Magical Realism

The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson

A spoiler-free review of The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson: a debut built in five tidal movements around a coastal town destroyed by a tsunami, superb on grief and salvage, less sure about the man who walks out of the surf.

Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger

Twenty-three years after The Time Traveler's Wife, Niffenegger hands the disorder to Henry and Clare's daughter. Alba has two husbands, a safe house she has owned since 1947, and a stepsister made of code. The result is warm, unhurried and structurally unruly, and the machine turns out to be the most interesting person in it.

The Renovation by Kenan Orhan

The builders were supposed to fit a bathroom. They fitted a working cell from a Turkish prison. Kenan Orhan's debut is the funniest book on the Booker Prize 2026 longlist and by some distance the saddest.

The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis

A dog bite in Mexico City, a German collector of magic lanterns, and a friendship that lasts a handful of nights. Chloe Aridjis has written the most beautiful sentences on the Booker Prize 2026 longlist.

Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim

Our full review of Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim, a sweeping Cinderella retelling that follows a mother and daughter from wartime China to 1980s California. We cover the magic, the romance, the flaws, and who should read it.

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