We Live Here Now
by Sarah Pinborough
Pinborough’s WE LIVE HERE NOW (Pine & Cedar, 287 pp., $28.99) starts off like a standard haunted house novel: There’s a move to an old place in a remote location, and characters are dealing with the aftermath of something awful. There are creepy noises, unusually cold rooms, a looming raven and more. Yes, a list of clichés — but don’t despair because this book quickly morphs into a Pinborough novel: atmospheric, immersive, surprising and as dark as wet tires.
Emily suffered a fall that left her in the hospital with a shattered leg and fighting sepsis. After being discharged, she and her husband, Freddie, abandon their home in London and move into Larkin Lodge, a big house in Dartmoor. Like any old building, Larkin Lodge has creaks and drafts, but Emily thinks there’s more going on. Books fly off the shelves, a protruding nail vanishes and then reappears, a Ouija board spells an incomplete message, and there’s definitely something on the third floor. The house could be haunted, or post-sepsis psychosis could be making Emily hallucinate.
More than just a haunted house novel, this is a supernatural psychological thriller. The closing chapters are a master class in twists. There’s plenty of spooky stuff here, but what makes the book great is the way Pinborough mixes in Emily’s human struggles. “We Live Here Now” deals with grief, infidelity and dying love, in addition to blackmail, lies and murder. It’s an intoxicating mix. This story is urgent and bold until the very end.
The Night Birds
by Christopher Golden
Golden’s THE NIGHT BIRDS (St. Martin’s, 289 pp., $28) is a tense, chaotic horror novel that moves like a thriller.
The Christabel — a half-sunken boat off the shore of Galveston, Texas — has sat abandoned for more than a century. Nature has reclaimed the vessel, which is now covered in mangroves and has been nicknamed the “Floating Forest.” Charlie Book, an employee of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is one of the scientists tasked with studying the strange ship, and he’s so dedicated to the boat that he lives on it.
Then a bad storm approaches. Book decides he’ll ride out the tempest onboard the Christabel, and on his way to the ship to hunker down, he encounters Ruby Cahill, a former colleague and ex-lover he never expected to see again after they broke up following a miscarriage. Ruby, who is with another woman and a baby, says they need a place to hide. Book brings them to the boat, and only after they’re onboard with the storm raging does he learn that his guests aren’t being chased by ordinary pursuers but by witches. Then he meets them.
The horror here is fast and violent. I don’t want to spoil too much, but the monsters aren’t your typical take on witches, and they kill with all the finesse of a rabid bear. Golden combines these elements with emotionally complex background stories and rich lore. This novel juggles a lot, but Golden directs it all with the confidence and flair of a seasoned orchestra conductor to deliver another outstanding read.
Immaculate Conception
by Ling Ling Huang
Huang’s IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (Dutton, 289 pp., $28) is unlike anything else I’ve read this year. On the surface, this is a bashfully dystopian science fiction yarn about friendship and loss, but boiling right under that is a fiercely intellectual narrative that tackles big questions about art, originality, inspiration, motherhood and impermanence.
In “Immaculate Conception,” the world is literally divided between the haves and have-nots by a screen that makes each group invisible to the other. Enka is a have-not. Despite that, she manages to get into a renowned art school on the wealthy side of town where she meets Mathilde, a brilliant artist who is already gaining fame and attention, even as a student. Enka and Mathilde form a tight friendship, but jealousy is always present, especially as Mathilde’s star rises over the years, and over time they begin to drift apart.
Then Mathilde experiences a devastating loss and disappears from the art world. After Mathilde’s breakdown, Enka — who is now married, has kids and is managing her own career — finds her and cares for her, and an unexpected opportunity arises. Enka’s husband works on a new technology that can grant clients access to another person’s memories and inspiration. Exactly the things that make an artist unique. With this invention, Enka and Mathilde can become linked forever but what would that mean for them as individuals and as artists?
“Immaculate Conception” is timely in the way it looks at power, fame and “the industry of art” and at how A.I. affects art; and its exploration of the way trauma shapes us is emotionally resonant. It is a messy, heartfelt love letter to art, and a superb work of fiction.
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