In Lydia Millet’s novel Dinosaurs, an extremely wealthy white man named Gil walks from New York to Arizona because he wants “to pay for something.” Soon after he settles in, a family moves into the glass home next to his, and he’s able to look right in, like it’s a giant fishbowl. Gil is drawn to these neighbors, and over the next couple years becomes part of a new community as he steps away from old relationships. The novel jumps between Gil’s past in New York and current life in Arizona, exploring topics such as climate change, bullying, family, and friendship. It’s a slow-paced meditation on human behavior, and a worthy follow-up to Millet’s previous offerings—including 2020’s A Children’s Bible, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. —Angela Haupt
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