Natalka Burian

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.