In A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara presents an argument for why some lives aren’t worth living. She gets it wrong. Review by Najma Zahira

"Thirteen" by Frances Victory Schenkkan

In recounting the stories of black Americans who have sought to build utopias, Robertson reveals their absence of a true refuge in this world. Review by James E Cherry

Brad East’s Letters to a Future Saint offers a different kind of introduction to Christianity: with less theological abstraction and more attention to the givenness of Christian worship and practice. Review by Will Bryant

Shark-attack movies can remind us to resist the hubristic belief that we can control the wild, and to instead respect the power of nature. Review by Brigitta Nortker

Christian Collier’s debut poetry collection brings together grief, transience, and the beautiful fragility of life and love. Review by Alice Courtright

A new graphic novel depicting the life of composer Arvo Pärt creates striking visual resonances for both music and prayer. Review by Micah Clark

Brown’s poems juxtapose the sacred and the everyday, situating both in real places ranging from the urban to the airborne. Review by Abigail Carroll

Joe Pug’s latest album carries forward the themes of his 2009 debut with the weight of accumulated age and experience. Review by Matt Miller

A consuming childhood friendship allows two young women to imagine, but not attain, a future beyond their impoverished Italian neighborhood. Review by Maria Copeland