We’re Safe When We’re Alone

Tran’s magnetic debut centers on two people struggling to exist in a world inhabited by ghosts. Rescued from certain death by Father and taken from a life he cannot remember, Son spends his days in a mansion, reading his collection of books as he anxiously awaits Father’s return every evening from his mysterious job. They are the only humans around—the mansion is surrounded by ghostly creatures whom Son has learned to view with repulsion and distrust. But when Father suggests that Son must venture outside the mansion and interact with the ghosts to survive, Son becomes hostile and paranoid, refusing to tend to their farmland with the creatures, as Father does, or play with the spectral children who request entrance to the mansion. As Son is slowly forced to engage with the ghosts, he discovers that he and Father hold the key to maintaining order in their world, which is quickly unraveling under threat from mysterious shadows. The enigmatic characters captivate, even as the plot occasionally grows convoluted, and Son’s narrative voice expertly blends childlike naivete with stultifying obsession. The result is a haunting and evocative reflection on the meaning of love and memory. Agent: Mariah Stovall, Trellis Literary Management. (Sept.)