Dear readers, Earlier this month I wrote about one of my favorite authors, Helen Garner, whose popularity in the United States (she’s long been a well-kept secret in Australia) has corresponded roughly to the way Hemingway said bankruptcy comes on: gradually, then suddenly. I’m delighted she’s finding a broader readership. Her work, specifically her nonfiction and her diaries, profoundly reshaped my literary tastes. I have never encountered a writer who can harness and describe emotion quite like she does (though Elena Ferrante comes close). Garner works well in brief, compressed episodes, and is prone to incandescent flashes of insight. As one critic said of her work, “scenes pass as if viewed from a train — momentarily, distinct and tantalizing in their beauty.” They read like the most intimate postcard you could hope to receive. In a recently published collection of her short fiction, one character says aloud what might be the most succinct expression of Garner’s approach to writing: “I’m just practicing looking.” Herewith, some reading selections that might help you look at things a new way. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Friendly reminder: Check your local library for books! Many libraries allow you to reserve copies online. Like this email? Sign-up here or forward it to your friends. Have a suggestion or two on how we can improve it? Let us know at books@nytimes.com. Plunge further into books at The New York Times or our reading recommendations.
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