Briefly Noted

"In this diabolical satirical thriller, a millennial woman resorts to extreme measures to secure the million-dollar house of her dreams. Margo, who works in P.R., and her husband, a government lawyer, have been outbid on eleven homes in the Washington, D.C., area, where they live. Determined to escape "real estate purgatory" through property ownership and start a family, Margo stalks a London-bound couple in the hope of snapping up their brick Colonial in a posh suburban neighborhood."

"Characters are at once accustomed to and unnerved by the measures that allow for their survival: a "biodome" that protects against perpetual sandstorms; ships that house humanity after the land has become unlivable. The stories portray characters of varying ages living across the world-a young woman coming of age on a reservation in Oregon, a South African boy who forms a rapport with an elephant-while examining human selfishness and finding gleaming moments of care and conviction, often prompted by an encounter with a nonhuman being."

A millennial PR professional repeatedly outbid in an expensive housing market becomes increasingly unhinged, escalating stalking and manipulative negotiation tactics to secure a coveted suburban Colonial and start a family. Persistent social pressure and the high-stakes real estate environment drive the protagonist to terrifying extremes that blur ethical boundaries. A separate set of near-future stories places characters within climate-adapted environments—biodomes, ships and other survival measures—and traces how technological and environmental pressures shape relationships across ages and geographies. Encounters with nonhuman beings prompt moments of care, while the erosion of the natural world threatens human identity and moral capacity.

Read at The New Yorker