Rabbit, Fox, Tar

A Black stranger arrives in a mostly white Upper Midwest suburb during a contentious election in this beguiling and immersive debut novel from Verrone. Calling herself Baby, the stranger claims she’s the niece of Eugene Fox, an aging white man and former city council member in Original Hill, a small city overlooking the Mississippi River in the shadow of an unnamed metropolis that resembles the Twin Cities. Eugene lost his seat to a 30-something Black outsider named Lucky Foote in the previous election, and he’s desperate to reclaim it. As the mysterious and increasingly magical story unfolds, Verrone teases out the connection between Baby’s arrival and Eugene’s ambition. Meanwhile, Lucky becomes enamored with Baby, forgoing his womanizing ways to spend as much time with her as he can. As Eugene’s and Lucky’s campaigns wear on, Lucky grows increasingly obsessed with Baby, neglecting civic duties and ignoring the petitions of outsiders advocating for the restoration of Sankofa, a former Black neighborhood that once bordered Original Hill before it was bulldozed to construct a highway. Verrone grounds the story with references to the very real history of Black Americans’ displacement in Minnesota and develops Baby’s character with fascinating bits of folklore and magical realism. There’s a lot to enjoy in this ambitious tale. Agent: Alyssa Jennette, Stonesong. (June)