particular prostitute were to meet an unfortunate end, allowing the Church to turn her into a martyr without mention of her messy backstory? Well, that’s a win-win for everybody — except Stella, that is, and any future johns hoping to shed their pesky psoriasis or gout.”

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