Overview
- Major excerpts and national reviews appeared on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, bringing wide attention to the book just before its publication window.
- The story follows Laurel Salter, a mycologist who retreats to McMurdo Station in Antarctica after her young son drowns and seeks a fresh start in isolation.
- At McMurdo an unexplained iridescent dome called the Arc emerges, prompting scientific teams and Laurel’s ex-husband, a physicist, to propose portal and parallel-universe theories.
- Critics praise Chloe Benjamin’s emotional portrayal of grief and reinvention while noting that some speculative elements strain empirical coherence in the novel’s science-related scenes.
- Good Morning America named Under Story its September Book Club pick and Warner Bros. optioned the novel before publication, moves that raise the book’s visibility though an option does not guarantee a film.