This Great Hemisphere

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“This Great Hemisphere is an inventive and immersive epic that follows its brave invisible protagonist as she navigates a futuristic new world that often mirrors our own. A thrilling page-turner.” —Brit Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half

From the award-winning and bestselling author of Black Buck: A speculative novel about a young woman—invisible by birth and relegated to second-class citizenship—who sets off on a mission to find her older brother, whom she had presumed dead but who is now the primary suspect in a high-profile political murder.

Despite the odds, Sweetmint, a young invisible woman, has done everything right her entire life—school, university, and now a highly sought-after apprenticeship with the Northwestern Hemisphere’s premier inventor, a non-invisible man belonging to the Dominant Population who is as eccentric as he is enigmatic. But the world she has fought so hard to build after the disappearance of her older brother comes crashing down when authorities claim that not only is he well and alive, he’s also the main suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive of the Northwestern Hemisphere. 

A manhunt ensues, and Sweetmint, armed with courage, intellect, and unwavering love for her brother, sets off on a mission to find him before it’s too late. With five days until the hemisphere’s big election, Sweetmint must dodge a relentless law officer who’s determined to maintain order and an ambitious politician with sights set on becoming the next Chief Executive by any means necessary.

With the captivating worldbuilding of N. K. Jemisin’s novels and blazing defiance of Naomi Alderman’s work, This Great Hemisphere is a novel that brilliantly illustrates the degree to which reality can be shaped by non-truths and vicious manipulations, while shining a light on our ability to surprise ourselves when we stop giving in to the narratives others have written for us.Named One of the Most Anticipated Titles of 2024 by Book Riot and She Reads

“In this ambitious sophomore novel, Askaripour casts a young woman as a sorcerer’s apprentice in a dastardly scheme to ‘reset’ the world . . . This energetic, speculative deconstruction of colonialism feels like watching an expert put together a 1000-piece jigsaw.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Propulsive… A page-turning vision of a future made all too plausible by our volatile present.”
—Kirkus

“This Great Hemisphere is an inventive and immersive epic that follows its brave invisible protagonist as she navigates a futuristic new world that often mirrors our own. A thrilling page-turner.”
—Brit Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half

“This Great Hemisphere is a boldly imaginative sophomore novel from Askaripour. Too few writers have the courage to dream this big.”
—Jason Mott, National Book Award-winning author of Hell of a Book

“This Great Hemisphere is a tense, urgent exploration of power in all its forms and how it corrupts. It’s a story of America and subjugation and hope and all the things some may choose not to see. An allegory reminiscent of Colson Whitehead’s Intuitionist and Zone One, this one will keep your brain churning long after you’ve finished it.”
—Yume Kitasei, author of The Stardust Grail

“Mateo Askaripour’s This Great Hemisphere is a wildly imaginative novel, bursting with cinematic fervor. The world-building here is meticulous and astounding. The characters are so well-realized that they haunt the heart, motivate the mind, and shake the soul. The story itself strikes the perfect balance between wisdom and warning. I can’t help but to think that the spirit of the great prophet Octavia Butler hovers over This Great Hemisphere. And quiet as it’s kept, Mateo Askaripour just might be that level of oracle, too. This is a fiery must-read.”
—Robert Jones, Jr., author of The New York Times bestselling novel, The Prophets, a finalist for the National Book AwardNew York Times bestselling author Mateo Askaripour wants people to feel seen. His first novel, Black Buck, takes on racism in corporate America with humor and wit. Askaripour was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 rising stars to make waves,” and Black Buck was a Read with Jenna Today show book club pick. Most recently, he was named as a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” prize. This Great Hemisphere is his second novel. He lives in Brooklyn. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter at @AskMateo.US

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