by Saba Sams
First published 2026
Jules works nights at Gunk, the dingy student club her ex-husband Leon owns in Brighton. Five years after their divorce, she still pours drinks while watching Leon charm young women on the dance floor. Her routine breaks when Leon hires Nim, a nineteen-year-old with a shaved head and quiet intensity. Nim's presence stirs something in Jules that has been dormant for years. When Nim becomes pregnant, Jules steps in to help. Their bond deepens over the months as Nim's pregnancy progresses, creating an intimacy that neither woman expected. After Nim gives birth, she vanishes without warning. Jules finds herself alone in her flat, holding a day-old baby who carries Nim's scent. No one knows where Nim went or whether she plans to return. Jules must navigate this new reality while questioning what family means and what the future holds for herself, the missing Nim, and the infant now in her care.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Brighton
Period: contemporary
240 pages · Hardcover · Knopf