The Home Front

This sharply observed novel concerns two wars. Todd is an Air Force major who operates drones, from an air-conditioned base. His wife, Rose, spends her days waging a different sort of battle: Their 4-year-old son, Max, has autism. Van_x0002_denburg draws overt parallels between the two home fronts. Her depictions of both autism and the drone program are convincing, and she moves confidently between perspectives. The novel is sche_x0002_matic, but also profoundly timely. —The New York Times