Cook Park Library to Host Author Joshua Henkin

The Cook Library’s popular Authors Out Loud program continues with a May 1, 7 p.m. appearance by fiction writer Joshua Henkin. His latest novel, “The World Without You,” was named an Editor’s Choice Book by the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times, which describes it as “insightful…poignant…and pointed.” Registration is required for this free event, co-sponsored by Lake Forest Book Shop.

Called “blazingly alive” by The Boston Globe, Henkin’s “The World Without You” focuses on a grieving family who gather at their summer home in the Berkshires after the youngest sibling, journalist-adventurer Leo, dies in Iraq. As in his previous works, Henkin delves into the complexity that exists within any family. Entertainment Weekly calls “The World Without You” “keenly observant and compassionate” and lauds Henkin for both his skilled writing and psychological empathy in portraying realistic characters.

Henkin’s first two novels, “Swimming Across the Hudson” and “Matrimony,” were acclaimed as Notable Books by major dailies. “The World Without You” was the 2012 winner of the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for Jewish American Fiction and a finalist for the 2012 National Jewish Book Award. Henkin’s short stories have been published widely, cited for distinction in Best American Short Stories, and broadcast on NPR’s “Selected Shorts.” He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and directs the MFA program in fiction writing at Brooklyn College.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, which will be held at Cook Park Library. To register, go to webres.cooklib.org, call 847-362-2330 or visit the library.

—The Cook Library submitted this information.