“Elvia Wilk’s
Oval is a marvel. At the core of this seductive, acute,
superbly-contemporary update of mid-period J.G. Ballard lies a
deep-beating, deep-dreaming heart.” —Jonathan Lethem
"A
fascinating near-future exploration of relationships, sustainability,
and power. An extraordinarily accomplished debut novel." —Jeff
VanderMeer, author of Borne and Annihilation
In the near future,
Berlin’s real estate is being flipped in the name of
“sustainability,” only to make the city even more unaffordable;
artists are employed by corporations as consultants, and the weather
is acting strange. When Anja and Louis are offered a rent-free home
on an artificial mountain—yet another eco-friendly initiative run
by a corporation—they seize the opportunity, but it isn’t long
before the experimental house begins malfunctioning.
After Louis’s
mother dies, Anja is convinced he has changed. At work, Louis has
become obsessed with a secret project: a pill called Oval that
temporarily rewires the user’s brain to be more generous. While
Anja is horrified, Louis believes he has found the solution to
Berlin’s income inequality. Oval is a fascinating portrait
of the unbalanced relationships that shape our world, as well as a
prescient warning of what the future may hold.