Armfield, Julia. Private Rites. Flatiron. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250344311. 304p. $27.99. LITERARY FICTION

Armfield (Our Wives Under the Sea, a Lambda Literary Award and Goodreads Choice Award finalist) writes a speculative reimagining of King Lear. In a drowning world, where arcane rituals and religions are returning, three estranged sisters go home after their father’s death and find a revelation in his will, but something even more sinister is looming.

Borgo, Karina Sainz. No Place To Bury the Dead. tr. from Spanish by Elizabeth Bryer. HarperVia. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063213876. 256p. $26. LITERARY FICTION

A memory-erasing plague spreads across a Latin American country, causing Angustias and her family to flee and leading to tragedy. Inspired by her reporting on the humanitarian crisis in her home country of Venezuela, journalist Borgo (It Would Be Night in Caracas) wrote the O. Henry Prize–winning story “Scissors,” which has been expanded into this already award-winning novel.

Gu Byeong-mo. Apartment Women. tr. from Korean by Chi-Young Kim. Hanover Square. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781335050076. 220p. $21.99. LITERARY FICTION

Gu’s (The Old Woman with the Knife, a New York Times Notable Book and NPR Best Book) latest considers motherhood and parenting expectations. The lives of four women intersect when they move into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments on the outskirts of Seoul, where they’ve accepted discounted government housing in exchange for having more children.

Koe, Amanda Lee. Sister Snake. Ecco. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063355064. 272p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Set against the glittering backdrops of New York City and Singapore, Koe’s (Delayed Rays of a Star, an NPR Best Book) novel reimagines a Chinese folktale and explores race, conformity, and queerness. Two sisters, who were once snakes during the Tang dynasty, lead very different and separate lives in the present, but their reconciliation in Singapore may expose their secret.

Moss, Eliza. What It’s Like in Words. Holt. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250355058. 320p. $28.99. LITERARY FICTION

Moss (who’s really actor and singer Sarah Moss) debuts with a novel about love and toxic relationships. Aspiring writer Enola is almost 30 and longs for a serious relationship. She falls for an aloof writer and obsessively dreams of their future together, but as things unravel, she must rethink her perceptions, especially of herself.

Ngamije, Rémy. Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space: A Literary Mixtape. Scout. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781668012468. 320p. $25.99. LITERARY FICTION

Ngamije (The Eternal Audience of One), cofounder and editor in chief of Doek! Literary Magazine, offers a collection of his award-winning short stories, presented as a literary mixtape. The A-side contains the story of an aspiring writer navigating the world, while the B-side features independent stories that ultimately show the interconnectedness of both parts of the work.

Wang, Weike. Rental House. Riverhead. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593545546. 224p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Award-winning Wang (author of the multi-best-booked Joan Is Okay) examines the challenges of family and marriage. Keru is the daughter of strict, well-educated Chinese immigrant parents, while Nate comes from a white, working-class family. Keru and Nate marry, but when their families join them on vacation, the couple’s strained relationships with their in-laws force them to confront their own hidden truths.