Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
Little, Brown Book Group I The Divine
Book Synopsis''In this delightful novel, Alameddine takes his greatest risks yet, and succeeds brilliantly, in a work that while marked by radical formal innovation, manages to be warm, sad, funny and moving'' Michael ChabonNamed by her grandfather after ''the Divine'' Sarah Bernhardt, Sarah Nour El-Din grows up in Beirut against the tense background of civil war. But the young Sarah finds pleasure in the everyday - her first cigarette, first kiss, seeking revenge on her tight-lipped stepmother. Then, with adulthood, comes an awareness of the fragility of life. After two failed marriages, the loss of her son, the death of one sister and the imprisonment of another, Sarah begins to tell her story. But this story is not so easy to tell.A novel written entirely in first chapters, I, THE DIVINE is an honest and touching story of one woman''s struggle to come to terms with her past.Trade ReviewA perfect novel...Alameddine is one of the greatest living writers working in English. * Sarah Schulman, Literary Hub *Rabih Alameddine is one our most daring writers - daring not in the cheap sense of lurid or racy, but as a surgeon, a philosopher, an explorer, or a dancer. In this delightful novel, he takes his greatest risks yet, and succeeds brilliantly, in a work that while marked by radical formal innovation, manages to be warm, sad, funny and moving. * Michael Chabon *Alameddine's new novel unfolds like a secret... creating a tale...humorous and heartbreaking and always real * Los Angeles Times *Wonderful, irresistibly unique, funny, and amazing * Amy Tan *Moving and memorable * Boston Globe *
£9.49
Mira Books Six Days in Bombay
Book Synopsis
£21.74
Atlantic Books Hum
Book SynopsisHelen Phillips is the author of six books, including The Need, a National Book Award nominee and a New York Times Notable Book. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award, and the Calvino Prize in Fabulist Fiction. She is an associate professor at Brooklyn College.
£15.29
Pan Macmillan The Good Fight: An Uplifting Story Of Justice And
Book SynopsisSet in a drastically changing world, The Good Fight is the uplifting and inspiring story of one woman against the system, by the number one bestseller, Danielle Steel.America in the 1960s. A new generation of women are breaking the boundaries – socially, politically and professionally – and Meredith McKenzie wants to be one of them.Determined to become a lawyer, Meredith discovers her passion for justice, fighting for civil rights and desegregation. But when the violence of the era strikes too close to home, her once tightly knit family must survive a devastating loss and rethink what it is that holds them together.Meredith will have to do anything she can to keep her family together while she fights for what she believes in . . .
£7.19
HarperCollins Publishers Meet Me at the Surface
Book SynopsisA haunting ode to Cornish folklore and the secrets of the places we call home
£9.49
John Murray Press The Chibineko Kitchen
Book SynopsisFollow the bank of the Koitogawa river until you reach the beach. From there a path of white seashells will lead you to the Chibineko Kitchen. Step inside, they''ll be expecting you. These are the directions Kotoko has been given. She arrives at the tiny restaurant, perched right by the water, early in the morning. Still reeling from the sudden death of her brother, she''s been promised that the food served there will bring him back to her, for one last time. Taking a seat in the small, wood-panelled room, she waits as Kai, the restaurant''s young chef, brings out steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice and miso soup. Though she hadn''t ordered anything, Kai had somehow known the exact dish her brother always used to cook for her. And as she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent and the air grows hazy . . . Soul-nourishing and comforting, The Chibineko Kitchen will help you remember what matters most in life.
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers If I Were You
Book Synopsis'A must read' Clare Mackintosh 'Unique, funny and romantic, this love story has it all' Heat
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Frankie
Book Synopsis PRE-ORDER NOW! The brand-new novel from million-copy bestseller and national treasure Graham Norton - a dazzling, decades-sweeping story about love, bravery and what it means to live a significant life. ''Warm and wise, Frankie is a woman worth getting to know''BONNIE GARMUS''I couldn''t stop reading it, but feel bereft now that I''ve finished''NIGELLA LAWSON''I was enthralled by Frankie from page one. It''s a beauty. A warm, deeply moving, life-enhancing novel''SARAH WINMAN''Frankie is a perfect song of a book and everyone who likes human beings should read it''ANDREW O''HAGANAlways on the periphery, looking on, young Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage - after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now old, Frankie finds it easier to forget the life that came before.Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her
£17.00
HarperCollins Publishers The Guns of Navarone
Book SynopsisThe classic World War II thriller from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. Now reissued in a new cover style.The guns of Navarone, huge and catastrophically accurate, embedded atop an impregnable iron fortress in the Mediterranean Sea.Twelve hundred British soldiers trapped on a nearby island, with no hope of rescue from Allied ships, waiting to die.Keith Mallory, world-famous mountaineer, skilled saboteur. His mission: to lead a small team of misfits and silence the guns forever.Reaching the island and scaling the sheer cliffs undetected will be hard enough; defeating the German forces and destroying the massive guns all but impossible. And as for getting out alive when there may be a traitor in the teamTrade Review‘The most successful British novelist of his time’Jack Higgins ‘Could hardly be bettered.’Sunday Times ‘Its strength comes from the speed of its narrative, its vivid creation of tensions and its power in handling descriptions of action.’Evening Standard ‘Action sustained at a high pitch. From the outset there is a feeling of suspense: a problem that can only be solved by action involving danger and demanding courage … an insistently gripping tale.’Scotsman
£9.49
Dzanc Books These Threads Who Lead to Bramble
Book SynopsisRussell Persson’s These Threads Who Lead to Bramble defies the singularity of any one genre as it braids together memory and myth to challenge the limits of our collective imaginationThis is a book that contains multitudes—a celebration of the forgotten marginalia of Westernized thought. Persson’s collection delves into eccentric twentieth-century American photographers, the lives of his ancestors both distant and recent, and of the artist Egon Schiele in prison, teetering on the edge of sanity. He interweaves the careers of three obscure composers—Alban Berg, Erik Satie, and Anton Webern—and imagines the composer’s life based on listening to their music, rather than the other way around. And he charts the path of his own life from a long-ago teenage road trip, sleeping in the backs of friends’ cars and trying to find himself inside a vast world.As the work builds, the lines between personal memory and collective history become ever more abstract, blending inner and outer spheres to confront the unknowable expanse of universal existence. A must-read for fans of Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, Roland Barthes’s Camera Lucida, and W.G. Sebald’s Austerlitz.This work includes black-and-white reproductions of Egon Schiele’s drawings, with permission from The ALBERTINA Museum in Vienna.
