Before we share info about this month’s book, we’re excited to announce that this month’s “Community Kindness Sponsor” (which helps offset the cost of the extra 15 books we hide after scavenger hunt weekend every month – the “random act of kindness” books!) is long-time Tome-finder and friend of the Tome Gnome, Sarah Meadows!!! So, if you know Sarah, please share some gratitude with her the next time you see her 🙂

Do you know someone who might be interested in partnering with us as a Community Kindness Sponsor in 2026 ($250)? 2025 is now full, but we are starting to look for sponsors in 2026. Please send us an email (tucsontomegnome[at] gmail.com) and we can send you some information 🙂

AND NOW, for what you’ve been waiting for: all about this month’s hidden book!

About the book, from Penguin Random House:

“In this contemporary debut novel—an intimate portrait of queer, racial, and class identity —Andrés, a gay Latinx professor, returns to his suburban hometown in the wake of his husband’s infidelity. There he finds himself with no excuse not to attend his twenty-year high school reunion, and hesitantly begins to reconnect with people he used to call friends.

Over the next few weeks, while caring for his aging parents and navigating the neighborhood where he grew up, Andrés falls into old habits with friends he thought he’d left behind. Before long, he unexpectedly becomes entangled with his first love and is forced to tend to past wounds.

Captivating and poignant; a modern coming-of-age story about the essential nature of community, The Town of Babylon is a page-turning novel about young love and a close examination of our social systems and the toll they take when they fail us.”

About the author, Alejandro Varela:

“Alejandro Varela (he/him) is based in New York. His work has appeared in the Boston, Yale, and Georgia Reviews, The Point Magazine, Harper’s, and The Offing, among other publications.

His debut novel, The Town of Babylon (Astra House, 2022), was a finalist for the National Book Award. His short story collection, The People Who Report More Stress (Astra, 2023), was a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards and longlisted for the Aspen Literary Prize, the Story Prize, and the Jean Stein Awards.

Middle Spoon, his forthcoming novel, will be published by Viking (September 2025).

Varela is an editor-at-large of Apogee Journal, and he holds a master’s in public health from the University of Washington.”

Why I selected The Town of Babylon for the August 2025 Giveaway:

• This beautiful story highlights that going home can be complicated. The main character returns to his hometown for a reunion, and suddenly everything–memories, people, shame, longing–starts swirling. It’s a book about place and belonging, and will resonate with anyone who has mixed feelings about their hometown.
• There is a tender, meandering vibe to this novel that has the reader drifting through the memories and background of the main character, as well as the characters that impacted him the most while he was growing up.
• With its themes of queerness, community, race, and belonging, this story feels incredibly relevant to our current moment.
• Alejandro writes with heart, courage, and clarity. This gnome loves a book that gives voice to underrepresented stories and sparks real conversation. It was refreshing to read a story about a second-generation immigrant. We need more of these!
• These pages embody history, memory, connection, and the importance of place–and that’s just the kind of story that’s perfect for a bookish scavenger hunt.