Elaine Castillo, named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times, was born and raised in the Bay Area. Her debut novel, America Is Not the Heart (2018), was a finalist for numerous prizes including the Elle Big Book Award, the Center for Fiction Prize, and the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, and the New York Public Library. She is also the author of the acclaimed collection of essays How to Read Now (2022), the longform essay Good Girl: Notes on Dog Rescue (2024), as well as her most recent novel Moderation (2025), which was recently named one of the Top 10 Books of 2025 by The Atlantic, Slate, and one of the best books of 2025 by The New Yorker, Time, Kirkus Reviews, and more. She was recently long listed for the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize, awarded in recognition of an author of national consequence.

She works so her rescue German shepherd Vincent can live a better life.