The Shutouts

After escaping Inside, their climate refuge– turned–prison, Ava and her daughter Brook meet up with Ava’s ex-girlfriend Orchid. Their best chance to survive the brutally hot, storm-scoured outside world and reconnect with Brook’s best friend July is to head north. Orchid’s friend Camilla is waiting there for her return, along with cult escapee Max. Decades ago, Orchid’s mother Kelly inadvertently helped create the cult, a story she relates in letters as she makes her own cross-country trip in the past to reach her daughter. Korn’s (Yours for the Taking) second novel shifts its critique from corporate white feminism to the sinister side of activist culture and cults of personality. Kelly’s letters document the dangers of both, balanced by a present-day narrative in which characters recovering from betrayal and abandonment build healthier community bonds. The novel distinguishes itself from other postapocalyptic travel narratives with its focus on queer women and nonbinary people.