The Unwanted
A Novel
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"The Unwanted is a tightrope of a novel: tense, precise, stunning in its scope and power."—Tea Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Morningside
“Urgently contemporary and prescient in equal measure, Fishman’s The Unwanted channels the spectrum of literature’s finest, emotionally visceral dystopian masterworks, from Dune to The Handmaid’s Tale, in a fable of survival, resistance and, ultimately, maternal love.”—Lea Carpenter, author of Ilium
Award-winning, New York Times Notable author of A Replacement Life—“a born storyteller with a tremendous gift for language” (San Francisco Chronicle)— delivers a fierce and staggering new page-turner full of cruelty, tenderness, and heroism, about a young girl and her parents fleeing civil war and the brutal dictatorship that has targeted their family.
Fishman’s worldbuilding is impeccable…. He skillfully ramps up the tension…. Fans of dystopian classics like 1984 will find much to savor in Fishman’s spellbinding tale.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Susanna, George, and their eight-year-old daughter, Dina, have been lucky, so far, in these four years since war broke out in their country. Even as their fellow "minority-sect" neighbors and classmates are murdered or imprisoned, George’s loyal work teaching "dominant-sect" literature has kept them fed and protected. But then the day comes: the university fires George—despite his years of collaboration, he is no longer safe. Left without money or allies, it is time for the family to run.
Embarking on a harrowing trip through refugee camps and across the sea, both George and Susanna are forced in their own ways to make sacrifices to keep Dina safe, while Dina fights to understand the chaotic world crashing down around her. But with each member of the family struggling to survive in circumstances beyond their control, lies and betrayals multiply until it seems impossible for any of them to reach across the abyss. The Unwanted is a stunning story of what the most powerless among us will do for dignity and safety.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fishman (A Replacement Life) chronicles a family's attempt to escape their totalitarian European country in this rousing near-future saga. George, 51, belongs to the oppressed "minority-sect" and teaches poetry at an elite university. After he's fired, he and his wife, Susanna, make secret plans to flee with their fearless eight-year-old daughter, Dina. The family heads for the seashore hoping to survive long enough to raft across the ocean to America. Their path to the coast is rough, as a long-simmering rebellion against the government-backed "dominantsect" has erupted into a civil war. Along the way, the family traverse frightening refugee camps, where they pay bribes to fellow refugees in exchange for help. Fishman's worldbuilding is impeccable as he conjures a fallen nation ruled by a fascist regime and a family desperate to escape its clutches. He skillfully ramps up the tension as Susanna learns of George's strategic if risky practice of aligning himself with both rebel factions and the government during his stint at the university, a move that's jeopardized his family's security. Fans of dystopian classics like 1984 will find much to savor in Fishman's spellbinding tale.
