The Book Review Our Book Critics on Their 2025 in Reading
Dec 12, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Dwight Garner, a staff critic at The New York Times Book Review known for his insightful longform critiques, shares his favorite standout reads from 2025, including Ian McEwan's multilayered novel. Alexandra Jacobs, who delves into memoirs and cultural history, celebrates Adam Ross's vivid 'Playworld.' Jennifer Szalai, specializing in nonfiction, critiques timely biographies and explores the implications of Silicon Valley's ambitions in 'More Everything Forever.' Together, they toast the literary gems that have defined their year.
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The Sentence As Literary Unit
- Dwight Garner prizes the sentence as the fundamental unit of prose and keeps a commonplace book of lines.
- He argues a short, sharp, intelligent sentence can deliver profound reading pleasure.
McEwan's Return To Form
- Dwight calls Ian McEwan's What We Can Know a return to the McEwan many readers loved, mixing dinner-party surface with deeper historical layers.
- He finds it recommendable to both literary friends and casual readers.
Simplicity That Hides Depth
- Flesh by David Szalay presents a spare, Hemingway-like sentence economy revealing depth beneath simplicity.
- Dwight admired the book's portrayal of a detached male protagonist though he might not reread it.
