First published 2018
Apollo Kagwa deals in rare books through his shop Improbabilia and tries to be the father his own absent dad never was. His wife Emma grows distant from their newborn son, showing signs that go beyond postpartum depression. She commits a terrible act of violence and disappears completely. Apollo meets a stranger who claims to know where Emma went. His search takes him to a hidden island in the East River, a cemetery holding secrets, and a Queens forest where old immigrant stories live on. Apollo discovers that his wife and child are not what he believed them to be. The journey forces him through a world that operates by rules he never understood. He must confront the mystery of the people closest to him and the family bonds that define his life.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, fantasy, urban-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-bonds, mystery, search
Setting: East River, Queens, Improbabilia
Period: 21st-century
432 pages · Paperback · Canongate Books Ltd
Content warnings: violence