Justine

One of The Rumpus's Most Anticipated Books of 2021An "LGBTQ Book That Will Change The Literary Landscape in 2021" —O, The Oprah Magazine"Justine is unsettling, adoring, insightful, and even a little frightening. The best books carry insights that will shake you. That's what happened to me in this piercing novel. It shook me, and it made me see." —Victor LaValleAli is a lonely teenager living an isolated life with her grandmother on Long Island in the late 1990s. When she visits the local Stop & Shop, Ali finds herself inexplicably and overwhelmingly drawn to a cashier, the seductive but troubled Justine, who is so tall and thin she looks almost two-dimensional as her long fingers flutter over the cash register. "There was something spooky about Justine," Ali says. "Her smile lit me up and exposed me all at once." Ali applies for a job on the spot.In the weeks that follow, Justine...