£12.34
Granta Books Island Song
Book SynopsisIn 1940, Helene, young, naive, and recently married, waves goodbye to her husband, who has enlisted in the British army. Her home, Guernsey, is soon invaded by the Germans, leaving her exposed to the hardships of occupation. Forty years later, her daughter, Roz, begins a search for the truth about her father, and stumbles into the secret history of her mother's life. Written with emotional acuity and passionate intensity, Island Song speaks of the moral complexities of war-time allegiances, the psychological toll of living with the enemy and the messy reality of human relationships in a tightly knit community. As Roz discovers, truth is hard to pin down, and so are the rights and wrongs of those struggling to survive in the most difficult of circumstances.Trade ReviewA striking first novel that explores the moral complexities of occupation during the second world war -- Anthony Quinn * Observer *It's rare to find a first novel that is so assured and so well-balanced ... it is the best sort of intelligent popular fiction... Page-turning -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *Elegant...unflinching * Daily Mail *A wonderful evocation of wartime secrets and hidden histories, and a moving exploration of the far-reaching consequences they can have -- Catherine HallCompelling and moving - the narrative carried me along. I was gripped by Madeleine Bunting's cast of wartime characters and their modern-day descendants until the very last page -- Catherine HallPsychologically taut and compelling. A fascinating depiction of wartime Guernsey, with very real, very moving characters -- Catherine HallA gripping and exceptionally well told story about one woman's quest for truth, illuminating the many ways in which emotional and political histories are so often intricately -- Melissa BennVivid and engrossing, Island Song tells an extraordinary story, bringing to life a largely untold experience of the Second World War. Madeleine Bunting is a fine writer, and her beautiful novel a memorable debut. -- Claire MessudA page-turner...many pages are so good, even charming, that you want to linger on them...it's rare to find a first novel that is so assured and well-balanced * Yorkshire Post *
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant
Book Synopsis''I loved this exquisitely written novel and drank in every word. The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant is a reminder of the redemptive nature of love, and that it can be found in the most unexpected places.'' Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of The Dressmaker''s Gift and The Beekeeper''s PromiseAn abandoned woman...1951. Esther Durrant, a young mother, is committed to an asylum by her husband. Run by a pioneering psychiatrist, the hospital is at first Esther''s prison - but can captivity lead to freedom?A forbidden love...2018. When free-spirited marine scientist Rachel Parker is forced to take shelter on an isolated island off the Cornish Coast during a research posting, she discovers a collection of hidden love letters. Captivated by their passion and tenderness, Rachel is determined to find the intended recipient. A dangerous secret...Meanwhile, in London, Eve is helping her grandmo
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book SynopsisPrepare to be spellbound by Jim Kay's inspired reimagining of Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Harry is unexpectedly chosen to compete in the legendary Triwizard Tournament, he finds himself facing death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards. Although his friends do their best to help him prepare, Harry must navigate each treacherous test alone, pushing his courage and quick-thinking to their limits. But while the attention of the wizarding world is focused on the Tournament, a much bigger challenge is lurking in the shadows. Lord Voldemort is plotting his return This irresistible smaller-format paperback edition has been beautifully redesigned with selected full-colour illustration highlights, bringing J.K. Rowling's storytelling genius and Jim Kay's artistic wizardry to a new generation of readers. Experience the excitement of the Quidditch World Cup, the cheery comfort of The Burrow and the festive grandeur of the Yule Bal
£21.25
Headline Publishing Group My Kind of Trouble
Book Synopsis''Binge-worthy, vibrant and bursting with life'' COURTNEY KAEHarmony Hale has been putting the art in con-artist for years. Now, she''s finally ready to take down the town mayor who ruined her father''s life. But Harmony''s tried-and-tested con - selling a non-existent music festival - requires her to win over the insufferably stubborn librarian who could lease her the land for the festival site.Autistic librarian Preston Jones spends his days fighting conservative book challengers and looking after his younger sister Lacey. He has no time for a romance like the ones in his books - and certainly none for the brash festival promoter knocking down his door.Preston sees things in black and white, and Harmony is nothing but trouble. But when Harmony promises to help save Preston''s library programs, he begins to wonder if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the one he''s been waiting for.With Harmony''s con coming to a c
£10.44
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Search Party
Book SynopsisYou are invited to The Search PartyJoin six old friends for one wild weekend at Cornwall’s newest glamping spot. The guests: * The anxious hosts with everything at stake* The boho hippies concealing a private darkness* The TV celebrity with his hot new wife and an even hotter temper* The exhausted new parents with a secret to hide* The one that won’t make it home alive . . . The tents are up. The bonfire is lit. Get ready for one hell of a party. Gripping, cleverly structured and brimming with secrets and lies, this is a masterclass in narrative tension and a chilling exploration of the ways in which aspiration and anxiety collide. It will keep you guessing until the last page. ‘Full of twists and turns’ Heat ‘Beautifully crafted’
£8.54
Muswell Press The Gaudy Image
Book SynopsisOriginally published in Europe in the 1950s to avoid prosecution for obscenity, The Gaudy Image is one of the most important "lost" gay novels. Set in New Orleans and featuring a colorful cast of louche but lovable characters, the story follows Titania aka Thomas Schwartz through the backstreets, bars and club of the French Quarter in search of the perfect lover--the Gaudy Image. This beautifully written story is both elegant and caustically humorous, erotic and sympathetic.Trade Review'Internationally recognized as a socially important work of gay literature' Roger Austen. 'Among the best gay novels of the fifties' Samuel R Delaney. 'A lovely piece of publishing' The Bookseller
