This week’s New Yorker features an excerpt (titled “Childcare”) from Lorrie Moore’s long-awaited new novel, A Gate at the Stairs, coming this September from Knopf. I agree with The Millions, however, that novel excerpts can be hazardous to your reading health–and having read the ARC, I must say this particular morsel doesn’t stand alone as a story or represent the fabulous feast it comes from. So if you can restrain yourself, wait until this book is out and read the whole thing.
And in case you missed it, the November 4, 2008 issue featured an excerpt (titled “Lostronaut”) from what will be Jonathan Lethem’s new novel, Chronic City, which pubs this October from Doubleday. This one fares much better than Moore’s out of context.
