What You See in the Dark, by Manuel MuñozRead about the other entries on the list.
110 miles north of L.A., a dusty inland city currently known for its poor air quality and 108-degree summers, Bakersfield was a very different place in the 1950s, beautifully rendered by Muñoz in his unforgettable 2011 debut novel. An unassuming, lovely young Mexican American singer dates the most coveted white man in town, but their apparently dream-like romance ends in horror. As their star-crossed relationship plays out, Alfred Hitchcock arrives in town (complete with his film crew and leading lady, Janet Leigh), to film his seminal masterpiece, Psycho. Differing perspectives from out-of-towners and locals makes for a rich tapestry. “There is what you see and what you make of it, what you know for sure and what you have to experience, what others tell you and what gets confirmed.”
--Marshal Zeringue