All That Consumes Us

In the wake of the tragic death of a gifted classmate at elite Corbin College, 17-year-old Tara Boone, a white university student, is offered the chance to take the deceased’s place in the exclusive and secretive Magni Viri program. Tara eagerly accepts, lured by the promise of a full-ride scholarship and a tight-knit community of talented peers, and hoping to fulfill her lifelong ambition of becoming a famous novelist. With her fledgling membership comes mandatory Sunday night ragers in the school cemetery, as well as long walks in picturesque Tennessee woods with her crush. But Tara soon starts having recurring nightmares of being buried alive and often wakes up at her desk to new pages of a brilliant, twisted story that she can’t remember writing. As her nighttime drafting becomes increasingly disturbing, and her mental and physical health drastically decline, Tara must ask herself what she’s willing to sacrifice for greatness. In this slow-burn psychological horror novel, Waters (The Restless Dark) creates tension around the pressures of class inequality and impostor syndrome, filtered through Tara’s acerbic first-person narration. Moody and disquieting prose combine with paranormal intrigue to drive this dark tale of exploitation and academic greed. Ages 13–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)