An eerie, hypnotic debut about friendship, desire, and memory set against the sultry backdrop of Florida’s swamplands.

“A mesmerizing, hallucinatory adrenaline rush of a novel.”—Claire Luchette, author of Agatha of Little Neon

It’s been years since Ingrid has heard from her childhood best friend, Mayra, a fearless rebel who fled their hometown of Hialeah, a Cuban neighborhood just west of Miami, for college in the Northeast. But when Mayra calls out of the blue to invite Ingrid to a weekend getaway at a house in the Everglades, she impulsively accepts.

From the moment Ingrid sets out, danger looms: The directions are difficult, she’s out of reach of cell service, and as she drives deeper into the Everglades, the wet maw of the swamp threatens to swallow her whole. But once Ingrid arrives, Mayra is, in many ways, just as she remembers—with her sharp tongue and effortless, seductive beauty, still thumbing her nose at the world.

Before they can fully settle into the familiar intimacy of each other’s company, their reunion is spoiled by the reemergence of past disagreements and the unexpected presence of Mayra’s new boyfriend, Benji. The trio spend their hours eating lavish meals and exploring the labyrinthine house, which holds as much mystery as the swamp itself. Indoors and on the grounds, time itself seems to expand, and Ingrid begins to lose a sense of the outside world, and herself.

Against this disquieting setting, where lizards dart in and out of porches and alligators peek from dark waters, Gonzalez weaves a surreal, unforgettable story about the dizzying power of early friendship and the lengths we’ll go to earn love and acceptance—even at the risk of losing ourselves entirely.

The Bewitching

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

With a Vengeance

Riley Sager

Riley Sager

The Possession of Alba Díaz

Isabel Cañas

Isabel Cañas

Acquired Taste

Clay McLeod Chapman

Clay McLeod Chapman

House of Monstrous Women

Daphne Fama

Daphne Fama

Mayra

Nicky Gonzalez

Nicky Gonzalez

Ecstasy

Ivy Pochoda

Ivy Pochoda

Tantrum

Rachel Eve Moulton

Rachel Eve Moulton

13 Months Haunted

Jimmy Juliano

Jimmy Juliano

The Haunting of William Thorn

Ben Alderson

Ben Alderson

Smile for the Cameras

Miranda Smith

Miranda Smith

Blood Slaves

Markus Redmond

Markus Redmond