Not Alone

Five years before the start of Jackson’s impressive debut, hurricanes across the globe lifted trillions of microplastic particles from the world’s oceans. The atmosphere became saturated with those pollutants, and breathing became deadly. One survivor, Katie, has devoted herself to keeping her son, Harry, who was born after the calamity, alive and well. With the atmosphere still poisonous, their lives are mostly restricted to their small London flat, with Katie only venturing out to forage for whatever meat she can find, even if it’s a stray cat. After a stranger appears at their building—the first person Katie has encountered in years—she suddenly has the unexpected hope that others have survived as well, leading her to seek out Harry’s father while her own health deteriorates from exposure to the poisonous air. The narrative gets its power from little details, including Katie’s efforts to occupy and entertain her son in a world without toys or social contact. Admirers of Lauren Beukes’s Afterland will be riveted. (May)