Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor

In the Season 6 premiere of Books, Baby!, we dive into Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor—a tender, searching novel set against the heat and loneliness of a New York summer.

On the surface, this novel reads like a romance. But beneath the intimacy is a deeper meditation on art, race, ambition, and the quiet ache of wanting to be fully seen.

In this episode, Ian, Bev and Alo unpack the emotional restraint, the tension beneath the dialogue, and the way Taylor turns New York into a backdrop for both reinvention and isolation. A conversation about connection, creativity, and the fragile distance between seeing and understanding.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Valencia - Michelle Tea
• Rejection - Tony Tulathimutte
• Cinema Love - Haming Tang
• The South - Tash Aw
• The Morning Star - Karl Ove Knausgård
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  Oisín McKenna
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Connect with us via email (⁠booksbabypod@gmail.com⁠) and on Instagram!

Books, Baby! – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksbabypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosts:

Ian – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bookish_ian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bev – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@booksgonewilde⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Alo – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@books.swallows.universe⁠⁠⁠