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
Orion Publishing Co Born of No Woman
Book SynopsisTHE WORD-OF-MOUTH INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER''Born of No Woman proves that fiction can still amaze'' Le Monde''A vivid, mesmerizing tale''L''Express''A choral novel radiating with black light''Elle Nineteenth-century rural France.Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under the woman''s dress he will find the notebooks in which she confided the abuses she suffered and the twisted motivations behind them.And so Rose''s terrible story comes to light: sold as a teenage girl to a rich man, hidden away in a old manor house deep in the woods and caught in a perverse web, manipulated by those society considers her betters.A girl whose only escape is to capture her life - in all its devastation and hope - in the pages of her diary...
£13.59
Orion Publishing Co Farewell Amethystine
Book Synopsis IN THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF THE ACCLAIMED EASY RAWLINS SERIES, EASY IS SENT DOWN MEMORY LANE... BLINDING HIM TO REASON AND RISK, MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE ANYTHING BUT BLACK AND WHITE. ****January 1970. Ezekiel Easy Rawlins, LA''s premier Black detective, at 50 years of age despite all expectations. A loving family, a beautiful home, and a thriving investigation agency: all is right with the world.When Amethystine Stoller - his own personal Helen of Troy - arrives, seeking answers about her ex-husband''s disappearance, Easy wants to believe he has a simple case on his hands.But the investigation sends him on a trip down memory lane: haunted by loss, love, and a hunger that has eaten at him since he was a Black boy on his own on the streets of Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas.As the case becomes personal, Easy faces a reckoning. A new decade brings with it new expectations: men and women, Black and White, and wrong or r
£21.25
Orion Publishing Co Dead Souls
Book Synopsis''Mordant, torrential, incantatory, Bolano-esque, Perec-ian, and just so explosively written that I had to stop and shake the language-shrapnel from my hair and wipe it off my eyeglasses so I could keep reading'' Jonathan Lethem ''Full of clever postmodern flourishes, self-referential winks and riotous set pieces. It''s funny, smart and beautifully written'' Alex Preston, The Guardian''I absolutely adored Dead Souls. Reading it felt like overhearing the most exhilarating, funny, mean conversation imaginable--which is to say it made me extremely happy and I dreaded it ending'' Megan Nolan, author of Acts of Desperation ''I first heard about Solomon Wiese on a bright, blustery day on the South Bank...''Later that evening, at the bar of the Travelodge near Waterloo Bridge, our unnamed narrator will encounter that very same Solomon Wiese.In a conversation that lasts until morning, he will hear S
£16.99
Orion Publishing Co Last Resort
Book SynopsisNamed a Best Book of 2022 by the New YorkerNamed a Top 10 Book of the Year by SlateNamed a Best Book of the Year by VultureA New York Times Editors'' ChoiceShortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction ''Talent is rare, which is why I let out a big yippee reading Andrew Lipstein''s Last Resort... Excellent''THE TIMES''You won''t read a more brilliantly executed literary romp this year''GUARDIAN ''A funny, fast-paced literary satire''DAILY TELEGRAPH''Incredibly entertaining''NEW YORK TIMES, Editor''s Choice''Wicked fun... A deliciously absurd comedy''WASHINGTON POST''If Less by Andrew Sean Greer left a hole in your life, good news: Last Resort will fill it''MEG MASON''Caleb Horowitz is exactly the kind
£13.49
Orion Publishing Co The Anniversary
Book Synopsis''Stunning'' i paper''Dangerously readable'' Observer''Electrifying'' Sunday TimesNovelist J.B. Blackwood is on a cruise with her husband, Patrick, to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Patrick is older than J.B., a revered film director and formerly her professor. J.B''s art has been forever overseen by him, now it may overshadow his.For days they sail in the sun, with nothing but dark water all around them. Then a storm hits, and Patrick falls off the ship.J.B. is left alone, as the search for what happened to Patrick - and the truth about their marriage - begins.''Magnificent'' Joanna Cannon ''Compulsive'' Financial Times ''I loved it'' Megan Hunter
£9.49
BRILLIANCE PUBLISHING INC OFF SEASON
Book SynopsisSeptember. A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River off season awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family with a taste for flesh lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall...And before too many hours pass, five civilized, sophisticated people and one tired old country sheriff will learn just how primitive we all are beneath the surface...and that there are no limits at all to the will to survive.This novel contains graphic content and is recommended for regular readers of horror novels.
