The past and the future meet in this smart and tender novel about a 1960s couple who encounters extraterrestrial life, an obscure sci-fi writer who lives on through her letters, and the present-day queer archivist who investigates both. Ilana Masad explores the feeling of being different, being out of place, being doubted and doubting yourself, and in the end just being. A remarkable book.

Laila Lalami, author of THE DREAM HOTEL

Beings is a mystical, glamorous, intimate, and ambitious human mystery with unforgettable characters that asks, are we really all alone out there? A true stunner.

Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of HOUSEMATES

Beings is the alien abduction meets lesbian yearning novel that will restore your faith in the universe. Ilana Masad excavates the juiciness of historical archives and the otherworldly mysteries of the everyday in her most brilliant work yet.

Ruth Madievsky, author of ALL-NIGHT PHARMACY

Ilana Masad is one of the most exciting young writers working today. Beings shows off the best of Masad's writing: intelligent, vivid prose; engaging mysteries; deep emotional truths; and the ability to remind readers that the unknown can be thrilling.

Megan Giddings, author of MEET ME AT THE CROSSROADS

Three gripping narratives entwine as supernatural encounters and personal revelations transform lives in the 1960s and the present… Miraculously, Masad makes this dense braid of stories easy to follow, elegantly blending serpentine sentences, endearing and intimately observed characters, natural dialogue, and playful, generous asides to keep the reader in enthralled suspense. A dazzlingly original testament to companionship, curiosity, and faith in ourselves in times of fear and loneliness.

Kirkus (starred review)

An incandescent exploration of memory, narrative, and sexual identity, Beings is certain to delight readers of literary fiction with sf elements.

Booklist (starred review)