New Arrivals for the Week of February 18

In Stuck, historian and journalist Yoni Appelbaum reveals how America's fabled social mobility has been eroded. Appelbaum uncovers how legal and systemic barriers have trapped generations in poverty, deepened inequality, and fueled division. Tracing this decline through vivid historical accounts, he exposes the forces behind today’s housing crisis and offers actionable solutions to restore mobility and opportunity. A powerful debut, Stuck reimagines America’s future by tackling its most pressing challenges head-on.

You won't want to miss Dream State—Oprah's latest book club pick. Already snapped up by A24 Productions, this multigenerational epic of inherited guilt, set in a small Montana town, has critics raving. The Washington Post calls it “a transporting wonder” with “one of the most touching endings in years,” while The Boston Globe praises its “cinematic opening”—a vivid scene so warm and attentive, a reader can’t help but fall in head first.

This “moody and triumphant” reimagining of the queer novella that inspired Dracula twists gothic horror with feminist fury, as a woman trapped in a failing marriage is drawn to a mysterious figure who awakens forbidden desires. As a strange hunger spreads, her world unravels, torn between desire and danger. Publishers Weekly calls it “a meditation on womanhood, corporate greed, and queer desire,” adding that it "revitalizes the classic tale without losing any of its appeal."

The Booker Prize-nominated author of The Lost Dog delivers a brilliant and provocative novel about a young Sri Lankan woman whose feminist ideals clash with the messy realities of love, literature, and power. “The narrator’s clever political insights and beautiful depictions of art and literature offer readers a view into a captivating mind,” praised Publishers Weekly. “De Kretser is at the top of her game.”

In the latest novel from the All the Birds, Singing author, a dead man observes his grieving girlfriend as a ghost, uncovering the dark Australian secrets she never revealed and how generational trauma shaped their doomed love story. "Wyld has always been in a category of her own, but this is stranger, darker and more brilliant than anything she's written before," remarked The Observer.

A young couple sets out on a road trip across the Southwest, but as wildfires rage and the Colorado River runs dry, the cracks in their relationship become undeniable. "Recalling the sunny haze of Joan Didion's work, the duality of life is everywhere: joy and pain, pregnancy and death, art and science," observed Booklist. "Literary fiction ready for a changing world."

With a foreword by Margaret Atwood, this haunting chronicle follows Ukrainian novelist Victoria Amelina's witness of Russia's invasion, written before her death in a 2023 missile strike. Her lyrical reportage transforms moments of warfare into profound meditations on human dignity. "Amelina has an impressive eye for detail and an incredible capacity to lyrically capture an image and imbue the smallest moments with humanity," praised Kirkus.

In this eerie, unsettling novel, two sisters' life in a walled garden is shattered when a boy appears, forcing them to face the dark secrets they’ve kept hidden. “Part fable, part literary thriller, wholly unmoored from genre convention, The Garden may be the elusive inheritor to the weirdness of Susanna Clarke's Piranesi,” observed Vulture.

Explore the life and legacy of one comedy’s most enigmatic figures. Morrison’s biography unveils the man behind Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, whose genius has shaped American humor for over 50 years. With unprecedented access to Michaels and SNL insiders, Morrison takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the tastemaker, talent scout, and comedy legend who inspired generations of stars. Lorne is a riveting portrait of the visionary who built an institution that redefined comedy and captured the cultural zeitgeist.

In the tradition of Evicted and Invisible Child, Disposable is a powerful indictment of systemic inequality in America. New York magazine senior writer Sarah Jones exposes how the pandemic didn’t create the country’s deep wealth gap—it merely revealed it. Through deeply personal stories of essential workers, seniors, and people with disabilities, Jones illustrates how capitalism and systemic racism left millions vulnerable long before COVID-19 struck.