£9.49
Canelo I Knew You Were Trouble
Book SynopsisHe's the world's most famous frontman. She couldn't care less.Lexi is only thirty years old, but is already an Oscar-winning documentary director. So when she is asked to ditch her current project to film the reunion tour of boy band Rebel Heart, she is disappointed. She didn't work this hard to follow a boy group on tour and document their every manufactured move for teenage fans.But after meeting Aidan, the unofficial head' of the band, something new stirs inside her. She thinks he's egotistical, entitled, and impulsive. Equally, Aidan thinks Lexi is high-strung, secretive, and emotionally devoid.Tensions rise, and as Lexi blends work and pleasure, she can't let go of her difficult past with the father that abandoned her. She doesn't expect people to stay in her life for long. Especially the lead of a boy band. But is this project about to prove all of her expectations wrong?A classic enemies-to-lovers story arc, for fans of Han
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Babysitter From the author of digital
Book SynopsisWho knew her secret? And what happened that night?A cracking page-turner from Phoebe Morgan' Cara HunterFast-moving. Addictive. And all too possible' Jane CorryI loved it, those twists!' B A ParisOn the hottest day of the year, Caroline Harvey is found dead in Suffolk. Her body is left draped over a cot but the baby she was looking after is missing. Hundreds of miles away, Siobhan Dillon is on a luxurious family holiday in France when her husband, Callum, is arrested by French police on suspicion of murder.As Siobhan's perfect family is torn apart by the media in the nation's frantic search for the missing baby, she desperately tries to piece together how Callum knew Caroline.What happened that night? Was Caroline as innocent as she seemed or was she hiding a secret of her own?The thrilling new book from the number one digital bestselling author of The Doll House and The Girl Next Door.Praise for The Babysitter:I loved it, those twists!' B A ParisA cracking page-turner from Phoebe MoTrade Review Praise for The Babysitter: ‘I loved it, those twists!’ B A Paris, bestselling author of The Dilemma ‘A cracking page-turner from Phoebe Morgan’ Cara Hunter, bestselling author of All the Rage ‘Another brilliant read – possibly my favourite of hers yet. Tense, twisty and gripping. I was NOT expecting that twist!’ Claire Allan, bestselling author of Her Name Was Rose ‘This had me at the title. Fast-moving. Addictive. And all too possible’ Jane Corry, bestselling author of I Looked Away ‘The Babysitter took me from France to Suffolk via dark, twisty plotting, compelling characterisation and an ending I didn’t see coming at all’ Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange ‘A well-paced and rather unusual thriller, not least because Morgan has a particular skill for creating a vivid sense of place’ Daily Mail ‘A mystery packed with twists and turns – Morgan knows how to ramp up the tension!’ Woman ‘This chilling thriller is packed with tension and twists!’ My Weekly ‘Smart, suspenseful and oh so twisty, I loved The Babysitter’ Victoria Selman, bestselling author of Blood for Blood ‘Smart and sophisticated, with a payoff that’s well worth the wait. This is a dark, chilling thriller oozing with secrets, betrayals and twists’ John Marrs, bestselling author of The One 'The Babysitter is everything I love in a crime novel – a race-against-time mystery full of betrayal, divided loyalties, dubious men and relationships strained to breaking point. It is hugely enjoyable and impossible to put down until the thoroughly satisfying ending' Jane Casey, bestselling author of Cruel Acts ‘Betrayal, twists, lies and hope … The Babysitter has them all! Unputdownable’ Isabel Ashdown, bestselling author of Lake Child ‘SO addictive with a clever and twisty storyline… Loved it!’ Claire Douglas, bestselling author of Do Not Disturb
£9.25
Faber & Faber A Good Enough Mother
Book SynopsisThe most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves...Excellent . . . A gripping debut.' Sunday TimesTaut, absorbing and psychologically astute.' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the TrainDr Ruth Hartland is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. But she is finding it hard to maintain.Increasingly preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance, Ruth is shaken when a new patient arrives at the unit a young man who looks shockingly like him. As a therapist, she knows exactly what she should do. But as a mother she makes a very different choice a decision that will have profound consequences.What readers are saying:''The psychological pull of this novel was so intense, I flew through it in no time at all.''''A heart-stopping mother''s story of love and loss, and a riveting drama th
£8.09
Pushkin Press My Tender Matador
Book Synopsis'One of the great novels of the past half century' GARTH GREENWELLA rediscovered queer classic: the subversive, blazingly beautiful oddball romance between an ageing trans woman and a young revolutionary by a Latin American iconIt is spring 1986 and Santiago's streets are aflame with protests against the dictator Augusto Pinochet. From her lavishly decorated hovel, the Queen of the Corner embroiders linen for the wealthy, dreams of romance and listens to boleros to drown out the rioting and gunshots. When handsome young macho Carlos waltzes into her life, the ageing queer swiftly agrees to help with his clandestine activities. As a strange connection blooms, their fates careen towards that of the dictator himself.Written in lushly imaginative prose that blends the sordid and the profound, the romantic and the militant, My Tender Matador is a transgressive queer classic of desire and revolution.Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.Translated by Katherine Silver.Pedro Lemebel (1952-2015) is considered one of the most important queer writers of twentieth-century Latin America and was also an activist and a performance artist. Born in Santiago, Chile, he became a renowned voice of Latin American counterculture during the Pinochet dictatorship and its aftermath. He received Chile's José Donoso Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is best known for his crónicas, a selection of which was published by Pushkin as A Last Supper of Queer Apostles, and one novel, My Tender Matador, which has been translated into more than a dozen languages and was adapted in 2020 into a critically acclaimed film by Chilean director Rodrigo Sepúlveda. Katherine Silver's most recent translations include works by María Sonia Cristoff, César Aira, Verónica Zondek, Juan Carlos Onetti, and Julio Ramón Ribeyro. She is the former director of the Banff International Literary Translation Centre (BILTC), and the author of Echo Under Story.
