How You Lose — J.C. Amberchele

How You Lose is a remarkable work of fiction in which a constellation of artfully linked stories follows a young woman named Melody, the man who shot her -- Alex -- and several people whose lives intersect briefly with Melody's in a succession of meaningful coincidences. A wise and penetrating debut novel about the life-altering repercussions of a crime -- for the perpetrator and victims alike -- How You Lose plumbs the psychological depths of empathy, redemption, and identity. Distinguished not only by its compelling themes and all-too-human characters, How You Lose is remarkable for its elegant orchestration of the stories: They stand alone, but as the book progresses, they build into a whole that emerges as a deeply resounding and unified depiction of both the fragility and resilience of the human condition.