6 books you won't want to miss in November

A VPM story published Nov. 3, 2026, and credited to Colin Dwyer highlights six books: Louise Kennedy’s *Stations*, Mary Beth Keane’s *Whale Harbor*, Matt O’Hara’s *The Flying Death*, Daisy Johnson’s *Long Wave*, Tahmima Anam’s *Uprising* and *Amazons*.

Family histories and changing lives

In *Stations*, Louise Kennedy examines a young relationship shaped by the weight of family history. The book places romantic feeling alongside consequences that reach beyond the couple at its center.

Mary Beth Keane’s *Whale Harbor* follows an Irish father and his sons over several years and across multiple continents. Its story connects family members through time and distance.

Myth, menace and the natural world

Daisy Johnson’s *Long Wave* focuses on women and the ties within families. Myth and menace are also central to the book, giving its relationships an element of danger.

Tahmima Anam’s *Uprising* portrays women and children confined to a Bangladeshi river island. Prostitution and climate change shape the circumstances surrounding them.

Curare and a recovered pseudonym

Matt O’Hara’s *The Flying Death* examines curare, its medicinal research and its effects on Amazon communities. The subject gives the book a connection to both medical inquiry and the communities affected by curare.

The final title, *Amazons*, has a publishing history tied to a pseudonym. Don DeLillo wrote the book as Cleo Birdwell, and it received a republication in 2026.

Together, the six selections cover young love, family relationships, migration across continents, myth, social exploitation, climate change, curare and literary identity. The books are *Stations*, *Whale Harbor*, *The Flying Death*, *Long Wave*, *Uprising* and *Amazons*.