New Fiction to Help Us Reenvision Real Problems

Several of 2022's most anticipated novels offer unique perspectives on society's thorniest issues, from racism to workplace harassment. Call it a summer fiction reading list for the socially engaged. Ms. Shibata is never officially assigned the menial tasks of her workplace--making coffee, tidying, answering the phones--but since she's the only woman on staff, her colleagues expect her to oversee them. Annoyed by the tedious sexism, Shibata announces that she is pregnant and unable to continue the extra work. We follow her fake pregnancy week by week, and though there is no child, something real grows within Shibata.