Under the Radar
August 2025
A selection of recently added fiction that comes in mostly “under the radar.” These are well reviewed books that get less, little or no publicity. They may be: published by a smaller press, translated, thought-provoking, quirky or unusual, challenging boundaries or perceptions, and/or feature under-represented voices.

The catch
by Yrsa Daley-Ward

Long estranged after being adopted into different families, twin sisters Clara and Dempsey encounter a woman identical to their vanished mother who seems to have lived a childless life, and their opposing views on her true identity push them toward a confrontation.
Great black hope : a novel
by Rob Franklin

A young Black man is caught between worlds of race and class, glamour and tragedy a friend's mysterious death and his own arrest.
The ones we loved
by Tarisai Ngangura

Three strangers whose paths converge in a series of seemingly chance encounters and shared history prompt them to rely on each other in their greatest times of need.
Portalmania : stories
by Debbie Urbanski

"If you could go anywhere, where would you go? And what happens to the people you leave behind? From the author of After World comes a genre-busting collection of stories that reveal our lives in a startling new light, perfect for fans of Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado"
Sympathy for wild girls : stories
by Demree McGhee

"Sympathy for Wild Girls is a debut collection of stories about queer Black women searching for belonging in a subtly warped version of our world. A runaway seeks shelter from violence with a pack of wild coyotes. A young woman falls into a hypocritical crew of white Christian YouTube influencers. A mother witnesses her daughter's prophecy about the end of the world come true"
Ten incarnations of rebellion : a novel
by Vaishnavi Patel

In the city of Kingston, built upon the ashes of Bombay, Kalki Divekar and her friends secretly build a resistance movement from within British rule, balancing survival and rebellion as they navigate personal losses, shifting alliances, and the high stakes of fighting for their city. Map(s).
These heathens : a novel
by Mia McKenzie

Seeking an abortion in 1960s Atlanta's seventeen-year-old Doris Steele is exposed to a world of activism, celebrity, and self-discovery, while questioning her own desires amid the influence of her favorite teacher, her childhood best friend, and a swirling cast of urbanites.
This is not a ghost story : a novel
by Amerie

Tells the story of a Black man who walks into the light… to find himself in Los Angeles, where he becomes an instant celebrity for being the first visible and verifiable ghost.
We don't talk about Carol : a novel
by Kristen L. Berry

"A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret-and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home-in this gripping debut novel"-- Provided by publisher
When sleeping women wake : a novel
by Emma Pei Yin

Amidst the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, three women—Mingzhu, Qiang, and Biyu—must navigate their roles in a war-torn world, balancing survival, resistance, and their bond as their paths diverge, with the hope of reuniting in the face of relentless danger.

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