The Unmapping

(Paperback)

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4 a.m., New York City. A silent disaster.

There is no flash of light, no crumbling, no quaking. Each person in New York wakes up on an unfamiliar block after its buildings rearrange their positions overnight. The power grid has snapped, thousands of residents are missing, and the Empire State Building is on Coney Island-for now. The next night, it happens again.

Esme Green and Arjun Varma work for the city of New York's emergency management team and are tasked with managing the disaster response for "The Unmapping." As Esme tries to wade through the bureaucratic nightmare of an endlessly shuffling city, she's distracted by the ongoing search for her missing fiance. Arjun focuses on the ground-level rescue of disoriented New Yorkers, hoping to become the hero the city needs.

With scientists scrambling to find a solution-or at least a means to cope-and mysterious "red cloak" cults cropping up in the disaster's wake, New York begins to reckon with a new reality no one recognizes. For Esme and Arjun, the fight to hold the city together will mean tackling questions about themselves that they are too afraid to ask-and facing answers they never expected. With themes of climate change, political unrest, and social justice, The Unmapping is a timely and captivating debut.

Author Bio

Denise S. Robbins is a Pushcart Prize-nominated author and finalist for the University of Louisville's Calvino Prize. Her stories have appeared in The Barcelona Review, Gulf Coast, and more.