£10.44
John Murray Press How It Was
Book SynopsisAS FEATURED ON EMMA KENNEDY''S BOOKSHELF''IMMERSIVE, AMAZING, REMARKABLE'' MARIAN KEYES''JANET ELLIS WRITES WITH TENDERNESS AND WISDOM'' ERIN KELLY''AN ATMOSPHERIC, CLEVER NOVEL THAT WILL GET UNDER YOUR SKIN'' REDMarion Deacon sits by the hospital bed of her dying husband, Michael. Outwardly she is, as she says, an unremarkable old woman. She has long concealed her history - and her feelings - from the casual observer. But as she sits by Michael''s bed, she''s haunted by memories from almost forty years ago . . . Marion Deacon is a wife and mother, and not particularly good at being either. It''s the 1970s and in her small village the Swinging 60s, the wave of feminism, the prospect of an exciting life, have all swerved past her. Reading her teenage daughter''s diary, it seems that Sarah is on the threshold of getting everything her mother Marion was denied, and Marion cannot bear it - what she does next haTrade ReviewYou will love this - immersive, amazing, remarkable, I could barely breathe. I cried - and I never cry. * Marian Keyes *Ellis has a knack for depicting the way in which families struggle to communicate . . . engaging and readable * Observer *Ellis writes beautifully, with a great eye for detail. She has a wry comic touch and all the emotions are spot on. * Daily Mail *An atmospheric, clever novel, which will get under your skin -- Sarra Manning * Red *A tale of silences, secrets and misunderstandings, of marital infidelities and of paths not taken . . . A fluent, convincing depiction of the poignant intricacies of family life * Mail on Sunday *An emotional epic. The former TV presenter's debut novel, The Butcher's Hook, was great, and this second one is also terrific, particularly in the way she writes about mother-daughter relationships. * Good Housekeeping *An engrossing read . . . a story of family secrets and twisted relationships * Mirror *An emotional read with humour and heartbreak in equal measure * Daily Express *Gripping . . . an engrossing read from a talented writer * Daily Express *Cataclysmic * Radio Times *Poignant, cleverly nuanced and funny * Sunday Post *It's wonderful. A brutal tale of a fraught mother-daughter relationship. The writing fizzes along. Loved it. * Emma Kennedy *Janet Ellis writes with tenderness and wisdom about how you can lose a child while they are still under your roof - and how a child long-lost will never leave you. I veered between laughter and a lump in the throat, often on the same page. This book will sneak up behind you and break your heart. * Erin Kelly *Explores the human condition with pin-sharp precision, so accurate it hurts. It's a raw read, complex and compelling in its structure, with emotions laid bare. Written with empathy and integrity. * Lynne Parker *A brilliantly written, dark domestic noir * Simon Savidge *Heartbreaking - I would definitely recommend. It's going to be a very popular summer read. * Jen Campbell *Wonderfully evocative, immersive and beautifully written * Kate Eberlen *I absolutely loved it. The careful evocation of an era is incredibly seductive . . . These are real, believable, fragile people whose lives the reader becomes totally immersed in and gripped by. * Imogen Parker *I ate this up in one day . . . it has such great characters and very realistic, imperfect relationships. A thoroughly immersive story that I would heartily recommend. * Bookish Chat *Lolita meets Madame Bovary . . . Ellis writes fantastically * Herald Publicist *It's equally as compelling as her first. I can't put it down! * My Weekly *
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co The Hill Station
Book Synopsis''From the wide veranda you stepped out on to an acre of lawn, as smooth as glass; from the lawn you stepped on to nothing but fresh air.'' A summer of the 1870s, the Himalayan resort of Simla, in colonial India. To the cool of the hills comes a reluctant Dr McNab, with his wife and young niece. For Emily, romance is in the air. For the mysterious Mrs Forester, there is scandal brewing. And for the Bishop of Simla, rain clouds are not the only storms on the horizon. The Hill Station is the novel on which J. G. Farrell was working at the time of his tragically early death. It demonstrates powerfully what a great loss to literature this was. ''Remarkable, captivating from page one'' Evening StandardTrade ReviewOne of the most outstanding novelists of his generation * SPECTATOR *Remarkable, captivating from page one * EVENING STANDARD *Completely fresh, fully imagined, truthful in spirit * SUNDAY TIMES *Mr Farrell is an eccentric and highly gifted writer * THE TIMES *
£999.99
Profile Dealing with the Dead
Book Synopsis'Sharp and entertaining' Times Literary Supplement'One of Africa's greatest living writers' GuardianAbruptly deceased at the age of twenty-four and trapped forever in flared purple trousers, Liwa Ekimakingaï encounters the other residents of Frère Lachaise cemetery, all of whom have their own complex stories of life and death. Unwilling to relinquish their tender bond, Liwa makes his way back home to Pointe-Noire to see his devoted grandmother one last time, against all spectral advice. But disturbing rumours swirl together with Liwa's jumbled memories of his last night on earth, leading him to pursue the riddle of his own untimely demise. A phantasmagorical tale of ambition, community and forces beyond human control, Dealing with the Dead is a scathing satire on corruption and political violence by one of the foremost chroniclers of modern Central Africa.'Africa's Samuel Beckett' Economist
£13.49
Bonnier Books Ltd A Novel Murder
Book SynopsisWelcome to the Killer Lines Crime Festival!In the quaint town of Hoslewit, the biggest names in crime writing have congregated to celebrate all things bookish and murderous.
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers The Hedge Witch
Book SynopsisAn enchanting new novella set in the magical world of Sunday Times bestseller Threadneedle.
