Family Spirit

This emotional family saga from McKinney-Whetstone (Our Gen) introduces Ayana Mace, who feels torn between her father’s side of the family, who share her hereditary ability to see into the future, and her mother, who loves Ayana but shuns the Mace gift. Now Ayana has a vision of the Mace family home in Philadelphia exploding, and in the chaos, her aunt Lil falling, presumably to her death. She reassures herself with the knowledge that Aunt Lil was mysteriously exiled from the family before Ayana was even born, making the vision seem unlikely—until Lil shows up in town to deal with a medical issue and reenters the family’s lives. McKinney-Whetstone’s tale then splits, taking readers through Ayana’s present struggles with her sense of self, the history of Lil’s banishment from the family, and, in a metafictional twist, the story of Nona, the woman writing the novel in which the Mace family are characters. Crisp, detailed prose makes every story line feel lived-in and real, with a particular highlight being the complex but realistic family dynamics and dialogue. This layered fantasy feels almost fairy tale–esque, comfortable and cozy in its own mythology. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME. (Aug.)