"The Antidote is my pick for novel of the year. An epic story of immigration, land grabs and aspiration, The Antidote is set in Nebraska and framed by two actual weather catastrophes: The "Black Sunday" dust storm on April 14, 1935 in which people were suffocated by a moving black wall of dust and, a month later, the Republican River flood. The central character here is a so-called "Prairie Witch" who heals her customers by holding "whatever they can't stand to know. ""
"Buckeye is an historical novel set, as its title indicates, in Ohio. Stretching from pre-World War II to the close of the 20th century, the story focuses on two married couples whose lives intersect. When we first meet her, Margaret Salt, a red-headed "looker," walks into the hardware store where Cal Jenkins works and demands he turn on the radio. There's commotion in the streets and because Margaret's husband is serving in the Navy, she wants to know what's happening."
Selected novels of 2025 feature expansive narratives that blend historical events with intimate personal moments. The Antidote unfolds in Nebraska against the 1935 Black Sunday dust storm and a Republican River flood, centering on a Prairie Witch who heals by holding what people cannot bear to know. Buckeye traces lives in Ohio from pre-World War II through the late 20th century, following intersecting married couples and moments of contingency from street radios to wartime seas. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny follows Sonia, a homesick college student in Vermont longing for India, exploring displacement and emotional isolation.
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