by Devyn Defoe
First published 2026
The unnamed narrator sells books at a used store in The Bowl, a decaying riverside city ringed by abandoned almond orchards where feral children roam. She shares an apartment with September, who serves drinks at a cowgirl-themed restaurant. They ride the raccoon-infested bus to class and drink wine with their friend Claudia Thursday, both avoiding their useless boyfriends. When September crosses paths with Burnside, a homeless man who lives on the streets, she grows convinced he's following her. Her fear spreads through the community like wildfire. Soon the entire town blames Burnside for everything wrong with their world: the serial killers who have stalked The Bowl for decades, the missing people, the wildfires that consume neighboring towns, the pollution that chokes their air. As paranoia takes hold, the narrator watches her community turn a vulnerable man into a scapegoat for forces beyond anyone's control.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, social-issues
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: scapegoat, unreliable-narrator
Setting: The Bowl
272 pages · Paperback · Astra House
Content warnings: mental-illness