Set in 2031 in a Los Angeles emerging from the collapse of the United States, the novel opens at a party celebrating the declaration of the "Republic of California." Ari, newly released from prison, arrives at the party with her friend just as this fragile new era begins — but something is very wrong, and people who shouldn't be there start appearing. The host vanishes, and doubles and doppelgangers disrupt the night in ways that fracture Ari's sense of reality for years afterward. The story later follows her to a different life in Paris, still haunted by what happened. Mandel weaves in echoes of her earlier novels (including a painting from The Glass Hotel) as she explores surveillance, safety, and survival across shattered timelines.
Set in 2031 in a Los Angeles emerging from the collapse of the United States, the novel opens at a party celebrating the declaration of the "Republic of California." Ari, newly released from prison, arrives at the party with her friend just as this fragile new era begins — but something is very wrong, and people who shouldn't be there start appearing. The host vanishes, and doubles and doppelgangers disrupt the night in ways that fracture Ari's sense of reality for years afterward. The story later follows her to a different life in Paris, still haunted by what happened. Mandel weaves in echoes of her earlier novels (including a painting from The Glass Hotel) as she explores surveillance, safety, and survival across shattered timelines.
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