£10.20
Pushkin Press One Part Woman
Book SynopsisA vibrant fable of marriage, caste and social convention from one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Indian fiction 'Unexpected and moving' Amitava Kumar, author of Immigrant, Montana 'A major Indian writer' New York Times 'A captivating story of love and desire' Vivek Shanbhag, author of Ghachar, Ghochar Kali and Ponna are perfectly content in their marriage, apart from one thing. They are unable to conceive. With local gossip and family disapproval mounting, the increasingly desperate couple consider a more drastic plan. They will attend the annual chariot festival, a celebration of the half-male, half-female god Maadhorubaagan. For one night, the rules of marriage are relaxed, and consensual sex between unmarried men and women is overlooked, for all men are considered gods.Could this be the opportunity that they've been searching for?
£9.49
Profile Books Ltd Murder at Christmas: Ten Classic Crime Stories
Book SynopsisChristmas is a season of overindulgence. For most of us, that means an extra mince pie, a second helping of turkey, or perhaps a third glass of mulled wine. But for some, the festive season is a time to settle old scores, dispatch new enemies and indulge ... in murder. Here, ten masters of the genre serve up mystery and mayhem aplenty. From a dowager's missing jewels to a festive dinner gone horribly wrong, these classic crime stories will delight, puzzle and satisfy long after the last strands of tinsel have been cleared away.Trade ReviewWith Cecily Gayford in charge, we are on safe ground * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group Pearl of Pit Lane
Book Synopsis''Real sagas with female characters right at the heart'' Woman''s HourIf you love Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, you''ll LOVE Glenda Young''s ''amazing novels!'' (ITV''s This Morning presenter Sharon Marshall)''In the world of historical saga writers, there''s a brand new voice'' My WeeklyWhat readers are saying about Glenda''s dramatically powerful and romantic sagas of tragedy and triumph:''Better than a Catherine Cookson'' 5* reader review''Wonderful read, full of rich characters, evocative description and a touch of romance'' 5* reader review''Just wanted it to go on forever and read more about the characters and their lives'' 5* reader review...........................................''Put me to work on the pit lane, would you? Is that all you think I''m worth?'' When her mother dies in childbirth, Pearl Edw
£10.44
Fairlight Books Milton in Purgatory
Book SynopsisMilton Pitt leads an uneventful life, with a dull job and a secret longing for adventure. One morning, after he is hit by a speeding car, he suffers an out-of-body experience and awakens back in his bedroom. Everything is just the same - that is, except for the bloody footprints leading to the chimney... Is this his chance to lead a better life? Was it just a dream? Or is he simply dead? In this richly inventive and humorous novella, Edward Vass brings the themes of Dante's Divine Comedy 700 years into the future.Trade Review'Smart, funny, and an excellent writer, Edward Vass is the ideal guide for a journey into the beyond' —Dr. Owen Clayton, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Lincoln; 'Edward Vass masterfully interweaves the mundane and the insane, the scatological and the eschatological, the ludicrous and the bathetic' —Jennifer Rushworth, Lecturer in Comparative Literature at University College London and author of books on Dante and Petrarch
£7.59
HarperCollins Crash Test
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Tigers Wife
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION''Not since Zadie Smith has a young writer arrived with such power and grace'' Time''A marvel of beauty and imagination'' Ann PatchettA tiger escapes from the local zoo, padding through the ruined streets and onwards, to a ridge above the Balkan village of Galina. His nocturnal visits hold the villagers in a terrified thrall - but for one boy, the tiger is a thing of magic.Natalia is the granddaughter of that boy. Now a doctor, she is visiting orphanages in the war-torn Balkans when she receives word of her beloved grandfather''s death, far from their home, in circumstances shrouded in mystery.Compelled to unravel the truth, Natalia stumbles upon a clue that will lead her to a tattered copy of The Jungle Book, and then to the most extraordinary story her grandfather never told her - the legend of the tiger''s wife.One of the mostBRILLIANT <Trade ReviewObreht's novel is that rarity: a debut that arrives fully formed, super smart but wearing its learning lightly. Above all The Tiger's Wife bristles with confidence -- Adrian Turpin * Financial Times *The brilliant black comedy and matryoshka-style narrative are among the novel's great joys...Obreht has prodigious talent for storytelling and imagery * Guardian *Beautifully executed, haunting and lyrical, The Tiger's Wife is an ambitious novel that succeeds on all counts. It's a book you will want to read again and again * Indpendent *Obreht's landscape hovers half in and half out of fable - where villagers who daily risk being hoisted by landmines also fear malign spirits, tigers' brides and men who transform into bears... It's a part of the world that Obreht has made her imagination's own: raucous and strange and gorgeous and rather haunting. This is a pretty formidable first novel. Here be tigers -- Sam Leith * Financial Times *She is a natural born storyteller and this is a startlingly suggestive novel about the dying out of myths and superstitions and rituals that bind people to place: the retreat of the spirits * Daily Telegraph *This is a distinguished work by almost any standard, and a genuinely exciting debut... Obreht has a vibrant, rangy, full-bodied prose style, which moves expertly between realistic and mythic modes of storytelling, conjuring brilliant images on every page... a delightful work, as enchanting as it is surprising, and Obreht is a compelling new voice * Sunday Times *The Tiger's Wife has been touted as one of 2011's outstanding debuts and it deserves its reputation...Weaving together fantastical tales and folklore with realism about coming to terms with loss and grief, it is also a book about the secrets people keep. This layering of stories creates a book rich in textures. Combining a mystery narrative, a family narrative and a book about the worlds of the imagination, Téa Obreht's novel is one that allows the reader to get lost in them * Metro *The Tiger's Wife, is assured, eloquent and not easily forgotten...war is just a backdrop, religions barely identified. It is the tiger, the deathless man, and the inquisitive doctor who lead the story through its layers of modern-day reality, magical realism, and folklore...her pacing in the book is delicious - Obreht has the storyteller's gift for suspense, and holds back details until the reader can wait no more...she has lived up to the early hype * Independent on Sunday *Natalia, a young doctor, is on her way to deliver aid to a remote orphanage when she discovers her beloved grandfather is dead. As she tries to reconstruct her grandfather's last journey, she recalls his stories, which combine folklore and mystery with his exquisite humanity. Set in a Balkan country adjusting to life after the war, the book resonates with the aftershocks of conflict, old enmities, fatalism