I love a good dystopian page-turner, and Peng Shepherd’s debut novel is the real deal. It imagines a global plague that steals peoples’ shadows, and then their memories as well. It originates in a Pune, India spice market and eventually spreads internationally, reaching Arlington, Virginia, where husband-and-wife duo Ory and Max have holed up in the forest for safety. When Max’s shadow disappears, so does she. The novel then follows both her and Ory’s parallel storylines as they search for community, a rumored cure in New Orleans, and each other. Shepherd mixes in elements of multiple genres, like post-apocalyptic thriller and fantasy. But at its core, it’s a meditation on memories and personhood, as Shepherd asks which one defines the other. —Bri Kovan, Associate Editor