8 New Magical Realism and Fabulism Books

A decade after stage magician Violet Volk literally disappeared, her sister Sasha is still dealing with the aftermath and her grief. When podcaster Cameron Frank begins to dig into Violet’s story, Sasha is disturbed by bizarre sleepwalking episodes. As Sasha faces her past, Cameron gets closer and closer to the truth about Violet. This book has just enough inexplicable magic to keep it a mystery, and it is awesome as an audiobook.

Competitive swimmer Ren Yu lives for the water, always striving to be better, swim faster. Obsessed with fairytales of sirens and mermaids dragging sailors to the ocean floor, Ren secretly longs to become a mermaid herself. To become a mermaid and belong to the water, Ren will do anything.

When her son Santiago dies, Magos is so overwhelmed with grief that she cuts a piece of his lung and cares for it. Soon, the lung becomes a conscious carnivorous Monstrilio. Told in four parts, this novel explores the darkness of love and grief. 

Sophie, a new matchmaker, is tasked with pairing up successful couples or risks losing her special gift. She quickly makes friends with the “Old Ducks,” a friend group that has been meeting for decades. Sophie and her new friends share snacks, jokes, and heartbreak as she works to find them love before the red threads of fate fade away from sight.  

Born into a Singaporean fishing village, Ah Boon expected a quiet life. Instead, he was given the miraculous ability to see and move islands that no one else could see. Fueled by a sense of destiny, Ah Boon is willing to give up everything for his hope for the future. This atmospheric novel is a sweeping family saga and tender love story in the face of imperialism and war. 

Flor always knows when someone will die; it’s her gift. When she invites her scattered family to a living wake, nobody knows who’s death Flor has seen. Her sisters are ready to address pains of the past, while the younger cousins are taking their first steps towards their futures. This family saga is a woven rug of family history, as they face their past and future together.  

To grow up, sisters Sasha and Zora must grow apart. Witnesses to their father’s cruelty and infidelity, and their mother’s illness, reserved and determined Zora finds escape in writing, while tough and outgoing Sasha finds solace in her new relationship. Family secrets and ghosts get shaken awake by a sudden revelation. Told by an omniscient narrator, this novel is woven through with familiar folk tales and universal themes.