Possessed

From the bestselling author ofDrunk Mom, comes a story of romantic obsession, mental illness, and self-discovery as one woman travels to a haunted quarantine island.

Josephine is obsessed. Or possessed by unrequited love for a younger man who doesn't promise anything, but who gives her a taste of intimacy that puts her on the brink of losing her mind. Oscillating between her elusive lover and her older former partner, stuck in the hell that is working in a cubicle, and obliged to tend to her destructive, senile mother, Josephine is trapped.

After a work assignment promises to deliver distraction, Josephine makes a decision to visit a former quarantine island in the Adriatic Sea, where she meets an enigmatic, beautiful man with a haunting story. Intimate and erotic,Possessedis a dark and funny story exploring sexual obsession, mental illness, and the supernatural. (From Rare Machines)

• Jowita Bydlowska on avoiding books with long descriptions of water

Jowita Bydlowskais a writer and journalist based in Toronto. Her memoir,Drunk Mom,recounts her relapse into alcoholism after having her first child. The bookwas a national bestseller and optioned for television and film by LD Entertainment. Her latest book is the novelGuy,which follows an intensely narcissistic talent agent. Bydlowska has written columns on popular culture andmental health for theNational Post, the Globe and Mail andCBC.