£999.99
House of Anansi Press Ltd ,Canada Back Roads
Book SynopsisIn Scotiabank Giller Prizelonglisted author Andrée A. Michaud's genre-defying, ethereal mystery, a writer encounters her double and must grapple with an undetermined crime and her own identity.In the dubious sanctuary of a wintry forest, a writer encounters a woman who she suspects may be her double. So begins a journey of inquiry in which nothing, not even the author's own identity, is certain. Who is Heather Thorne? Is she a stranger dangerously out of place in the woods, the victim of an accident or of a crime? Who is the author? Is her own name not in fact Heather Thorne?Brimming with the snowy menace and mystery of the boreal woods, where nothing is ever entirely known, the celebrated and prize-winning Quebec noir novelist Andrée A. Michaud once again defies categorization in an ethereal story that is also a meditation on the very process of literary creation.
£11.04
Globe Pequot Press The Sea of Silence
Book SynopsisThis is the seventh novel in the Nathan Peake series of nautical historical fiction set during the wars with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. The war moves to the Americas as Captain Nathan Peake, freed from service in the Royal Navy, is secretly commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to command a naval operation in the Caribbean Sea and frustrate plans to establish a new French Empire on the North American mainland which would pose an existential threat to the infant United States.With Europe temporarily at peace, Napoleon Bonaparte has dispatched his victorious army with a vast fleet to the Caribbean. Its aim is to re-impose French authority in the region, and then occupy a vastswathe of territory stretching from New Orleans to the Canada border and westward from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. But first they must re-conquer Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) where they are opposed by rebel slaves led by the African general Toussaint L''Ouverture. Nathan is sent fro
£17.99
Open Road Media One Lucky Christmas
Book SynopsisA delightful novel about a meddling mother, a marathon of bad dates, and taking a chance on love from the author of The Two-Week Promise. Twenty-four-year-old writer and bookseller Kasey wishes her mother could accept her for who she is and would stop trying to run her life. Kasey has already gone on a string of blind dates—with everyone from an underwear model to a guy whose greatest talent was burping the alphabet. Now she’s on date #31, with a pastor’s son, expecting yet another failure. But Tobias takes her by surprise. She likes his smile. She likes the fact that he orders fruit punch instead of coffee or soda. She likes it when he takes her to church and introduces her to his family. Unlike her mother, they accept her for who she is and welcome her with open arms. As the holidays draw near, Kasey feels like she’s finally found her place in the world. But could one accidental discovery make it all melt away
£14.36
Open Road Media Knife River
Book Synopsis
£15.26
Macmillan Dance Prone
Book SynopsisDance Prone is at once a wide-ranging re-imagining of an indie rock world and a psychological journey into the chaos of outsider art, youth, and its various languages.
