Harmless

A Brooklyn woman forges an uneasy bond with her dead twin sister’s friends in this mordant and playfully outlandish novel of obsession from debut author Shulman. The story begins with Bea, 27, “crying over a jar of Kalamata olives” in the hours before Audrey’s memorial, which has been delayed two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Audrey had become addicted to heroin and Bea vowed to take care of her. Now, she holds up the jar as if it were Audrey and says, “I’m so sorry.” Bea then channels her grief by proposing to the twins’ childhood friends Tatum and Layla that they open a kennel in their Park Slope neighborhood, like Audrey had always wanted. As the plan takes shape, Tatum, who might have been in love with Audrey, is disturbed by Bea, who has previously engaged in stalkerish behavior and seems to be repeating her unhealthy pattern of making herself needed. Not only did Bea do “just about everything for Audrey,” including making her food and helping her bathe, but she now takes care of her roommate, who cuts herself. Tatum, meanwhile, feels “shrinkwrapped together” with her live-in boyfriend and nurses a burgeoning crush on Layla. As the novel twists and turns, tensions mount and old wounds surface, and Shulman reveals the staggering depth of Bea’s obsession. This will keep readers on their toes until the last page. Agent: Sabrina Taitz, WME. (Apr.)