and superstition. Haunting, thoughtful and beautifully atmospheric * Psychologies *Varied, poignant and beguilingly fantastical...The Tiger's Wife is an exciting, fast-paced and mystical novel that'll have you rushing to the end * Time Out *Spellbinding... Téa Obreht's debut has the fantastical allure of a folk fable * Marie Claire *This astounding debut novel about the former Yugoslavia in wartime is so rich with themes of love, legends and mortality that every novel that comes after it this year is in peril of falling short in comparison with its uncanny beauty...Not since Zadie Smith has a young writer arrived with such power and grace * Time *Téa Obreht's stunning debut novel, The Tiger's Wife, is a hugely ambitious, audaciously written work that provides an indelible picture of life in an unnamed Balkan country still reeling from the fallout of civil war... Ms. Obreht, who was born in the former Yugoslavia and is, astonishingly, only 25, writes with remarkable authority and eloquence... Ms. Obreht has not only made a precocious debut, but she has also written a richly textured and searing novel * New York Times *Téa Obreht is an extraordinarily talented writer...brings to mind the novels of Mikhail Bulgakov...[a] truly marvellous and memorable first novel * New York Review of Books *Téa Obreht's The Tiger's Wife comes freighted with more critical anticipation than any debut novel in recent memory...That sort of unearned, pre-emptive prestige spurs both impossible expectations and skeptical readings - a burden that would doom most first novels. Yet The Tiger's Wife, in its solemn beauty and unerring execution, fully justifies the accolades that Ms. Obreht's short fiction inspired. She has a talent for subtle plotting that eludes most writers twice her age, and her descriptive powers suggest a kind of channeled genius. No novel this year has seemed more likely to disappoint; no novel has been more satisfying * Wall Street Journal *Tea Obreht's swirling first novel, The Tiger's Wife, draws us beneath the clotted tragedies in the Balkans to deliver the kind of truth that histories can't touch. Born in Belgrade in 1985 - no, that's not a typo - she captures the thirst for consecration that a century of war has left in that bloody part of the world. It's a novel of enormous ambitions that manages in its modest length to contain the conflicts between Christians and Muslims, Turks and Ottomans, science and superstition... Well-deserved praise has been accumulating ever since Obreht published a chapter in the New Yorker almost two years ago, and now that we have the whole, its graceful commingling of contemporary realism and village legend seems even more absorbing * Washington Post *Astonishingly assured...full of vivid, dreamlike sequence...Obreht's mesmerizing writing is key to the novel, which succeeds through a kind of harmonic resonance...Obreht's striking ability to explain the world through stories is matched by her patience with the parts of life - and death - that endlessly confound us * Boston Globe *Deftly walks the line between the realistic and the fantastical . . . In Obreht's expert hands, the novel's mythology, while rooted in a foreign world, comes to seem somehow familiar, like the dark fairy tales of our own youth, the kind that spooked us into reading them again and again . . . [Reveals] oddly comforting truths about death, belief in the impossible, and the art of letting go * O: The Oprah Magazine *A wonderful, really remarkable novel...fascinating, unusual, original -- Erica Wagner * on WOMAN'S HOUR, RADIO 4 *A magical, distinctive tale. -- Emma Lee-Potter * DAILY EXPRESS *As enchanting as it is surprising ... Obreht's prose style is full-bodied and vibrant, and she conjures brilliant images on every page. -- Edmund Gordon * SUNDAY TIMES *War and its legacy ricochets through Obreht's kaleidoscopic dance of myth, folk memory and interrelated stories ... dizzying and ambitious * LONDON METRO *a stunning tale with the mythic quality of a fairy story * TIMES *Mysterious and funny * SUNDAY HERALD *A distinctive, magical tale * DAILY EXPRESS *
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group Honest Secrets
Book Synopsis''A beautiful and extremely romantic novel, showing that there is hope even after the complete shattering of dreams. Highly recommended!'' 5 star reader reviewWhat happens when you discover that your glamorous movie star mother could never have given birth to you?Fans of Lucinda Riley, Santa Montefiore and Rachel Hore will be gripped by Muna Shehadi''s Honest Secrets..............................................................Olivia Croft''s life is at a crossroads. After yet another fruitless audition and the cancellation of her TV show, Crofty Cooks, she''s left with the hope that she and her husband Derek will finally conceive the child she craves - and that she''ll be able to forget the recent revelation that her late mother, the famous movie star Jillian Croft, did not give birth to her or her two sisters. But her world only collapses further when she unco
£9.49
Yale University Press Time Regained
Book Synopsis
£68.00
Random House Publishing Group Last Of The Breed
Book Synopsis
£7.59
HarperCollins Rush Week
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£10.44
Faber & Faber Milkman
Book SynopsisLiberty fabric covered editions bring classics from the Faber backlist together with important modern titles, putting them in conversation and celebrating both the history and the future of Faber & Faber. In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerousMilkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.In 2019, Milkman, winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, will be reissued with a bespoke Liberty fabric cover, created uniquely for Anna Burns; Sylvia Plath''s
£13.49
Random House USA Inc Simplicity
Book Synopsis
£20.40
Seven Seas Entertainment Riverbay Road Mens Dormitory Novel Vol. 2
Book SynopsisFrom Fei Tian Ye Xiang, the author of Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu and Dinghai Fusheng Records, comes a new modern-day romp!One famous director rents out the rooms in his house to other gay men in hopes of writing more realistic characters for his novel. But can he get along with these very different men long enough for him to finish his story?After a childhood fractured by parental discord and plagued by the death of his grandparents, Zhang Yuwen is no stranger to making lemons into lemonade. Now twenty-seven years old, the reclusive, gay, and single Zhang Yuwen has taken his lofty inheritance—including a 6-bedroom house on Riverbay Road—all the way to the bank, becoming a multimillionaire movie director and mogul. However, Zhang Yuwen still longs for one thing: to be a famous writer among the likes of Dostoevsky and Kafka. When his contacts at a prestigious publisher refuse to publish his debut novel, calling it fake and contrived, Zhang Yuwen is left reeling.Still, all is not lost. If the editor says his two-dimensional characters prove he doesn't socialize enough, all he needs is a little more interaction with other single, gay men. Easy! He can put up an ad to rent out the rooms in his house and have the men come to him. After all, how much trouble could a handful of other single guys really be?This new novel series from the fan-favorite author will be officially available in English for the first time, featuring illustrations and brand-new art.