£13.59
PAN MACMILLAN PAPERBACKS SAGA PACK
Book Synopsis
£11.88
W F Howes Ltd Song of the Skylark
Book Synopsis
£22.97
W F Howes Ltd The Grave's a Fine and Private Place: Flavia de
Book Synopsis
£17.76
West Margin Press On Heavens Hill
Book SynopsisFinalist for the 2023 Banff Mountain Book Award for Mountain Fiction & PoetryAn Anchorage Daily News Favorite Book of 2023Kim Heacox, author of the National Outdoor Book Award-winning novel Jimmy Bluefeather, returns with a new, brilliant novel about family love and the lengths one will go to protect it."A sprawling novel brimming with suspense, ideas and unforgettable characters, On Heaven''s Hill paints a captivating group portrait of a rebel alliance discovering their true selves in America''s most glorious natural landscape. This book will appeal equally to aging idealists reared on Edward Abbey and adventurous kids hooked on Gary Paulsen. Oh, and it''s laugh-out-loud funny, too."—Mark Adams, New York Times bestselling author of Tip of the Iceberg and Turn Right at Machu Picchu"Kim Heacox poses the age-old question—what price progress?—with new urgency in On Heav
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Little Nothings
Book Synopsis'Little Nothings delivers some searing and uncomfortable truths about motherhood and female friendships' Sarah J. Naughton 'A true single-sitting read' Alex Marwood With friends like these, who needs enemies? Liv Travers never knew real friendship until she met fellow mums Beth and Binnie. The three women become inseparable as they muddle through early parenthood together. Then along comes Ange… Ambitious, wealthy and somehow able to do it all. Under Ange’s guiding presence, the group finds new vigour and fresh aspirations – bigger houses, better schools, dinners at exclusive restaurants. But Liv can’t keep up and is increasingly edged out. When the four families take a three-week trip to a luxurious holiday resort, Liv seizes the opportunity to reclaim her place at the heart of the group, only to discover the true, devastating cost of a friendship with Ange. Set over the course of a single, life-changing trip to a Greek island paradise, Little Nothings is a sly, suspenseful novel about female bonds turned toxic, and the desperate ends one woman will go to keep her friends close – and her enemy closer.Trade ReviewDevilishly clever and beautifully written -- Alice Clark-Platts, author of The Cove and The Flower GirlsLittle Nothings delivers some searing and uncomfortable truths about motherhood and female friendship. Beautifully drawn characters, thrown together in the pressure cooker nightmare that is a group holiday. Entirely and chillingly relatable -- Sarah J. NaughtonMayhew is brilliant on women and the complex ways in which their relationships can turn destructive. A true single-sitting read -- Alex MarwoodA well-written, absorbing story that cleverly illustrates the psychological impact of nurturing a true enemy in your midst -- Rachel AbbottMayhew explores both the affirming side of female friendships and the darker currents of judgmental talk, financial peer pressure, and neediness. The most interesting part of the book is Liv, who’s the narrator, for she is often not a terribly sympathetic character. Yet there is something admirable in how she fights to recognize and celebrate her true, autonomous self, even if that person is inherently selfish and grudging * Kirkus Reviews *Anchored by a deliciously layered and desperately unreliable narrator, Little Nothings enriches the familiar setup of an intruder shaking up a happy idyll with a compelling, creative structure and distinctive voice * BookPage, US *A fun page-turner set on a Greek island paradise… This book balances edge-of-your-seat tension with gossipy fun as the friendships turn toxic, leading to a disturbing twist at the end. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Louise Candlish * The Australian *Riveting * Crime Monthly *A shocking tale about loneliness, modern motherhood and toxic friendships * Woman's Own *It’s a one-sitting read, at times uncomfortable but always entertaining. And the twist at the end – which I won’t ruin for you here – is as disturbing as they come * Better Reading, Australia *The compelling psyche of Liv, her inability to understand functioning relationships with those around her, including her husband and daughter, underpins the entire narrative, and her characterisation was both relatable and unsettling * The Courier & Advertiser, Scotland *Liv is a fully developed character whose palpable anxiety, desperation, and rage drive the diabolical plot to a calamitous conclusion. Lucy Foley fans, take note * Publishers Weekly, US *
£11.99
Pan Macmillan Palazzo
