Miss Subways

Duchovny’s possibility-fueled romance, both intellectual and approachable, seamlessly blends frenetically paced pop culture references with the antics of bored, nearly forgotten gods in this modern retelling of the Emer and Cuchulain myth. Emer is a teacher and New Yorker who has a comfortable life with her partner, Con. When she’s offered a difficult choice by a mysterious man who calls himself Sid, she finds comfort in the inevitability of change and the strange, déjà vu quality of life in Manhattan. Then life takes a bit of a different turn, sliding seamlessly into an alternate reality in which the consequences of her choice expand like ripples on a pond; each interaction takes her simultaneously closer to and further away from who she is. It doesn’t help that her path is being manipulated by someone—or something. The story’s fantastical nature provides an elegant foundation for an in-depth exploration of self laced with sharp social commentary and a generous dose of the absurd. Agent: Andrew Blauner, Blauner Books. (May)