£16.14
Atlantic Books What Will People Think
Book SynopsisVedashree Khambete-Sharma lives in Mumbai and works in advertising - over the course of her 18-year copywriting career, she has won both Indian and international awards for her work, including a Cannes Lion. What Will People Think? is her fourth novel.
£9.49
Orenda Books A Modern Family
Book SynopsisA family holiday creates unexpected drama when Liv, Ellen and Håkon’s elderly parents announce their decision to divorce. The Norwegian Anne Tyler makes her English debut in a beautiful, insightful and perceptive novel. ***Winner of the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize*** ___________________ ‘The most beautiful, elegant writing I’ve read in a long time. If you love Anne Tyler, you will ADORE this’ Joanna Cannon ‘A thoughtful and reflective novel about parents, siblings and the complex – and often challenging – ties that bind them’ Hannah Beckerman, Observer ‘I absolutely loved its quiet, insightful generosity’ Claire King ___________________ When Liv, Ellen and Håkon, along with their partners and children, arrive in Rome to celebrate their father’s seventieth birthday, a quiet earthquake occurs: their parents have decided to divorce. Shocked and disbelieving, the siblings try to come to terms with their parents’ decision as it echoes through the homes they have built for themselves, and forces them to reconstruct the shared narrative of their childhood and family history. A bittersweet novel of regret, relationships and rare insights, A Modern Family encourages us to look at the people closest to us a little more carefully, and ultimately reveals that it’s never too late for change… ___________________ ‘The author has been dubbed the Norwegian Anne Tyler and for good reason. Three generations of a family head on a holiday to Italy to celebrate patriarch Sverre’s 70th birthday – but he and his wife have life-changing news to share. If you love books about dysfunctional families, you’ll love this’ Good Housekeeping ‘As they rebuild their childhood memories, it’s telling that their perceptions of themselves and their family relationships are so dramatically different. In quiet prose, Helga Flatland writes with elegance and subtle humour to produce a shrewd and insightful examination of the psychology of family and of loss’ Daily Express ‘I love the sophistication, directness and tenderness of this book’ Claire Dyer ‘So perceptive and clever’ Rónán Hession ‘This is a super exploration of families that I’d urge you to read for the subtle prose, with well defined characters and a strong storyline’ Sheila O’Reilly ‘It is the most satisfying book that I’ve read in a long time, and the most clear-eyed, honest, yet sympathetic examination of relationships that I have ever read. The subtlety with which she portrays the inconsistencies between how the characters see each other versus how they see themselves is masterful’ Sara Taylor ‘Reading Helga Flatland’s A Modern Family is like watching the sun rise on a cloudy horizon; light whispers and dances and breaks over the clouds. Layers of deliciously cumulative insight – a moving and exquisite read’ Shelan Rodger ‘A beautifully written novel, bittersweet, moving and poignant … a wise novel of great insight’ New Books Magazine ‘Flatland has the gift that I most often covert in the work of other writers: the ability to make everyday events compelling … an utterly compelling and satisfying read. It reminds us how full and rich life is, how the quietest existence can brim with urgency and drama’ Ann Morgan ‘A novel that prods and provokes … fascinating, incredibly profound, yet somehow tender, this really does encourage an exploration of a modern family’ LoveReadingTrade Review"There is a hint of Ingmar Bergman in this portrayal of a completely normal family, it delves deep and wrenches your heart." --Adresseavisen "The most beautiful, elegant writing I've read in a long time. If you love Anne Tyler, you will ADORE this." --Joanna Cannon, author, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
£8.54
The New York Review of Books, Inc Agathe, or the Forgotten Sister
Book SynopsisFrom the author of ''A Man without Qualities,'' a novel about spirituality in the modern world. Agathe is the sister of Ulrich, the restless and elusive ?man without qualities? at the center of Robert Musil?s great, unfinished novel of the same name. For years Agathe and Ulrich have ignored each other, but when brother and sister find themselves reunited over the bier of their dead father, they are electrified. Each is the other?s spitting image, and Agathe, who has just separated from her husband, is even more defiant and inquiring than Ulrich. Beginning with a series of increasingly intense ?holy conversations,? the two gradually enlarge the boundaries of sexuality, sensuality, identity, and understanding in pursuit of a new, true form of being that they are seeking to discover. Robert Musil?s The Man Without Qualities is perhaps the most profoundly exploratory and unsettling masterpiece of twentieth-century fiction. Agathe, or, The Forgotten Sister reveals with new clarity a particular dimension of this multidimensional book?the dimension that meant the most to Musil himself and that inspired some of his most searching writing. The outstanding translator Joel Agee captures the acuity, audacity, and unsettling poetry of a book that is meant to be nothing short of life-changing.