Book SynopsisPalazzo is a riveting novel about family, love and legacy set in the cut-throat world of Italian fashion, from the billion-copy bestselling author Danielle Steel.After her parents perish in a tragic accident, Cosima Saverio assumes leadership of her family’s haute couture Italian leather brand. While navigating the challenges of running a company at twenty-three, Cosima must also maintain the elegant four-hundred-year-old family palazzo in Venice and care for her younger siblings: Allegra, who survived the tragedy that killed their parents, and Luca, who has a penchant for wild parties, pretty women and poker tables.Cosima navigates her personal and professional challenges with a wisdom beyond her years, but her success has come at a cost: her needs are always secondary. She’s married to the business, and her free time is given to those who rely on her . . . until she meets Olivier Bayard, the founder of France’s most successful ready-
£18.70
Pan Macmillan Night Shift
Book SynopsisIn Night Shift, an exhilarating medical mystery-thriller by Robin Cook, fan favorites Jack and Laurie are lured into the dark underbelly of hospital dangers when a doctor is murdered.Doctors Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery are married and both work in the fast-paced metropolis of New York City. Juggling hectic schedules and family pressures, the last thing they need on their plates is a murder . . .But when Laurie’s long-time friend Dr Sue Passero dies mysteriously in a hospital parking garage, an autopsy is required, which falls squarely under Laurie’s remit as newly-appointed chief medical examiner. So when Laurie asks Jack to take special care with the examination, he can hardly refuse.Sensing foul play around Sue’s death having looked into the case more closely, Jack sets out to investigate on-site at Manhattan Memorial Hospital, even though it means defying the Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s rules. And what
£17.00
Random House Interviews with an Ape
Book Synopsis''I will remember the story of Einstein for the rest of my life ... This book should be read by everyone.'' VIRGINIA MCKENNA''An unusually powerful book - and a timely one too.'' MICHAEL PALIN''Revealing, perceptive and chilling in turns, the book is unlike any other I have read. Felice Fallon''s ability to write with so many voices makes Interviews with an Ape compelling and thought-provoking. It will break your heart and change your mind.'' JOANNA LUMLEY___________________A young woman, Dr Graciela Saddiq, arrives to work at a zoo in a city soon to be at war.Of all the animals, she is particularly interested in a silverback mountain gorilla named Einstein.Quickly she finds what makes this gorilla unique: he can communicate with humans using sign language.Each evening as darkness falls and the zoo empties of people, Einstein tells her his story as well as those of other animals he has know
£13.49
Cornerstone Lies and Weddings
Book SynopsisKevin Kwan is the author of Crazy Rich Asians, the international bestselling novel that has been translated into more than 30 languages. Its sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, was released in 2015, and Rich People Problems, the final book in the trilogy, followed in 2017. For several weeks in 2018, the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy commanded the top three positions of the New York Times bestseller list - an almost unprecedented single-author trifecta, and the film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians became Hollywood's highest grossing romantic comedy in over a decade. In 2018, Kevin was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
£17.09
Cornerstone Prima Facie
Book Synopsis''Compelling and human . . . a political rallying cry'' New York Times''Bold, fearless and heartbreaking'' Elle MagazineIt has been an absolute joy to return to Tessa's story . . . My hope is that it will reach the widest number of people . . . I've personally enjoyed delving into her story again' Jodie Comer''Bold, fearless, heartbreakingly timeless. Written with skill, humour, despair and hope, Prima Facie is a deeply rewarding, absolute must read'' Chris Whitaker''Enthralling and sharp-witted . . . Highly recommended'' Karin Slaughter''Miller''s star shines as brightly as a novelist as it does as a playwright. Prima Facie the novel gives us what novels do: the intimacy of interior life. A great read'' Anna FunderFrom the Olivier award-winning playwright of Prima Facie Suzie Miller comes her first novel, where power, patriarchy and morality diverge.<
£15.29
Cornerstone Early Sobrieties
