Radiant Shimmering Light, Sarah Selecky, Bloomsbury Publishing – Lilian Quick sees colorful auras around dogs and tries to eke out a living painting their portraits – until she reconnects with her cousin Florence – now known as Eleven – a self-actualization guru for empowering women.
The Kinship of Secrets, Eugenia Kim, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt – When the Chos left Korea in 1948 for America, they brought one daughter, Miran, but left their baby Inja with their family in Korea.
Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, Gretchen Anthony, Park Row Books – Christmas letters don’t always paint a true picture of a family’s life.
Whiskey When We’re Dry, John Larison, Viking – Jessalyn Harney’s mother dies giving birth on the family’s struggling ranch on the frontier, leaving her father and brother, Noah, to raise her.
The Ruin, Dervla McTiernan, Penguin Books – When Cormac Reilly was a rookie, he responded to a call for help from a teenager named Maude – her mother was dead.
America for Beginners, Leah Franqui, William Morrow –Pival has barely even traveled within her native Kolkata but after her husband dies, she decides to tour America to find her son who may or may not have died, disowned by his family.
The Perfect Mother – The May Mothers and their newborns meet regularly for companionship and commiserating. Their decision to spend a night out having fun without their babies becomes tragic when one baby goes missing.
West, Carys Davies, Scribner – Widower Cy Bellman reads about huge bones found in Kentucky and becomes obsessed with the idea that the creatures may still live in the unexplored west.
Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi, Grove Atlantic – Ada has multiple selves who inhabit the marble chamber of her head and manifest themselves in her interactions with her family, friends and especially the men who have the misfortune of meeting one of her dominant selves.
In Every Moment We are Still Alive, Tom Malmquist, Melville House – Tom and Karin are eagerly anticipating their daughter’s birth when Karin suddenly becomes seriously ill.
