Malena Watrous recommends
Belonging (2024)
Jill Fordyce
"Belonging is a moving and original story of a girl coming of age and learning who she is in a family wracked with tension, set against a California landscape from the seventies to the present, chronicling the history of that time and place as much as its indelible characters. Jill Fordyce is a sensitive and beautiful writer and a novelist to watch."
In the Event of Death (2023)
Kimberly Young
"In the Event of Death is that rare novel that is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Young perfectly captures the angst of middle age in this beautifully written story where one woman - sandwiched between her unpredictable teenagers and ailing parents - realizes she can't hold everything together and might as well embrace the messiness of life."
