The Possibilities

Goldstein-Love’s engaging sophomore novel (after The Passion of Tasha Darsky) blends an intimate view of new motherhood with an ingenious story of a multiverse. After suspense writer Hannah Bennett delivers her son, Jack, 10 minutes pass before his first breath. In that time, she sees another outcome, in which he turns blue and dies. Eight months later, with Jack breathing normally, Hannah is diagnosed with adjustment disorder and her husband declares he’s leaving her. Then she leaves Jack unattended for a moment while outside the house, during which she’s faced with two realities simultaneously—her life as she knows it, and the “Jackless” alternative she’s always feared. That night, Jack disappears from his crib, setting Hannah on a race against the clock to find him before he’s erased forever. When she follows up with the police who responded to her call about Jack’s disappearance, however, they have no memory of the case or her child. The author plumbs the depths of her protagonist’s conflicted emotions, showing how Hannah is split between a desire to preserve her sense of self before Jack and the pull to give herself over to her new identity as a mother. The result is a memorable story about the limits of a parent’s ability to protect their child from harm. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Co. (July)