Books for When Your Brain Is Melted

Mermaids, tarot card readers, a wild man and other carnival characters work their literary magic in this debut novel. The story begins when Simon, a librarian whose mother drowned when he was young, receives a strange book in the mail. The waterlogged volume comes with a note from a mysterious antiquarian bookseller: “The damage renders it useless to me, but a name inside it—Verona Bonn—led me to believe it might be of interest to you or your family.” Verona was Simon’s grandmother; what’s more, the book—an illustrated log from an 18th century traveling show—is filled with familiar family names. To his shock, Simon discovers that his mother, a former “mermaid” in a carnival, was one of a centuries-long line of female ancestors to drown on July 24. He immediate fears for the life of his sister—a tarot card reader in a traveling show. As Simon tries to unravel and undo the deadly curse, he manages to juggle a falling-down house, an empty bank account and a fragile new romance. This book is packed with fresh, unexpected marvels.