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Crucet, Jennine Capó. Say Hello to My Little Friend. S. & S. Mar. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781668023327. $27.99. LITERARY

Coming of age in Miami, Ismael (Izzy) Reyes isn’t making it as a Pitbull impersonator—he’s living in his aunt’s garage—but then his dreams of being a Tony Montana–like character from Scarface lead him to the tank of the captive orca Lolita (who, sadly, is recently deceased) and a surreal journey through past and present. From the International Latino and Iowa Short Fiction Prize–winning Crucet (Make Your Home Among Strangers).

Cunningham, Vinson. Great Expectations. Hogarth: Crown. Mar. 2024. 224p. ISBN 9780593448236. $28. LITERARY

There’s plenty of idealism in the speech given by the senator from Illinois, and David wonders if such idealism can be sustained in the face of inevitable political compromise. Still, he throws himself into the 18-month campaign to elect the first Black U.S. president, even as he reflects on race, religion, art, and fatherhood. New Yorker staffer Cunningham’s debut.

Goodhand, James. The Day Tripper. Mira: Harlequin. Mar. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780778369646. $28.99. LITERARY

In 1995, incoming Cambridge student Alex Dean has a run-in with a childhood bully and ends up bloody and nearly drowned, awakening the next day to find that 15 years have passed. He then proceeds to bounce around in time, wondering why his life looks nothing like what he’d expected and whether he can change what he’s seen. British author Goodhand’s adult debut; with a 75,000-copy first printing.

Gowda, Shilpi Somaya. A Great Country. Mariner: HarperCollins. Mar. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780063324343. $30. CD. LITERARY

Having arrived in the United States from India, the Shahs have achieved success after 20 years of hard work; they live in a gated community in California with spectacular ocean views. But success doesn’t mean the same thing to their children, which is made clear on the night their 12-year-old son is arrested. From the New York Times best-selling author of Secret Daughter; with a 150,000-copy first printing.

Greer, Sierra. Annie Bot. Mariner: HarperCollins. Mar. 2024. 240p. ISBN 9780063312692. $28. LITERARY

Annie is a robot—and the idealized girlfriend of human owner Doug, there to satisfy his every physical and emotional need while wearing the cute outfits he buys for her. She tries so hard to please him that she’s investigating human emotions like curiosity and longing, which could disrupt everything. Greer’s debut was a runner-up for the publisher’s winter Lead Read. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Hansbury, Griffin. Some Strange Music Draws Me In. Norton. Mar. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781324050797. $27.99. LITERARY

In small-town 1984 Massachusetts, Melanie (better known as Mel) meets the vibrant trans woman Sylvia and starts thinking about life’s possibilities. Decades later, Mel has become Max and is on probation from the school where he teaches, ironically for defying speech codes regarding the trans community. A timely plunge into gender and class issues from Lambda Literary Award finalist Hansbury.

Lawrence, Vanessa. Ellipses. Dutton. Mar. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780593472774. $28. LITERARY

Long out as a lesbian, style-setting cosmetics mogul Billie is one formidable businesswoman, while biracial, bisexual Lily finds both her love life and fashion-magazine career stuttering. She’s thrilled that Billie seems eager to act as mentor but soon becomes dangerously obsessed with her. From veteran magazine staff writer Lawrence, currently an MFA candidate.

Obreht, Téa. The Morningside. Random. Mar. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781984855503. $29. lrg. prnt. CD. LITERARY

Thrown out of their homeland in a chaotic near-future, Silvia settles with her mother in the Morningside, a seen-better-days luxury tower in the once sparkling, now half-flooded Island City. There, she befriends the superintendent Ena, who shares the history, beauty, and folklore of the country Silvia has lost. Following the National Book Award finalist The Tiger’s Wife and the Southwest Book Award–winning Inland.

Oyeyemi, Helen. Parasol Against the Axe. Riverhead. Mar. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780593192368. $28. LITERARY

Accepting an invitation for a bachelorette party from estranged friend Sofie, Hero Tojosoa lands in Prague, a city full of more than the usual surprises. Unexpected companions appear, and the narrative of a book Hero is reading shape-shifts constantly, telling new stories about Prague even as the city comments on itself. From the Open Book–winning, Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist Oyeyemi.

Rijneveld, Lucas. My Heavenly Favorite. Graywolf. Mar. 2024. 288p. tr. from Dutch by Michele Hutchison. ISBN 9781644452738. $28. LITERARY

A veterinarian whose work frequently takes him to the Dutch countryside becomes infatuated with a near-adolescent farmer’s daughter who wishes she were a boy and sees the visiting vet as a way out of her restrictive life. What results is crime, confession, and punishment unfolded in the aftermath of events. From the Booker International Prize–winning The Discomfort of Evening.

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