Book Synopsis''Suberb . . . vivid'' TELEGRAPH''The arrival of a writer of considerable gifts'' TLS ''Michael Deagler is the real deal . . . a truly intelligent work from a clearly intelligent writer'' PERCIVAL EVERETT''Illuminating and moving'' AIMEE BENDERDennis Monk is about to spend his first summer sober. At twenty-six he is ready to re-join sensible adult life, but just when Dennis needs stability, his uptight parents kick him out into a world of couch-surfing.Everything around him has changed and everyone he knows seems to be doing better than he is. At every street corner, former classmates, estranged drinking buddies, and prospective lovers threaten to burst the bubble of his recovery. And Dennis Monk is about to learn the difference between getting sober and staying sober in this new world.Early Sobrieties is a devastatingly witty novel about coming of age a second time. Deagler's de
£15.29
Cornerstone Seven Summers
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Cornerstone Things I Wish I Told My Mother
Book SynopsisSusan Patterson (Author) Susan Solie Patterson has a Bachelor of Science/Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was also an All-American swimmer. She is the author of the children's book Big Words for Little Geniuses, a New York Times bestseller. Things I Wish I Told My Mother is her first book for adults.James Patterson (Author) JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. Among his creations are some of the world's most popular series including Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, Michael Bennett and the Private novels. He has written many other number one bestsellers including collaborations with President Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, stand-alone thrillers and non-fiction. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed adult author in UK libraries for the past fourteen years in a row. He lives in Florida wi
£8.54
Cornerstone The House at the Edge of the Woods
Book SynopsisThe unsolved mystery of a murder lies at the heart of this page-turning story of a young couple who are struggling to find happiness and meaning in their lives together . . . perfect for fans of Claire Douglas!A story about extraordinary events happening to ordinary people' Banbury Guardian___________When Ben was seven, his mother was murdered in the woods while he waited for her in their car.The case made the front pages, but her killer was never found.Thirty years later, Ben has a safe, grown-up life: a job, a ramshackle cottage and, most importantly, a happy marriage to Rebecca.His mother has receded to the corners of his mind, lingering only in the nightmares that won''t quite go away.Then Rebecca takes on a new job, painting a fairy-tale fresco for a wealthy businessman who starts asking questions about Ben''s mother . . .Is it time for the truth to come out - and for Ben to
£9.49
Transworld The Dictators Muse
Book Synopsis''[A] riveting novel... a fast-paced, brilliantly constructed thriller, in which the fates of the three young British protagonists hang in the balance at the end of every chapter'' A. N. Wilson, SPECTATOR''I loved the brash brilliance of this'' Peter Bradshaw, Guardian film criticIt is the early 1930s, and Europe is holding its breath. As Hitler''s grip on power tightens, preparations are being made for the Berlin Olympics. Leni Riefenstahl is the pioneering, sexually-liberated star film-maker of the Third Reich. She has been chosen by Hitler to capture the Olympics on celluloid but is about to find that even his closest friends have much to fear. Kim Newlands is the English athlete ''sponsored'' by the Blackshirts and devoted to his mercurial, socialite girlfriend Connie. He is driven by a desire to win an Olympic gold but to do that he must first pretend to be someone he is not. Alun Pryce is
£9.49
Transworld The Party Crasher
Book Synopsis''Joyous and funny, [with] emotional hidden depths.'' JILL MANSELLWhat might your family say about you if you weren''t in the room....?________Escape with the new Sophie Kinsella romcom about family love, family tensions and family secrets.Effie''s still not over her parents splitting up a year ago and her dad and his awful new girlfriend are posting photos everywhere (with the hashtags #viagraworks and #sexinyoursixties). Now they''re selling the beloved family home and holding a ''house-cooling'' party, but Effie hasn''t been invited.Then she remembers her precious Russian dolls, safely tucked away up a chimney, and has no choice but to go back for them. She''ll just creep in, grab the dolls and leave. No one will know she was ever there.But Effie can''t find the dolls. And as she secretly clambers around dusty attics, hides under tables and tries (and fails) to avoid bumping into her ex-boyfriend, she discovers
£9.49
Transworld Night of Demons and Saints
