The Perishing // (Paperback)

A Black immortal in 1930s Los Angeles must recover the memory of her past in order to save the world in this extraordinarily affecting novel for readers of N. K. Jemisin and Octavia E. Butler.

Lou, a young Black woman, wakes up in an alley in 1930s Los Angeles, nearly naked and with no memory of how she got there or where shes from. Taken in by a caring foster family, Lou dedicates herself to her education while trying to put her mysterious origins behind her. Shell go on to become the first Black female journalist at the Los Angeles Times, but Lous extraordinary life is about to become even more remarkable. When she befriends a firefighter at a downtown boxing gym, Lou is shocked to realize that though she has no memory of meeting him, shes been drawing his face for years.

Increasingly certain that their paths previously crossedand beset by unexplainable flashes from different times that have been haunting her dreamsLou begins to believe she may be an immortal sent for a very important reason, one that only others like her will be able to explain. With the help of her friends, Lou sets out to investigate the mystery of her existence and make sense of the jumble of lifetimes calling to her, just as new forces rise to threaten the existence of those around her.

Set against the rich historical landscape of Los AngelesProhibition, the creation of Route 66, and the collapse of the St. Francis DamThe Perishingis a stunning examination of love and justice through the eyes of one miraculous woman whose fate seems linked to the city she comes to call home.

Natasha Denis an NAACP Image Award Nominee, practicing criminal attorney, and college professor. A Pamela Krasney Moral Courage Fellow, Den is the author of the critically acclaimed debut novel,Grace, which was named a Best Book byThe New York Times. Den has been awarded fellowships by PEN America, Prague Summer Program for Writers, Dickinson House in Belgium, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

• Publisher:Counterpoint (November 1, 2022)
• Language:English
• Hardcover:320 pages
• ISBN-10: 1640095608
• ISBN-13: 9781640095601
• Item Weight:13 oz
• Dimensions:6 x 9 inches
• Alt: Natasha Deon