Leah Fern grows up in a carnival, nicknamed the “Youngest and Very Best Fortuneteller in the World.” For all her young years, she finds herself holding people’s hands and displaying an empathy that few others can muster --- and she is rewarded well for her powers.

Her mother, Jeannie Starr, is a magician who disappears when she is six years old. Leah spends the next decade-and-a-half with her mother’s friend, Edward Murphy, who has no idea where Jeannie is. Then, on the night of her 21st birthday, Leah receives a package. A wild, weird scavenger hunt begins, the end of which may just be all the information Leah ever wanted about her mother and whether or not she’s still alive.

"THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN gives you loss and abundance in equal measure. An emotional and cutting new voice in literature demands your attention, so get this book as soon as possible. And give a copy to every reader you know!"

There are books you read that make you feel as if you are immersed in a parallel universe. THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN is one of them. Not only are you gently and seductively drawn into this other world, as a reader you sense that you are happening upon an important new voice in literature --- someone who is unique and accessible, for the ages and for this age only. In short, a writer who is an old soul but lives very much in this chaotic world. Rita Zoey Chin is that person, if you put early John Irving into a word blender with modern-day Ruth Ozeki. Chin brings you a rich and imaginative story through the eyes of a memorable, thoughtful and compassionate young protagonist.

Leah’s journey is as sorrowful as it is playful, as wide-reaching as it is made up of very specific moments. To find her mother, or find out about her mother, is her profound M.O. She is not worried about love, clothes or the best-paying job --- she is after something so much deeper and more moving. As a result, her story captures our attention and doesn’t let go for 386 pages. It’s been a long time since I read magical realism that punched readers out with such remarkable intensity and love.

The novel travels back and forth between Leah’s growing up and her road trip, giving you just enough at each stop to keep you interested in following along and truly understanding another part of her puzzle. The supporting characters have as much charm and depth as Leah does, and the world that Chin conjures is true and wild at the same time. With heartbreaking honesty, she presents Leah’s story as something simple, yet the whimsy in her search and her powers belies that simplicity --- there is so much more going on, voiced in perfect verbiage.

This is a debut novel, and telling you more about it would be unfair. Trust me, you will want to experience the magnificent prose, the winding happenings and the surprising elements without any prior knowledge. It has more to say about obsession, love, magic, the bonds between mother and child, true deep sadness, and the wondrous wonders of the world than any book I’ve read in a long time.

THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN gives you loss and abundance in equal measure. An emotional and cutting new voice in literature demands your attention, so get this book as soon as possible. And give a copy to every reader you know!