£15.29
Cornerstone Golden State
Book Synopsis___________________'A prescient, devastating commentary on humanity’s disintegrating attachment to reality and truth... Winters has written a 1984 for the 21st century. Not just a thrilling book, but an important one' Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and TV series Wayward Pines'A dystopia for our times' Financial Times‘A wry commentary on our current era’ Guardian ___________________Welcome to Golden State, where the worst crime you can commit is to lie.Laz Ratesic is a veteran of the State’s special police. Those in power rely on Laz to discover the full and final truth.But when a man falls from a roof in suspicious circumstances, it sets in motion a terrifying series of events which will shatter Laz’s world for ever.Because when those in control of the truth decide to twist it, only those with the power to ask questions can fight back.___________________Golden State is an ambitious and frighteningly timely novel set in a world where everything is recorded and no one can be trusted. For anyone who loved The Handmaid's Tale, The Power and Station Eleven.'Pacy and compelling' SFX'Golden State is fascinating, cutting and ultimately inspiring' SciFiNowTrade ReviewAn entertaining, unpredictable read… very much a dystopia for our times. * Financial Times *Golden State is a prescient, devastating commentary on humanity’s disintegrating attachment to reality and truth, expertly told through the prism of a police-procedural, dystopian nightmare. Winters has written a 1984 for the 21st century. Not just a thrilling book, but an important one. * Blake Crouch, author of DARK MATTER and TV series WAYWARD PINES *Not many writers would take on Orwell, Ray Bradbury, the nature of truth, and the current administration all at a blow. Big shoes to fill--and they fit Ben H. Winters just fine. Golden State grabs notions of disinformation and literalism and brilliantly turns them on their head to see what falls from their pockets. * James Sallis, author of Drive *A perfectly poised ontological-thriller-comedy-dystopian-allegorical-page-turner, yet with tenderly real characters in its chewy center, this turned out to be just the thing I was looking for. * Jonathan Lethem *Smart, intricate and propulsive, Golden State is proof that Winters deserves our continued attention as one of crime fiction’s most inventive practitioners * San Francisco Chronicle *
£7.59
Random House Canada The Summers Between Us
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£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Here and Beyond
Book SynopsisEarthworld is a thing of the past. Welcome to the future. After the collapse of life on Earth as it once was known, 600 people are selected for passage on Shipworld, a spacecraft charting a 360-year voyage to a new planet. Their mission will see generation after generation born, living and dying on board until one day their descendants finally step foot on the Super Earth' that might offer the last chance for humankind's survival. But life aboard Shipworld is far from a waiting game. The spacecraft promises a world of its own, a harmonious system free of class distinctions and wealth accumulation. Yet with each new generation comes daunting challenges to the future of their civilisation from creeping doubts about the nature of reality to an outbreak of disease that could eradicate their population, from rebels who threaten the unity of the mission to a traumatic encounter with a mysterious space phenomenon. An intergenerational epic populated by pioneers and chroniclers, enemies and friends, leaders and legends, Here and Beyond is an intricate and imaginative exploration of the arc of human endeavour.
£15.29
Granta Books Strange Weather in Tokyo
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£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Secret Seaside Escape
Book Synopsis***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR*** Escape to the seaside with the brand new novel from Heidi Swain, the Sunday Times bestselling author of feel-good women’s fiction! 'A summer delight!' SARAH MORGAN Tess Tyler needs a break. Weighed down by her high-pressure job and her demanding father, she’s left little time to take care of herself. But after a shocking discovery sends her spiralling, she flees to Wynmouth, the seaside town she fell in love with as a child, to escape it all. With its sandy beaches, stunning rock pools and welcoming community, Tess feels like she can finally breathe again. And as she grows ever closer to local barman Sam, she dares to dream that she might never return to her real life. But when a familiar face returns to town, Tess realises that there are secrets in Wynmouth too, and that her own past may be about to catch up with her . . . <
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Simon & Schuster Ltd The Winter Garden
Book Synopsis***The sparkling Christmas novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain!***Will love bloom this winter? Freya Fuller is living her dream, working as a live-in gardener on a beautiful Suffolk estate. But when the owner dies, Freya finds herself forced out of her job and her home with nowhere to go. However, with luck on her side, she’s soon moving to Nightingale Square and helping to create a beautiful winter garden that will be open to the public in time for Christmas. There’s a warm welcome from all in Nightingale Square, except from local artist Finn. No matter how hard the pair try, they just can’t get along, and working together to bring the winter garden to life quickly becomes a struggle for them both. Will Freya and Finn be able to put their differences aside in time for Christmas? Or will the arrival of a face from Freya’s past senTrade Review'As warm and cosy as a cup of hot chocolate' heat '[A] lovely wintry tale' Hello 'With magically descriptive landscapes and the promise of romance, it's the perfect book to enjoy over a hot chocolate' Candis 'Light the fire, cuddle up close and escape into the warm glow of wintertime and Christmas with the much-loved queen of feel-good Heidi Swain' Blackpool Gazette 'A cosy read for winter nights' The People's Friend 'The Winter Garden is set against an atmospheric build-up to Christmas, Swain capturing the spirit of the season' Daily Express & Daily Mirror 'A sparkling romance' Woman's Weekly Fiction 'Full of all things Christmas, snowfall, roaring fires and warming romance' My Weekly
£7.59
Canongate Books The Edge of Solitude
Book SynopsisA NEW SCIENTIST BEST SCIENCE FICTION BOOK OF 2024''Beautifully written and exquisitely tense'' C.J. COOKE ''A masterwork of vision and power'' MANDA SCOTTA lone ship journeys south, heading for the furthest reaches of Antarctica. It belongs to Sky, the billionaire behind a groundbreaking project to salvage the region. On board is disgraced environmental activist Ivy Cunningham, lending her expertise in the hope that it might rescue her reputation - and perhaps even mend her broken relationship with her son. And yet, as the ship moves ever deeper into the breathtaking but eerie landscape, Ivy grows increasingly suspicious of her fellow passengers, and starts to question the project''s motives. If she could leave, she would - but she knows there''s no way home. Exhilarating, terrifying and thought-provoking at once, The Edge of Solitude is a story of climate emergency and human fallibility, of the clash of ambition and principle, and of the choices we make when we know that time is running out.
£9.49
