Gunflower

Mckay stimulates with this introspective and variegated collection. The narrator of “Flying Rods” reconciles with her infidelity after she’s bitten by a bug and undergoes a metamorphosis. In “Come and See It All the Way from Town,” a family is haunted by unknown voices speaking in a language they don’t understand. The voices turn out to be those of sentient rocks in search of the Indigenous people who once shared the land with them. The young female protagonist of “Smoko” leads a workplace uprising to earn back employee smoke breaks, while the title story follows a woman who leaves the state of Georgia for a ship floating in international waters so she can get an abortion. Onboard the ship, a metaphysical force disrupts her sense of reality. The family at the center of “The Two O’Clock” finds a portal inside the wall of their house, which takes them to an extravagant party. In “Ranging,” a woman forms a support group in a world where men have disappeared. Whether they’re rooted in reality or fantasy, Mckay’s narratives enthrall. This will stick with readers long after they’ve turned the last page. (Feb.)