“In God’s world, no one suffers without deserving it. Now confess.” This unsettling line reveals the tension throughout the novel, The Small Hours, by Edward Averett. The story places us into the turmoil of the main character, Michael Virtue’s, quest for discovery following the death of a best friend and flailing marriage. As he searches for answers to his uncle’s mysterious disappearance decades before during the Spanish Civil War, he and a cast of characters must question whether final solutions are something they need or even deserve. The Small Hours provides a measured and reflective style that tends to favor atmosphere over blazing momentum, though that manages to play into the novel’s strengths. Averett provides characters with emotional depth through thoughtful language that ultimately rewards in its themes of guilt and reckoning.

“Although women were not explicitly included in Nazi antigay laws, some lesbian women did end up in concentration camps. Rather than the pink triangle gay men were made to wear on their chests, these women wore a black one, labeling them not as “gay” but as asozial or gemeinschaftsunfähig—“antisocial” or “incapable of living in community.” The collection of essays, Unexploded Ordnance, by Catharina Coenen, brings forth depth and humanity through the horrid experiences suffered under the Nazi regime. She explores a multitude of the regime’s effects with compelling emotional honesty, including the genetic ramifications that trauma instills on future generations. These essays serve as an appeal to face the past, acknowledge its painful truths, while coming to terms with the reality that the damage from war and persecution exists long after it’s deemed over. Coenen exposes through powerful reflections on the ways our family histories shape who we are, making this work both thought-provoking and deeply moving.

“From the start, he never believed he deserved her, like she’d taken up with him by mistake and might not stick around if he didn’t play his cards right. But he never knew which cards to play, and the fact she stuck around anyway seemed more like good luck on his part or plain laziness on hers.” The novel, When Things Go Missing, by Deborah J. Brasket, drops us into the remnants of a dysfunctional family, as fallout tumbles from the sudden departure of the mother and wife of the three protagonists—brother, Cal, sister, Kay, and their father, Walter. As each handles her absence, they soon begin to contemplate the reasons she left and the broken foundation they each stand upon. While the novel begins steeped in sorrow, its gradual turn toward healing makes When Things Go Missing a quietly hopeful exploration of loss and resilience.

“Bindi had cringed at the romantic expression—especially coming from her mother. She was no Bollywood movie heroine, but of course she wanted a say, and she couldn’t imagine marrying without at least the prospect of love.” The novel, Garnet, by Jennifer Severn, captures the tangled lives of a small town with a keen, sympathetic eye. What begins with a curious offer rattling an old roadside business soon widens into the quiet burdens a community carries. At times, the novel moves at an unhurried, lived-in pace, and the shifting storylines can feel a bit more sprawling than expected. Even still, there’s an honesty here that outweighs the occasional detour. Severn adeptly reveals how people weather disappointment while still plodding forward, providing an observant portrait of rural life.

“Here, being LGBTQ means living underground. You blend in, you laugh at the same homophobic jokes as everyone else, you nod along when people call queer people “sick” and “perverted,” and you keep your mouth shut so you can survive.” The short story collection, When Silence Shatters, by Mahitab Mahmoud, guides us through seven stories that remind us of the importance of autonomy, freedom of choice, and the need to advocate for the vulnerable in any society. While my strongest connection was to the LGBTQ+ narratives, Mahmoud’s use of expressive language and carefully crafted scenes captured each character’s ongoing struggle and frustration, conveying their sorrow while still leaving me hopeful that each would find satisfaction and well-earned triumph in pursuing their dreams.

“The demon is on him. His scream is cut short. His back arches in a spasm of pain and terror. The jester raises his hands to the sky, as if in a blasphemous prayer.” This quote sets the tone of the novel, He Lies on the Jester’s Cart, by M.D. Mare, as it pulls us into a world of unsettling truths. Following the mysterious death of Marzio Solimena, his grieving girlfriend refuses those who claim suicide and searches for her own truth, all while being chased by visions of a jester. In tandem, a police commissioner investigates the case from a different angle, and together their paths reveal something neither anticipated. He Lies on the Jester’s Cart provides readers with a blend of grief, mystery, and surreal dread.

“Dean’s sigh was longer, wearier. The exhalation of a man who’d seen too much and understood too little about what humans were capable of doing to each other.” The novel, Made in America: or The Tragedy of Bill Castle and Unexpected Absolution of Dean Willis, by Jack Chase, thrusts us into the darker recesses of New York City, as its protagonist, Billy Castle, struggles to climb out of his miserable circumstances, only to become lost in the muck of hasty acts that drastically better his financial livelihood while assailing his conscience. Chase brings us a fascinating antagonist in Archer Stone, whose astonishing conduct forces each character to confront his selfish machinations. Though Made in America occasionally becomes tangled within the metaphors of its environment, it offers a sharp exploration of resilience within a deteriorating world.

“He never thought one day, the things he sacrificed will be reduced to dust, and people will go on killing one another, filled with hatred and division. This is not the peace he had fought with blood and tears for. But nothing matters now.” The short story collection, Love, Anyways, by Thanh Dinh, takes readers through fourteen meaningful tales that remind us of the importance of care and connection that make us human, even when other parts of our lives may be falling apart. Especially moving are the LGBTQ+ stories that carry a disheartening sorrow yet still find meaning and purpose from heartbreak. Stories, such as “Is It True,” explore the unclear lines and often intermingling between love and cruelty, as Dinh confronts the darkness of fidelity, written with heartbreaking emotional precision.

“What they didn’t grasp—I finally did—was this: You can’t build a life by disowning the one you’ve already lived. No matter how flawed its beginning.” The novel, Lucky Me, by Greg Golebiewski, brings us his vulnerable narrative and its leading protagonist with the same moniker. Told through moments of displacement and longing for something greater, Lucky Me explores the obligations we tend to hold to those dear to us despite their progressively toxic, selfish, and self-destructive behaviors. Through the protagonist’s endeavors, we discover that life does not stagnate within a constant, straight line but jags, swirls, and never quite reveals its intent, no matter how long we attempt to build one solid foundation after another. Lucky Me reminds us that each of us has the power to change the course of our circumstances at any time and never needs to admit defeat.

“This is pure Cape Cod, he knows, the old Cape of incestuous relationships, the sweaty-close connections. Boy, he thinks suddenly, god I hope nothing’s happened to Boy?” The novel, The Winterpoor, by George Michelson Foy, draws us into the struggles of its protagonist, Murdo Peters, set in the backdrop of a more gritty and raw Cape Cod removed from those who know its tourist draw. In the midst of struggling in work and the ongoing burden in restoring his residence, he takes on the role of caretaker for a mentally challenged and neglected boy. As a literal and emotional intensive storm heads his way, Murdo must find the strength to protect the people he cares about and find his way forward.  The Winterpoor offers an exploration of resilience amidst environmental decay and personal turmoil.