???? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

Settle in and pay attention: How High We Go in the Dark gets intense: Sequoia Nagamatsu’s novel opens eight years from now in Siberia, where scientists discover the remains of a young woman with the genetic features of a starfish or octopus which triggers the unleashing of a deadly virus that attacks human organs. After this unsettling scene setter, the story shifts to a theme park called the City of Laughter, where children infected with the virus can spend one final happy day before being killed on a roller coaster. We then get introduced to a sad scientist who gets a second chance at fatherhood when one of his research pigs develops the capacity to speak like a human. Finally, we meet a widowed artist and her teenage granddaughter travel across space and time in an attempt to find a new planet to call home. Although each chapter appears like a standalone short story, the tales are part of a wider narrative. From hotels for the dead to interstellar starships, readers embark on a journey that spans continents, centuries, and even celestial bodies to tell a story about the strength of the human spirit and the universal bonds that bind us all.