Everything Here Is Under Control

Adrian’s meticulous, wry adult debut (after the YA novel The Foreseeable Future) follows 31-year-old new mother Amanda through her insecurities and anxieties. Amanda’s son, Jack, is two and a half months old, and Amanda is unable to think from sleep deprivation. She’s overwhelmed by her new role, musing how pediatricians never ask her name because she’s just “Mom.” Though her partner, Gabe, is present, he never helps in the night and takes her sacrifices as a given. After another wakeful evening, Amanda leaves her and Gabe’s apartment in Queens for her hometown of Deerling, Ohio. On the drive, Amanda is unnerved by Trump signs along the way. She decides to surprise her former best friend, Carrie, with a visit. Carrie gave birth to a daughter, Nina, when she and Amanda were 18, and Amanda was at Carrie’s side for Nina’s birth but left soon after. Now Carrie is a sought-after tattoo artist, and Nina is nearly 13. Carrie would like to leave Republican Ohio, but she has a thriving business and doesn’t know where she would go. Meanwhile, Carrie helps Amanda rediscover herself, and after befriending Nina, Amanda begins to see she can handle being a mother. Adrian’s portrayal of the ups and downs of motherhood will resonate with readers. Agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House. (July)