New Yorker Briefly Noted Reviews Four New Books: Ayad Akhtar, Nathaniel Rich, Nadia Bowers, Martin Devecka

The column titled Newer's Briefly Noted highlights four recently published books. Ayad Akhtar's The Radiance (Summit) tells the story of a character named Ayad, who undergoes a transformation in a hospital following a hit-and-run incident. In Nathaniel Rich's Cloudthief (MCD), lovers Tim and Virginia embark on a journey from Manhattan to Oklahoma to pilfer hard drives, intertwining adventure with reflections on technology. Nadia Bowers's Dear Dealer (Gallery) is a poignant memoir written in letters to her sister Sasha's unidentified dealer after her opioid overdose, chronicling Sasha's struggle with addiction. Lastly, Martin Devecka's Citizen Beast (Johns Hopkins) examines how Roman-era authors portrayed animals as subjects of imperial power, suggesting these representations contributed to a societal narrative that diminishes both humans and animals.