First published 2025
Wang creates a fictional world around the controversial laws that John Adams signed in 1798. Her characters navigate the tension between national security fears and constitutional freedoms as the young United States grapples with war hysteria and political persecution. French immigrants face deportation while newspaper editors risk imprisonment for criticizing the government. The story follows ordinary people caught between loyalty and conscience as the Federalist Party uses emergency powers to silence opposition voices. Wang explores how fear transforms neighbors into informants and turns political disagreement into treason. Her novel examines the human cost when a democracy abandons its founding principles in the name of protection.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, loyalty-vs-conscience
Setting: United States
Period: 1798
176 pages · Hardcover · Modern Library
Content warnings: racism, violence