Luna, Phoenix, Queen

By Julie Orringer

Knopf: Oct. 13, 2026

288 pages

Julie Orringer’s first novel since 2019’s Flight Portfolio is a family drama that plumbs the nature of love, loss, and betrayal in several forms.

Barr and Dava Pennington are Iowa college professors and writers with two young sons, James and Milo. What seems from the outside like a relatively happy family is instead a hothouse of conflicted relationships, with most of the resentment and jealousy remaining unexpressed. Barr, a novelist, is the better-known author, while Dava writes for an academic audience. They support each other’s work and appear content with their professional situation. For years, Dava has been scribbling intensely on yellow legal pads in her home office, but she refuses to let anyone see what she’s working on.

Their relationship becomes complicated when Dava falls for another professor, Svetlana White. They take great pains to be discreet, out of concern for Barr and their academic reputations. While there is tension and mistrust between Svetlana and Barr, it’s never clear whether he’s jealous of their close friendship or knows about their intimate relationship.

When Dava is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, Barr becomes her conscientious caretaker, but eventually Dava has to move into a memory care facility. Barr begins to lose his bearings and becomes obsessed with a dog at the local shelter named Luna that has been disfigured in a house fire. Luna ends up being adopted before Barr can make up his mind about owning a dog when he already has his hands full, pushing him even closer to the edge. His graduate student assistant, Evie, works from the Pennington home and serves as an observer of Barr’s deterioration.

Orringer explores the effect of Dava’s slowly worsening Alzheimer’s on her marriage and her relationship with Svetlana, as well as on her sons. When Barr stumbles upon Dava’s seemingly well-hidden legal pads, he he learns much more than just what she was writing about. Before long, his worst instincts lead him astray, changing his life and setting off a slowly ticking time bomb.

The narrative in Luna, Phoenix, Queen moves among the characters, with each getting their own chapter. This structure provides us with insight into the dynamics of each relationship and the impact of Dava’s memory loss on her family and Svetlana. The result is a beautifully written slow burn of a novel, full of deep intelligence and heart.

Despite what might sound like a story of relentless heartbreak, Luna, Phoenix, Queen is warmed up considerably by three subplots involving love stories. And when the meaning of the title becomes clear in the closing pages, it creates a satisfying resolution that is both bittersweet and touching.

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year, a smart, suspenseful, and haunting read.