New stuff from Picador this month.
This is the one my wife gravitated to:
Lives Other Than My Own, by Emmanuel Carrere. Blurb:
In Sri Lanka, a tsunami sweeps a child out to sea, her grandfather helpless against the onrushing water. In France, a woman dies from cancer, leaving her husband and small children bereft. What links these two catastrophes is the presence of Emmanuel Carrère, who manages to find consolation and even joy as he immerses himself in lives other than his own. The result is a heartrending narrative of endless love, a meditation on courage in the face of adversity, and an intimate look at the beauty of ordinary lives.
Do you know about Matt Taibbi’s agon with Thomas Friedman. He’s rough, I tell you, rough.