New Yorker Briefly Noted: Four Books on Scams, Memoir, History, and Open Marriage
The New Yorker's Briefly Noted section reviews four new books. Carlos Barragán's 'The Yahoo Boys' (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) investigates online romance scams in Lagos, Nigeria, following four Yahoo Boys and exploring the economic and social impact of their activities. Michael Cunningham's memoir 'Unsayable' (Random House) reflects on his California upbringing, his sexuality, and the purposes of writing. Téa Obreht's novel 'Sunrise' (Random House) weaves three timelines around a plane crash in Wyoming and the preservation of an abandoned Western town. Eliza Faison's 'Skin Contact' (Cardinal) follows a married couple navigating an open marriage and the complexities of grief and desire.
Key facts
- Carlos Barragán's 'The Yahoo Boys' is published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
- Barragán traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, in 2022 to find the person who scammed his mother.
- The book follows four Yahoo Boys and examines their lifestyle, fueled by drugs and extravagant spending.
- Michael Cunningham's memoir 'Unsayable' is published by Random House.
- Cunningham's memoir covers his upbringing in suburban California, his awareness of his gayness, his time at Stanford, and his work as a hustler and bartender.
- Téa Obreht's novel 'Sunrise' is published by Random House and opens with a Cessna crash in Wyoming in 2024.
- The novel includes a manuscript set in 1902 about the founding of Sunrise.
- Eliza Faison's 'Skin Contact' is published by Cardinal and features a married couple exploring an open marriage.
Entities
Artists
- Carlos Barragán
- Michael Cunningham
- Téa Obreht
- Eliza Faison
Institutions
- Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Random House
- Cardinal
- The New Yorker
Locations
- Lagos
- Nigeria
- California
- Stanford
- Wyoming