novel
The Night Shift
Synopsis
Only by traveling into the past can Jean discover a happy future…
Hidden behind back doors of bars and restaurants and theaters and shops all over New York City are shortcuts—secret passageways that allow you to jump through time and space to emerge in different parts of the city. No one knows where they came from, but there are rules—you can only travel through them one way and only at night.
When Jean’s work friend Iggy introduces her to the shortcuts, it’s to help shorten her commute between her night shifts bartending and her work at an upscale bakery. Jean is intrigued but has a hard time shaking the side effects—the shortcuts make her more talkative, more open to discussing her past and recalling memories she’s tried hard to forget.
When Iggy goes missing, Jean believes it’s related to the shortcuts and his growing obsession with them. But as she starts digging into their origins, she comes to find a strange connection between herself and the shortcuts. A shimmering, propulsive novel set in New York City during the early aughts and across time, The Night Shift shows that by confronting the past can we reshape our future.
praise for The Night Shift
“wildly imaginative and utterly addictive”
"A wildly imaginative and utterly addictive novel that had me eagerly turning pages late into the night. Natalka Burian's clever concept of an NYC peppered with mysterious shortcuts lays the foundation for a propulsive story which also offers a thoughtful examination of self-preservation, vulnerability, and human connection."
—Margarita Montimore, USA Today bestselling author of Oona Out of Order
“engrossing and vibrant”
“The Night Shift is an engrossing and vibrant novel, and I loved watching my fair city shine in these pages. This is a great book for readers who love New York City after dark, and who see mysterious possibilities around every corner.”
— Emma Straub, New York Times-bestselling author of All Adults Here, The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, and Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures
“a total treat from beginning to end”
"Full of luster and heart, The Night Shift swept me into its labyrinth from the moment Jean Smith stepped into her first shortcut through New York City. This novel is a triple threat: a time-traveling rhapsody, an homage to found family, and an anthem for the night owl. In short, a total treat from beginning to end."
—Amy Jo Burns, author of Shiner
“High-spirited, propulsive, and heart-wrenching”
“High-spirited, propulsive, and heart-wrenching, The Night Shift is an achingly compelling look at memory, resiliency, hope, and hustle. Burian weaves a whole new New York City—magical, strange, and free from the everyday trappings of time and space—but this story is resonant and timeless, a bittersweet beauty by a fantastically talented writer.”
— Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light
“made to binge-read”
“A twisty, cinematic romp through space, time, and early aughts New York, The Night Shift is made to binge-read.”
— Kyle Lucia Wu, author of Win Me Something and Senior Editor of Joyland
“the adventure of a lifetime”
“Natalka Burian is inviting you on the adventure of a lifetime. A wild heartbeat of a book that takes unexpected turns—literally and emotionally—and lands us in a newly discovered world of a beloved city, yes, but also a newly discovered world of ourselves. I was so impressed by the human connections on the page, and will think back often to this cast of characters as if they are friends of my own. We are lucky to have such a story.”
— Chelsea Bieker, author of Godshot and Heartbroke
“Original, surreal, and thoroughly suspenseful”
“The Night Shift is a fabulously strange and wondrous novel. Original, surreal, and thoroughly suspenseful, Natalka Burian takes you on a journey through New York and a world of magical shortcuts tucked within its streets, and creates a world both fantastic and unsettlingly familiar. It absorbed me completely.”
– Annie Hartnett, author of Unlikely Animals
