This week, The New York Times Book Review published its 100 Notable Books of 2014 and its 10 Best Books of 2014. One of the books named among the 10 best is Jenny Offill’s “Dept. of Speculation,” about which the Book Review says:
Offill’s slender and cannily paced novel, her second, assembles fragments, observations, meditations and different points of view to chart the course of a troubled marriage. Wry and devastating in equal measure, the novel is a cracked mirror that throws light in every direction — on music and literature; science and philosophy; marriage and motherhood and infidelity; and especially love and the grueling rigors of domestic life. Part elegy and part primal scream, it’s a profound and unexpectedly buoyant performance.
On this week’s podcast, Parul Sehgal and Gregory Cowles, editors at the Book Review, talk about the year’s best books; Alexandra Alter has news from the literary world; Peter Sokolowski discusses four new books about language; and Mr. Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.