Book SynopsisAnd then there were three . . .Once upon a time four sisters confronted their demonic father in the shadowy and enchanting other-world of Everwhere. The battle between them ended in devastating losses. The scars they carried from that fatal night slowly pushed the remaining sisters apart. But now they''re being drawn back together - reuniting to try and resurrect what one of them has lost . . .On the night of their twenty-first birthday, when the clock strikes midnight, when October ticks into November, when autumn wilts into winter, when All Hallows'' Eve becomes All Saints'' Day, the sisters Grimm will reach the zenith of their powers.On this night, at this time, in the ethereal mist-bound realm of Everwhere, anything is possible. But when dark magic is released, tragedy will strike once more.Acclaim for The Sisters Grimm:''Vividly drawn, evocative and complex . . . absorbing and beautiful.'' BRIDGET COLLINS, auth
£9.49
Transworld The Girls of Summer
Book SynopsisDark, timely and thought-provoking' THE SUNSet to be a big summer hit' THE INDEPENDENTA gripping read that is visceral and raw. Buy it' GLAMOURThe last time Rachel saw the girls, they were teenagers island-hopping in Greece: making friends, finding love. One golden summer. Now in her thirties, she's never been able to forget the man she fell in love with back then. Even though he is almost twenty years older than her. Even though she hasn't seen him since and she's now married to someone else. And when she crosses paths with one of the girls, she's confronted with a truth that's much darker than she ever realized. What really happened to them all that summer? What if everything she remembers is a lie?**********For fans of GIRL A, MY DARK VANESSA and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE, The Girls of Summer is a bold compulsive exploration of sex, power and consent, and what happens when we revisit the past with rose-tinted glasses. 'Reminiscent of HBO's hit The White Lotus... The obvious read-a
£8.54
Cornerstone Last Summer on State Street
Book SynopsisState Street Chicago, 1999. One summer that changes everything. An unlikely trio: Felicia 'Fe Fe' Stevens, daughter of fiercely protective mother; Precious Brown, daughter of a prominent church Elder; and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin.They have a simple friendship, whiling away sunny days with games of Double Dutch. But when Fe Fe invites mysterious Tonya into their fold, life as they know it will never be the same again.Last Summer on State Street is a profound coming-of-age story about the restorative power of community, the claiming of one's own past, and the defining friendships which form the heartbeat of our lives.Trade ReviewLast Summer on State Street is a beautifully observed portrait of family and female friendship. Toya Wolfe is a marvellous writer. * Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Wife *Tragic, hopeful, brimming with love, Wolfe's debut is a remarkable achievement. * New York Times *Toya Wolfe is a storyteller of the highest order-a wise and compassionate chronicler of girlhood, of Chicago, and of the things that make us human. Last Summer on State Street is a stunning debut. * Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Believers *Last Summer on State Street is an ode to Black girls who are often forgotten. Toya Wolfe tells a compelling, warm, and funny story about a group of girls growing up in a Chicago public housing development. * Natalie Y. Moore, author of The Billboard *I can't stop thinking of Toya Wolfe's novel Last Summer on State Street. Wolfe writes with such grace and such restraint, I felt like I was sitting on the front porch listening to a story told by a friend. What a spectacular debut. * Alex Kotlowitz, author of An American Summer *Last Summer on State Street is a love letter to girlhood, the tenuous bonds of friendship, and the places we call home. * Nancy Johnson, author of The Kindest Lie *Wolfe's arresting and atmospheric narrative comes fully realized. This is a gut punch. * Publishers Weekly *First-time novelist Wolfe writes with lacerating precision and authenticity. Wolfe's deeply compelling characters, sharply wrought settings, and tightly choreographed plot create a concentrated, significant, and unforgettable tale of family, home, racism, trauma, compassion, and transcendence. * Booklist *LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET is an astonishing debut, and Toya Wolfe is a remarkable talent. The novel is a hymn to girlhood, a loving and nuanced portrait of a place and a clear-eyed dissection of brutal social forces that catch Fe Fe, Tonya, Stacia and Precious in their crossfire. Wolfe's prose is rich, elegant and assured - a joy to read. * Jessica Moor *
£15.29
Cornerstone The Things That We Lost
