Bayard, Louis. The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts. Algonquin. ISBN 9781643755304.

Bayard recreates (in five acts) Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment for having a same-sex relationship, plus its impact on his wife and children. The first act begins in 1892, when Wilde’s affair with Lord Alfred Douglas is revealed to Oscar’s wife, Constance. She flees to Italy with their two young sons; later chapters detail the tragedies she and they endure, including death and a world war. Bayard’s immense gift for dialogue and nuanced portrayal of Constance will break readers’ hearts.

Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. Long Island Compromise. Random. ISBN 9780593133491.

Beginning with an unsexy sex scene and devolving into terrible, hilarious family dysfunction, Brodesser-Akner’s tragicomic second novel shows how the aftershocks of a paterfamilias’s abduction 40 years ago continue to shake a wealthy Jewish family from Middle Rock, Long Island. With a gimlet eye and much sympathy for her damaged characters, not to mention side plots about real estate hijinks, Hollywood machinations, and corporate skullduggery, Brodesser-Akner delivers a zinger.

Espach, Alison. The Wedding People. Holt. ISBN 9781250899576.

Heartbroken literature professor Phoebe heads to a Rhode Island resort to end her life in style but realizes she’s the only hotel guest who isn’t there for the lavish destination wedding of bridezilla Lila. Lila learns of Phoebe’s intentions and sets out to dissuade her from ruining her wedding day. In Espach’s touching, humorous tale, two strangers with opposing agendas find it easy to confide in each other—and perhaps change their lives.

Gonzalez, Xochitl. Anita de Monte Laughs Last. Flatiron. ISBN 9781250786210.

With memorable characters, incisive commentary, and supernatural elements, Gonzalez’s outstanding novel follows the parallel tracks of two Latina women in a Eurocentric art world. In 1985, Cuban artist Anita de Monte falls from a 33rd-floor window in NYC. In 1998, Puerto Rican art history student Raquel Toro learns of Anita’s suspicious death and begins to research the nearly forgotten artist. Meanwhile, she contends with a controlling boyfriend and racist colleagues, much as Anita did.

Moore, Liz. The God of the Woods. Riverhead. ISBN 9780593418918.

Moore once again explores issues of class, power, and family dynamics in a gripping multigenre novel. In 1975, Barbara Van Laar, the rebellious teenage daughter of a wealthy family, disappears from the Adirondacks summer camp her family owns; 14 years earlier, her brother also vanished from the area. Barbara’s case reopens old wounds and affects the locals, who rely on the Van Laars for their livelihoods. Intricate and enthralling.

Newman, Catherine. Sandwich. Harper. ISBN 9780063345164.

Fiftysomething Rocky negotiates life’s many changes in Newman’s perceptive, alternately heartbreaking and humorous story. On vacation with her family at the Cape Cod summer house they’ve visited for decades, she contends with hot flashes, rapidly aging parents, her adult children, and a cascade of memories. Not to mention the balky toilet in the one bathroom they all share. With great writing, witty banter, and a quirky, relatable heroine, this is a novel for more than the sandwich generation.

Pitts Jr., Leonard. 54 Miles. Agate Bolden. ISBN 9781572843370.

In 1965, college student Adam, son of a Black mother and a white father, leaves New York to join civil rights activists in Alabama, where his parents’ marriage is illegal. He is badly beaten in the infamous Bloody Sunday protest, causing his mother to return to her detested home state to care for him and confront her horrible memories of violence and murder. Pitts skillfully blends fiction with historical fact in this harrowing, resonant novel.

Robinson, Ishi. Sweetness in the Skin. Harper. ISBN 9780063334878.

This charming, insightful debut from a writer to watch features a Jamaican teen determined to make something of herself. Pumkin lives with her beloved grandmother, her aunt Sophie, and her not-so-beloved mother in an impoverished Kingston neighborhood. She and her aunt dream of moving to Paris, but Sophie goes alone, promising to return for Pumkin. Pumkin raises money to get to Paris by selling home-baked goods, but she’s thwarted by her conniving mother and other obstacles.

Tate, ReShonda. The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel. Morrow. ISBN 9780063291072.

Tate branches out splendidly into historical fiction with a touching novel about actor Hattie McDaniel, the first Black woman to win an Academy Award, for her role as Mammy in 1939’s Gone with the Wind. Expecting her victory to uplift Black actors, McDaniel instead faces “the Oscar curse,” criticism by Black groups, and continued discrimination. Tate depicts a dignified, resilient woman who fought for a better world for herself and others.

Wroblewski, David. Familiaris. Blackstone. ISBN 9798212194297.

Wroblewski’s gorgeously written prequel to his 2008 debut, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, follows Edgar’s grandfather. In 1919, accompanied by two good friends, his wife Mary, and several dogs, John Sawtelle settles on a dilapidated farm in Wisconsin. In the ensuing decades, he and Mary breed dogs, raise sons, and experience the magical bonds between animals and humans. Impressive in content and heft (nearly 1,000 pages), this is a novel to savor.