New Fiction Offers Dramatic Escapes From Reality

As current events grow increasingly intense, this week’s new book releases invite readers to step back from the relentless news cycle and explore dramatic fictional worlds.

While these novels confront themes of tragedy, grief, and psychological tension, they remain safely in the realm of fantasy.

Highlights include Michelle Huneven’s Bug Hollow, a poignant family saga; Joyce Carol Oates’s Fox, featuring a chilling, enigmatic protagonist; Catherine Lacey’s genre-defying The Möbius Book;

Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s multi-decade The Sisters; and Peter Mendelsund’s inventive Weepers, about professional mourners. Each offers a unique narrative escape while exploring human complexity and loss.