Just the Thing: Books to go with those luxury goods

For the highest bidder on your list whose walls are adorned with Alex Colville art, K.D. Miller’s chilling collection of short stories inspired by the brooding atmospheres in Colville’s paintings is the rich finish on that luxury gift. In 10 linked short stories, Late Breaking observes older women struggling to be seen in a youth-obsessed society and young women wishing to be unseen, partnerships failing, parents and children navigating their respective roles, and the complicated nature of relationships. Pair with that one original Colville painting your giftee doesn’t have, and this gift will be the pièce de résistance.

What’s more luxurious than moving into a mansion? The protagonist of Anubha Mehta’s debut novel Peacock in the Snow does just that when she leaves behind a humble life to marry her high-school sweetheart, a man who happens to come from a wealthy established Indian family. The lavish setting will put your fancy giftee in a decadent mood before whisking them into a powerful, genre-bending thriller of a story (featuring ghosts!) that speaks to privilege, the immigrant experience, cultural traditions, and womanhood. And if the thrills prove a little too exciting, your extravagant gift will be the perfect treat to console.