Voice Like a Hyacinth

In this lush and propulsive gothic outing, Pearson (We Ate the Dark) takes the dark academia aesthetic to art school. At the tiny Indiana college of Rotham, five queer female painters—Jo, Caroline, Finch, Saz, and Amrita, who are also roommates and best friends—vie for a much-coveted solo exhibition, awarded to only one lucky student per year. To produce something worthy, all must reach deeper inside themselves than ever before—and they’re hitting their limits. Then Saz finds a mysterious book containing a ritual that promises to fulfill their wildest dreams—if they’re willing to curse someone else with all the misfortune they will no longer experience. It’s not a hard decision: they decide to target the creepy professor who has been sexually harassing Caroline. The ritual works, and soon all five women are producing the best work of their lives. But then Jo starts being haunted by a strange, gruesome figure that cries out for help. As the consequences of achieving their dreams are revealed to be more horrifying than the friends ever imagined, the formerly unbreakable bond between them fractures. Vivid descriptions, believable emotional stakes, and deeply creepy horror elements keep the pages flying as Pearson probes the experience of queer womanhood and the toll of ambition. This stuns. (Jan.)