NYT reviews debut novels for A&S alums

Two Arts & Sciences alumni were honored with reviews of their debut novels in the Jan. 29 New York Times Book Review.

The novels of Sana Krasikov ’01, winner of the 2009 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, and Lydia Peelle ’00, author of the short story collection “Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing,” were both reviewed in the recent issue.

Krasikov’s book, “The Patriots,” chronicles “the insidious influence of totalitarianism on the lives of those trapped under its boot,” according to the Book Review piece. The book moves between Brooklyn in the 1930s to Soviet Russia to post- Cold War America.

Krasikov grew up in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and the United States. Her previous work includes “One More Year” (2008, Spiegel and Grau) a short story collection that was shortlisted for the PEN/ Hemingway Award and The New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award. Her stories have appeared in Cornell’s literary magazine Epoch and other publications such as The New Yorker, The Virginia Quarterly and The Atlantic Monthly Review.

Peelle’s novel, “The Midnight Cool,” is set in 1916 Tennessee and follows the adventures of two travelling horse traders who are seeking their fortunes. 

Peelle was born in Boston and now lives in Nashville, Tenn. She has won two Pushcart Prizes, an O. Henry Award and has been featured twice in Best New American Voices. Her short stories have appeared in various publications such as Granta, One Story, Orion and Cornell’s Epoch.