The Other Black Girl

"Effective satire is steeped in truth, and after three years as one of the few Black women in the trenches of mainstream publishing, Zakiya Dalila Harris had a wealth of material to borrow from for her provocative and sharp debut novel. The action centers on a Black editorial assistant whose dream job turns into her worst nightmare when a second Black girl enters the mix, and instead of sisterly camaraderie, she gets competition and gaslighting. The tension and danger escalate from there. With its arresting mix of sly social commentary, subtle horror and suspense, I found The Other Black Girl thoroughly and viscerally entertaining."

"Zakiya Dalila Harris’s debut novel The Other Black Girl, newly released, earned her a million-dollar book deal and has shot into the New York Times bestseller list. Described as Get Out meets Stepford Wives , the book begins as a slow burn office drama—in which a black publishing assistant greets the arrival of a new black colleague with excitement and then suspicion—before taking a turn for the speculative. The final twist in the tail will give you whiplash. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter Also of note in speculative fiction is Jeff VanderMeer’s Hummingbird Salamander . Fans of Annihilation will be pleased to hear that it’s a eco-thriller set in the world of wildlife trafficking and bioterrorism, with a distinctive noir style. Security consultant ‘Jane Smith’—not her real name—finds herself drawn into an international criminal conspiracy after being passed a key to a mysterious storage unit. In the background, a near-future Earth is degenerating as temperatures rise, ocean currents stall and drones monitor the cities. Disquieting and cerebral."