First published 2026
A divorced New York mother opens her Brooklyn home to Martine, a refugee from Honduras. The year is 2022, and the arrangement seems perfect at first. Martine moves into the basement and quickly becomes helpful around the house. She makes herself indispensable to the family. But Nico, the eldest son, grows suspicious. He's a twenty-something who still lives at home without work, and he holds strong views about the refugee crisis. His doubts about Martine deepen when a strange, coughing man joins her in the basement. More of her compatriots follow. The elegant house in the upscale neighborhood becomes cramped. The situation spirals toward chaos. Mother and son find themselves on opposite sides of a bitter conflict. What began as an act of generosity transforms into something that threatens to tear the family apart.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, social-issues, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Brooklyn, Honduras, New York
Period: 2022
384 pages · Kindle Edition · Atlas Contact