“People Collide takes a sudden turn in its final pages, building toward an ending that’s genuinely moving and redemptive, though not in the way the reader has been expecting. The finale is so good, in fact, that it elevates the entire book, making it one of the year’s most compelling reads. Ultimately, McElroy discovers that gender-swap narratives may really be about tracing the wavy line between envy and desire.”

“Engrossing . . . an impressive twist on the familiar trope of marital ennui.”

“This is exceptional writing: McElroy’s world-building is artful, funny and bracingly resonant. “Influencer was not yet a word anyone used,” Sasha says. “It was merely an idea buried in ice, waiting for its prison to melt.” Just shy of the reality we now occupy, “The Atmospherians” is full of visceral, often sickening emotion, as expressed through Sasha’s impulsive shifts in mood and impressionability. Wellness is oblivion, and as she flees from one kind of cult to another, Sasha comes to grasp the power of her own influence — while losing her ability to resist it. Whether we’re online or not, “The Atmospherians” includes all of us in its vast, cutting scope. The algorithm wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“The Atmospherians is a marvel, a wonder, a gift. McElroy’s characters glide across the page, in and out of love, and we see ourselves in their conflicts, their crucibles, and what they hold dear. Simply put, McElroy dazzles. This novel is dazzling.”

“The novel balances perfectly on the razor’s edge between reality and absurdism, the place where excellent satire dwells, while spinning a complex investigation of huge topics: guilt, culpability, loyalty, sexism, fatphobia, abuse of power…. It is a book about craving—fame, food, praise, each other, ourselves—and it is a book to be devoured.”