Fiction Recommendations

Flipping between 19th century China and a futurist Pacific Northwest, Salt Fish Girl is equal parts ecological dystopia and surrealist queer birth narrative. Magical realism and mythology feed the cyclical, fantastical story of Nu Wa, an immortal shape-shifter. This book is blurry, messy and absolutely riveting! - Clara

Faye builds an incredibly vivid, diverse, vibrant world of Prohibition Era America. Alice “Nobody” James picks her way between danger and friendship, prejudice and love, with intrigue before and behind her. Pick this one up for the history, the mystery, the slang and the love stories. Stay for a wonderful, wild ride, and characters you can’t help but adore. - Jocelyn

A guest at a dinner party disappears and locks himself - indefinitely - in the guest room, kicking off a media frenzy that brings together a bunch of lovable outcasts. Smith writes from a place of deep empathy, infusing each page with electric energy and witty wordplay. Reading this book rekindled my fondness for humanity. - Jess

Imbued with Dewitt’s oddball sensibility, this strange little book tells the story of an extremely wealthy (but growing poorer by the day) widow and her adult son who both absolutely positively refuse to worry about their increasingly precarious finances. Weird in the extreme, they’re sarcastic, rude, dismissive—and still strangely entertaining. An enjoyable romp. - Rico

Meet K, a heroin-addicted high-end prostitute who loves drugstore sushi. Staccato-like vignettes take us through a year in her life. The writing is sparse and brutal, sexy and repellent. The story is riveting and hypnotic, making it impossible to look away. This novel is not for everyone but I think it's remarkable. The conclusion left me speechless and lingered in my thoughts for days. - Trey

Following characters from Paris, New Orleans and Seattle, Robbins creates a complex and hilarious work of magical realism. Shifting between past and present, our story begins with King Alobar as he defies death and aging in search of eternal life. The story's whimsical nature and Robbins’s quirky wisdom will delight and astound you. - Natalie O.

Sexuality, loyalty, and authenticity war in the lives of Alderman's characters. Upon her father's death, Ronit crosses the Atlantic to return to the Orthodox Jewish community (and woman) she left behind. Alderman is as deft with midrash as she is with pop culture and sensuality. This is interpersonal London fiction in the vein of Zadie Smith. - Clara

Set in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles, Milkman confronts the absurdity of political strife and arbitrary borders, never ignoring the extreme violence and heartbreak that can arise from such divisions. Burns’ voice is dryly humorous, even as her narrator struggles with a stalker, harassment, and a war-torn home. - Jess

Hilarious and poignant, the fascinating novel brings us into the strange world of Cheryl Glickman, whose awkward, anxiety-fueled tendencies make us cringe in discomfort--or from the realization that we see ourselves in her thoughts and behaviors. The prose is smart and evocative, leaving the reader with new insights about what it means to love and be loved. - Kristi

The first half of this brilliant and intriguing novel takes place at the Biennale in Venice, where a world-weary freelance writer might be falling in love. The second part is set in Varanasi, India, where a world-weary Brit is going mad or finding nirvana, or both. Are the two characters the same guy? Are the stories connected? Dyer lets you come to your own conclusions. - Rico