by Tom Lin
First published 2026
Saul Keng Hsiu and his wife Mei Lee arrive in America with nothing but chrysanthemum seeds, hidden gold, and a 160-acre Dakota homestead from a distant relative. They survive a brutal winter and build a working farm, raising flowers, livestock, and their daughter Mara. Then the US Army Corps of Engineers purchases an acre of their land to construct a missile silo for America's nuclear program. Strange transformations begin. Mara develops the ability to communicate with farm animals. Mei Lee discovers she can see the future. Their chrysanthemums become indestructible. The military project brings the weight of empire to their doorstep, and the silo's influence spreads through generations of the Hsiu family. The farm becomes a place where the natural world collides with nuclear power, where immigrant dreams meet government secrets, and where each choice echoes forward in time.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, alternate-history, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, supernatural-abilities
Setting: America, Dakota
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
336 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company