A devil who deals in fire, brimstone, and fine print. The best weapon against ancient evil? Close reading."An impressive and, quite possibly, perfect debut novel. Careful Readers is a book-lover's book." -Reedsy Discovery Carina is a Cuban American copyeditor of Catholic school curricula she doesn't believe a word of, and she has traded her shadow to Mephisto for a credit card with no limit. Her friend Gaspar signed with the same devil and gave up his true voice. To reach him she walks the gas veins of the earth in seven-league boots, surfacing at a German bath palace. In a Tokyo cosplay bar we find Fumi, a Faulkner-reading friend from a decade earlier Carina never stopped loving, who no longer appears in mirrors. One with no shadow, one in no mirror, and one without real language, the three of them do the only thing they were ever good at. They read closely. They work together to break the contracts that unmade them. Their path to salvation follows translation, diaspora, and human connection.Three lives across continents, woven by a Faustian bargain, and a climax that pays off. For fans of Ryka Aoki's Light from Uncommon Stars and V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Cover design by Alexander Naughton