NO TURNING BACK: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria, by Rania Abouzeid. (Norton, $17.95.) Abouzeid has spent years on the ground in Syria covering the civil war, and she combines extraordinary reporting with a historical and political overview of the origins of the conflict. In her book she focuses on a small group of characters, and their stories offer an intimate look at the impact of violence and tragedy.
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, by Amor Towles. (Penguin, $17.) In Towles’ hugely popular novel, an aristocrat under arrest watches from a posh hotel as the Russian Revolution unfolds. New York Times reviewer Craig Taylor wrote, “What saves the book is the gorgeous sleight of hand that draws it to a satisfying end, and the way he chooses themes that run deeper than mere sociopolitical commentary.”
LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE: Essays, by Sloane Crosley. (Picador/MCD, $17.) Fans of Crosley, the author of “I Was Told There’d Be Cake” and “How Did You Get This Number,” will be pleased to see her signature wit on full display in this new collection. The pieces draw on everything from her volcano-scaling escapades to the death of her solitary downstairs neighbor. Her observations, even the most sobering, are shot through with hope.
THE BALCONY, by Jane Delury. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $15.99.) This debut novel leaps back and forth to tell the stories of a property’s inhabitants, starting in the 19th century through the recent past. The state of the house, from dilapidation to haphazard renovation, mirrors the shifting relationships among its residents, including a Jewish family in hiding, a former courtesan and more. Times reviewer Jan Stuart praised the novel, writing, “The vivid intimacy of Delury’s canvas is enhanced by descriptive prose at once concise and lush.”
TAILSPIN: The People and Forces Behind America’s Fifty-Year Fall — and Those Fighting to Reverse It, by Steven Brill. (Vintage, $16.95.) In this lament, Brill places a special focus on the laws and public decisions that have ushered in the current political and legal stalemates. It’s not all depressing reading, however, as Brill is careful to highlight people and groups he believes are working to address our problems.
SMALL COUNTRY, by Gaël Faye. Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. (Hogarth, $15.) A best-seller in France, this novel borrows some elements from the author’s life to tell the story of a young boy, Gabriel, who is uprooted from his happy childhood in Burundi after civil war between the Hutus and Tutsis breaks out in the 1990s. The book charts Gabriel’s loss of innocence in the face of violence.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.