New Literary Fiction Releases

Karan Mahajan, also an associate professor at Brown University, gained recognition as a finalist for the National Book Award for his novel, *The Association of Small Bombs*. *The Complex* follows the Chopra family in Delhi in the 1970s as they navigate political upheaval and family secrets. Themes of loyalty, power, and tradition emerge as the family grapples with India's transformation and violence. Lauren Groff's *Brawler* is a collection of short stories exploring the battle between humans' light and dark sides. Groff, who won the 2022 Joyce Carol Oates Prize, presents characters grappling with family obligations, guilt, and unspoken battles. The stories range from the 1950s to the present, set in New England, Florida, and California. Sarvat Hasin's *Strange Girls* explores a complicated friendship between Ava and Aliya, two women who meet in college and become close friends. Years later, estranged, they reunite at a bachelorette party in London, forcing them to confront their shared history. The novel explores themes of creativity, longing, and unspoken feelings, and is Hasin's U.S. debut. Kat Rosenfield's *How to Survive in the Woods* is a psychological thriller set in Maine's Hundred Mile Wilderness, along the Appalachian Trail. The story follows Emma Sharp, a woman in a controlling marriage, who plots with her husband's ex-girlfriend to reclaim her life. Rosenfield's novel explores survival, betrayal, and the dark side of human nature.