Book SynopsisAN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF 2023WINNER OF THE 2021 #MERKY BOOKS NEW WRITERS' PRIZE'Secrets spill and relationships sour, sacrifices are made and promises are broken, as plot twists propel the narrative forward to a dramatic finale.'- The Guardian'An assured debut from a vital new voice. About family, grief and belonging, Patel weaves an intricate story that will stay with you.' - Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby and The Good ImmigrantNik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule.When his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life.As the carefully crafted portrait Avani has painted for her son begins to crack, and painful truths emerge, can the two of them find their way back to each other?The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love.'Brilliant.' - Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother and Sista Sister'Incredibly moving, this is an immersive novel focusing on grief but also love and relationships. I fell in love with Avani and Nik, characters so real I could hardly believe they're fictional. Jyoti Patel is a hugely exciting new writer.' - Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City and Miss Aldridge Regrets'A thoughtful meditation on family, grief and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love.' - Good Housekeeping 'A deftly assured debut novel about a fractured family and how words left unspoken can be more devastating than the truth.' - Red Magazine'One of the best books I've read this year.' - gal-demTrade ReviewAn assured debut from a vital new voice. About family, grief and belonging, Patel weaves an intricate story that will stay with you. * Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby and The Good Immigrant *Brilliant. * Candice Brathwaite *Incredible. * Guz Khan *Effortlessly weaving intricate intergenerational stories across time, Jyoti has written a poignant debut. * Christian Adofo, author of A Quick Ting on #Afrobeats *A big book, full of assured and affecting writing. . Secrets spill and relationships sour, sacrifices are made and promises are broken, as plot twists propel the narrative forward to a dramatic finale. * The Guardian *One of the best books I've read this year. * gal-dem *A thoughtful meditation on family, grief and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love. * Good Housekeeping *A deftly assured debut novel about a fractured family and how words left unspoken can be more devastating than the truth. * Red Magazine *Patel's novel revolves around the lingering trauma of bereavement and shows the lengths we go to to protect those closest to us. Sensitively written with a deep, emotional undercurrent. * Mr Porter *Highly recommended. * Huffington Post *The debut novel from 2021 Merky Books New Writers' Prize winner Jyoti may be one of the best books you read this year. The Things That We Lost is an achingly tender and heartfelt exploration of family, loss, and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love... Jyoti Patel is an exciting new writer, deftly exploring deep family intricacies, love and grief in equal measure. * Platinum *An invigorating narrative centred around family, loss and protection. * The Handbook *There is an immersive and intimate quality about Patel's writing - from its portrayal of London teenage slang to the detailed depiction of British-Gujarati culture. Her characters have a depth that brings a poignant reality to issues around coping with grief, abuse and racial prejudice, and navigating family and friendship dynamics. An enthralling read." * Breaking News.ie *Immeasurably moving, a poignant and touching story about love and family bonds, and an especially tender portrait of a mother and son. * Huma Qureshi *A deeply reflective, searching depiction of grief. * Rabeea Saleem, The Times Literary Supplement *The Things That We Lost took me by the hand and guided me through my worst ever reading slump! Patel writes about the complexities of family life with such wisdom and heart. * Sairish Hussain *Captivating and deeply moving. * Mohsin Zaidi *Frank, funny and light on its feet, it's a novel about generations, hopes and grief. A writer with a deft turn of phrase. * Ali Smith *A beautiful novel; it feels real and honest, with characters that seem to lift off the page and come alive…[it] is a book bursting with love * The List *Immeasurably moving, a poignant and touching story about love and family bonds, and an especially tender portrait of a mother and son. * Huma Qureshi *
£15.29
Random House Last Summer on State Street
Book SynopsisState Street Chicago, 1999. One summer that changes everything.An unlikely trio: Felicia ''Fe Fe'' Stevens, daughter of fiercely protective mother; Precious Brown, daughter of a prominent church Elder; and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin.They have a simple friendship, whiling away sunny days with games of Double Dutch. But when Fe Fe invites mysterious Tonya into their fold, life as they know it will never be the same again.Last Summer on State Street is a profound coming-of-age story about the restorative power of community, the claiming of one''s own past, and the defining friendships which form the heartbeat of our lives.
