First published 2026
Novelist Naomi Alderman sets up a wildlife camera in her parents' backyard while grieving her mother's death. The camera captures something impossible: a new species of animal, badger-sized with flat faces and trunk-like noses. Within months, these "mimmoths" appear everywhere from the UK to Russia to India. They display unusual intelligence but resist all human contact, refusing food and evading capture. As Alderman processes her grief, she becomes convinced she shares a special bond with the creatures. The mimmoths trigger global conspiracy theories and power struggles while their mysterious purposes remain hidden. Alderman finds herself caught between her personal mourning and a world transformed by these enigmatic beings. She questions whether her grief distorts her perception or whether reality itself has fundamentally shifted. The novel explores the intersection of personal loss and collective uncertainty as humanity confronts the unknown.
Genres: literary-fiction, grief, speculative-fiction, contemporary, magical-realism, mystery-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, introspective, melancholic, mysterious, thought-provoking, unsettling
Tropes: first-contact, grief-processing, special-connection, unreliable-narrator
Setting: UK, Russia, India, backyard
Period: contemporary
Paperback · Little, Brown & Company
Content warnings: death