Feral Girl Summer (And All Year Round)

Big Swiss is an undeniably hilarious novel about the affair between a sex therapist’s transcriptionist and a patient. A wonderfully chaotic novel full of dark humor, Jen Beagin’s latest explores new age pop psychology, grief and obsession in a page-turning story. Pick up our exclusive edition for an extra chapter where Jen Beagin talks about her writing process with one of her characters. 

A fierce satire of gender, class and abuse, Boy Parts will shock you — and make you laugh.  A gallery show of explicit photos should help Irina reboot her career, yet her life starts to spiral out of control. Eliza Clark’s electric debut is an alluring exploration of feminine rage, obsession and desire.   

In her first novel since The Girls, Emma Cline’s The Guest is a propulsive story about a con woman posing as a member of Long Island’s high society. Pick up our exclusive edition for a bonus Q&A between Cline and her editor Kate Medina and brightly-colored end papers, then tune into our Poured Over podcast to hear Emma riff on trauma math and more.  

The Mythmakers is a luminous debut about art, ambition and who gets to tell stories from Vanity Fair editor Keziah Weir. To hear more about who has the right to tell stories, likeable female characters and literary canon, listen to Keziah Weir on our Poured Over podcast.

Elif Batuman, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Idiot, brings Selin back for her sophomore year in Either/Or. A hilarious and gripping novel about surviving college in the 90s, this follow-up is full of wry observations and questionable decisions. Elif Batuman stopped by our Poured Over podcast to talk about the way her life influences her writing, analyzing literature, and more.

You won’t want to put down this medieval fantasy that feels like a fairy tale adapted by Margaret Atwood or Ursula K. LeGuin. The latest from Ottessa Moshfegh, author of the critically acclaimed My Year of Rest and Relaxation, is a book of spells and stories, faith and power. Explore Lapvona’s backstory in Otessa Moshfegh’s episode of Poured Over. 

Your Driver is Waiting pays homage to the 1970s film Taxi Driver with a queer feminist spin. Damani is drowning in debt and driving for a ride-share app to make ends meet, when her crush sets off an explosive chain of events. Fasten your seatbelts for a wild ride of darkly comic prose that takes on performative allyship, racism and classicism. 

Unhinged in the best way possible, this is a novel that presents itself initially as the story of an inequal relationship but evolves into a blistering commentary on race, patriarchy, consumer culture and our use of social media. You’ll burn through these 216 pages quickly – and the unnamed narrator’s voice will stick with you long after you’ve put this book down. 

Mona Awad (Bunny), spins a gothic fairy tale about the dangerous pursuit of youth and beauty. Like a fun house mirror held up to our own vanity, Rouge is a twisted story about a woman held captive by her skincare routine.  

A jagged tale that blends humor with longing, Sea Change tells the story of a woman and her bond with an octopus. Ro’s life is marked by loss and trauma, leaving her with Dolores, a giant Pacific octopus who is the last link she has to her father. When even that bond is threatened, Ro finds herself on a precipice, and readers will be immersed in this brilliant tale. Gina Chung sat down to discuss her debut novel on our Poured Over podcast.  

From the author of Milk Fed and The Pisces comes a desert survival story. A woman flees to the desert as an escape from the grave illnesses of loved ones and comes across a towering cactus with a door-like gash in its side that beckons to her. Riddled with grief and isolation, Death Valley is a weird and wondrous bookish mirage. 

Grief and secrets lead to very bad decisions in this evocative debut that balances laughter and heartbreak. Learn more about the challenges of writing this book with Elysha Chang and her publisher Sarah Jessica Parker in a live recording of our Poured Over podcast.  

An insightful novel about complicated family relationships, Claudia Dey’s Daughter follows one woman trying to step out of her father’s shadow. Mona’s father’s infidelity tore her apart as a child, and now as an adult, Mona faces a great loss that throws her entire life into question. This fiery story beautifully encapsulates the human need of loving and needing to be loved in return.  

This suspenseful and clever debut finds sisters Ayoola and Korede perfecting the art of murder. When her handsome coworker asks for Ayoola’s phone number, Korede must evaluate how far she’s willing to go for her sibling. My Sister, the Serial Killer is a sharp and fast-paced story of a sisterly rivalry.  

A Certain Hunger is a macabre debut about a food critic with many passions — cooking, sex… even murder. Dorothy travels frequently from Manhattan to Italy for food and romance, but when she decides to be fully herself, she embraces the things that are also the most terrifying parts of her. Meet this charming psychopath as she tries to avoid the one thing she will regret: getting caught.  

The perfect next read for fans of The God of Endings, Claire Kohda’s debut is an eccentric story about an insatiable vampire living among humans. Lydia dreams of tasting the food of the humans she creates art alongside, yet her body can only digest blood. A story of conflict, alienation and her relationship with food, Woman, Eating is the fresh take on vampires we’ve been craving.