The Kitāb Club with Maria
Featured Book
Good News
An Indie Next Pick
In this stylish and provocative novel, a young artist struggles to find her way in New York City while navigating strained relationships, the reappearance of an ex, and her burgeoning sense of self. A mess, of course, ensues.
Maggie is on the brink. Her MFA thesis—a vast canvas of twenty women suspended between life and death—is met with polite confusion, sending her into the throes of an obsessive work spiral. She’s ignoring calls from her frantic Turkish mother and drifting apart from her marriage-material boyfriend, Rob, who, lately, spends every waking moment at the office, including some suspiciously late nights. To make matters worse, her brother John (perfect, doctor) is dating Maggie’s art-world rival: a performance artist who constantly seems to be skyrocketing toward fame even after renouncing her name to be called simply “the Artist.”
But it’s when Maggie’s ex reappears that her forced composure starts to slip. A smooth-talking art critic with power and charm, Rakib sees Maggie in a way that completely mystifies her. Then come whispers that her painting might be nominated for a grant that could launch her career. With deadlines looming, her relationship with Rob faltering, and her sense of self in flux, Maggie begins to question not just her art but the entire life she’s been trying to build.
Set against the push and pull of immigrant family expectations, the competitive world of contemporary art, and the relentless uncertainty of one’s late twenties, Good News is a mordantly clever and emotionally resonant debut that will appeal to readers of Lily King, Sarah Thankam Mathews, and Coco Mellors.
About This Event
Kitāb (کتاب) : an Arabic word meaning book. Join Maria's Kitāb club -- a space for Arab texts -- fiction and nonfiction -- to be savored, and dissected. We'll treat the books like a shared feast: everyone brings something (thoughts, opinions etc) and nothing's off the table. Come hungry!!
This month we'll discuss Alexa Yasemin Brahme's novel about a young artist who struggles to find her way in New York City while navigating strained relationships, the reappearance of an ex, and her burgeoning sense of self, Good News.
“Good News is a book for anyone who has ever felt torn between ambition and self-doubt, the pressure to meet others’ expectations and the thrill of following their own wildest desires into an uncharted future. I devoured this thoughtful, sexy, compelling story of a young artist determined to make something great of her art and herself.”—Naima Coster, NYT-bestselling author of What's Mine and Yours
"A familiar exploration into the unease of early adulthood and the winding road to self-fulfillment."—Booklist
Maggie is on the brink. Her MFA thesis—a vast canvas of twenty women suspended between life and death—is met with polite confusion, sending her into the throes of an obsessive work spiral. She’s ignoring calls from her frantic Turkish mother and drifting apart from her marriage-material boyfriend, Rob, who, lately, spends every waking moment at the office, including some suspiciously late nights. To make matters worse, her brother John (perfect, doctor) is dating Maggie’s art-world rival: a performance artist who constantly seems to be skyrocketing toward fame even after renouncing her name to be called simply “the Artist.”
But it’s when Maggie’s ex reappears that her forced composure starts to slip. A smooth-talking art critic with power and charm, Rakib sees Maggie in a way that completely mystifies her. Then come whispers that her painting might be nominated for a grant that could launch her career. With deadlines looming, her relationship with Rob faltering, and her sense of self in flux, Maggie begins to question not just her art but the entire life she’s been trying to build.
Set against the push and pull of immigrant family expectations, the competitive world of contemporary art, and the relentless uncertainty of one’s late twenties, Good News is a mordantly clever and emotionally resonant debut that will appeal to readers of Lily King, Sarah Thankam Mathews, and Coco Mellors.
Contact Genay, at bookclubs@mcnallyjackson.com with any questions.
About the Venue
McNally Jackson · Downtown Brooklyn
This Downtown Brooklyn location is the second McNally Jackson in Brooklyn. Opening in 2020, it occupies two stores of City Point and features an extensive selection of fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, rare books, and stationery.
Visit store pageMore at McNally Jackson · Downtown Brooklyn
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