WHALEFALL BY DANIEL KRAUS
Growing up, Jay Gardiner’s relationship with his father has always been strained. When his father loses control on one particularly bad day, Ray reaches his breaking point and leaves his home behind. Following his father’s death in the ocean with his body never found, Jay is ridden with guilt and sets his mind on finding his father’s remains despite the seemingly impossible task.
While diving, Jay comes across a giant squid and gets caught in its tentacles. He ends up getting swallowed by a whale together with the squid, with just an hour’s worth of air left in his oxygen tank.
THE KILLING ROOM BY ROBERT SWARTWOOD
While on vacation in Las Vegas, businessman Stephen Walker wakes up in a hotel room and finds a dead woman in the bathtub. Captured for a murder that he did not commit, Stephen insists on his innocence. Meanwhile, a pair of detectives offer him a way out but they soon find out the situation isn’t that simple.
HAPPINESS FALLS BY ANGIE KIM
When Mia’s brother and father don’t come home from their walk in a park, she doesn’t worry too much about it and thinks they’re just running late. But her brother Eugene returns alone with blood on his clothes, and soon the police officers are at their doorstep. Eugene is the only witness to their father’s disappearance but he’s unable to communicate due to his genetic condition.
THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN HISTORY BY REBEKAH BERGMAN
After nearly drowning, eight-year-old Maeve Wilhelm falls into a coma without physically ageing as decades pass. Her mysterious state draws the attention of several characters including a museum owner obsessed with preservation; a refugee and performance artist; an entomologist who dreamed of being an astrophysicist; and Maeve’s identical twin. Meanwhile, there’s a new medical breakthrough that promises the impossible but at what cost?
WHO WE ARE NOW BY LAURYN CHAMBERLAIN
A story of friendship revolving around a group of four as they graduate from college and fumble through adulthood, gradually drifting away from each other despite their efforts. Each year is told from one character’s point of view, exploring their 20s and 30s as they come to terms with their regrets and the choices they’ve made in their professional and personal lives. Somewhere along the way, the group reconnects again but not in a way they would expect.
BAD LUCK CHARM BY JULIE JOHNSON
Gwen has a busy but content life running the occult shop she inherited from her aunt, keeping its legacy afloat. When a bloody animal sacrifice is left as a warning outside her shop, Gwen finds herself in danger. On the lookout for the mastermind is private investigator Graham who is known for his no-nonsense approach in his line of work.
TOM LAKE BY ANN PATCHETT
Lara’s three daughters return home to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan, helping their parents with the harvest. While picking cherries, her daughters become curious about their mother’s past. Lara gives in to their pleas and tells the story of how she met a famous actor and shared a stage before he made it big, and how it all led to meeting their father.
THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE BY JAMES MCBRIDE
In 1972, a skeleton is found at the bottom of a well in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, stirring fear among the citizens. The victim’s identity and how they got there is a long-held secret kept by discriminated residents of Chicken Hill.
The story goes back in time, following married couple Moshe and Chona Ludlow who live in Chicken Hill. While Moshe is occupied with integrating his theatre, Chona runs a grocery store and is known for her generosity. When the state seeks to institutionalise a young orphan, Chona works together with Nate Timblin to keep the boy safe. – Aqilah Rahman