£9.49
John Murray Press Stories From the Tenants Downstairs
Book SynopsisEverybody got a story, everybody got a taleQuestion is: Is it despair or prevail?'Outstanding' New York Times Book Review'Sidik Fofana has an acute ear and a perfect eye' Lorrie Moore, author of Bark'Every once in a while a new writer comes along and refreshes our notions of what fiction can do . . . Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside' Ben Fountain, author of Beautiful Country Burn AgainBanneker Terrace on 129th and Fred Doug ain't pretty, but it's home. Home to young and old, folk just trying to get by. Cookouts with beer and wings, summertime with souped-up cars bumpin music. People don't come here for the bad; they came here to make a good life.It is home to Swan down in 6B, reconnecting with his boy Boons, just out of prison. Home to Mimi in 14D, raising Swan's child, doing hair on the side. Home to Quanneisha in 21J, longing to leave but it's where she grew up. Home to Mr Murray in 2E, who has played chess outside on the sidewalk for years. Some of the residents of Banneker have got it together, some can't make rent or pay bills, some are raising kids, some are hustling on the side, all are living.Stories from the Tenants Downstairs expertly showcases the strengths, struggles and hopes of one Harlem community, who are grappling with the effects of gentrification alongside their own personal challenges. It captures the joy and pain of the human experience and heralds the arrival of a uniquely talented writer.Trade ReviewBold, funny and gloriously flawed voices of New York . . . a bravura debut * Observer *Absolutely brilliant . . . tender and tough * Daily Mail *Outstanding . . . [Fofana] masterfully paints a portrait of the people most impacted by gentrification * New York Times Book Review *Ambitiously voiced and inventively structured . . . The sentences are infused with energy and dark humour, heralding an impressive debut voice and a skilful, pleasing collection * Sunday Business Post *Fofana makes us feel viscerally the weight of life's injustice. He doesn't idealize or airbrush his characters, yet he enables us to know their wit, ingenuity, joy, and resilience * Harpers *His characters exude life and the different voices stay with the reader long after the book has been shelved * Boston Globe *Heralds an indelible, inimitable new literary voice . . . full of humanity and humor and hope, full of insight into the plight of people too often pushed to the margins of America-the-dream . . . not only a great joy to read, it's evocative, essential art * Mitchell S. Jackson, author of Survival Math and The Residue Years *Full of tenderness and truth . . . The voices of the residents of Banneker Terrace linger and echo long after the last page. A tremendous debut! * Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies *Every once in a while a new writer comes along and refreshes our notions of what fiction can do. Sidik Fofana is one of those rare and wonderful writers . . . nothing short of revelatory. Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside * Ben Fountain, author of Beautiful Country Burn Again *The book I've been waiting for . . . The author knows this community and its predicaments and has assembled a cast that will break your heart but also at times put your heart back together again. Mr. Fofana has an acute ear and a perfect eye, and he doesn't rush. This is important American art * Lorrie Moore, author of Bark *A huge canvas of life where every detail has been lovingly rendered. Immersive, artful and moving. A wondrous debut * Oisín Fagan, author of Nobber *Stories which are often as funny as they are poignant . . . It's an impressive collection, so confident and assured it's hard to credit that it's Fofana's first * A Life in Books *It impressed not only for its ingenuity, but its tenderness and compassion * Irish Times, Books of the Year *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton The Survivor: A Sunday Times Thriller of the
Book SynopsisJude Lyon of MI6 has narrowly foiled the traitor Fowle's plot to level London, but the public are demanding answers.Answers the government doesn't have. As the country reels, a new populist political figure carves a stratospheric trajectory - but is he all he seems? In Moscow the President is furious. The world now knows the destructive power of the programme his people had been developing, and as the Russians scramble to understand how it got into Fowle's hands, they start to worry that perhaps it could be used against them . . . But Jude Lyon has just one question on his mind: Guy Fowle is missing, with nothing left to lose, So what is he planning next? Seething with political machinations, burning with blood-thumping action, and featuring the best returning MI6 operative since James Bond The Survivor brings the espionage novel crashing into the modern day.Trade ReviewAn engrossing, flawless fusion of globe-trotting adventure and evocative writing * Sunday Times Thriller of the Month *The Survivor, like its predecessors, combines high-tech expertise with bare-knuckle thrills. It's like being strapped to a rocket. A triumph. * Mick Herron, on The Survivor *Since their debuts in The Stranger, MI6 operative Jude Lyon's antagonism with rogue terrorist Guy Fowle has been among the most memorable in contemporary thrillerdom. Conway's military experience imbues the bloody showdowns with bone-jarring authenticity. In the final reckoning, however, this is a duel between two big beasts - the old school crazed villain and Lyon's modern incarnation of Galahad, a paladin with feelings, but up for it when what he holds dear is threatened * The Times *Simon Conway is one of the great thriller writers of our times - and in Jude Lyon has created a truly fascinating investigator . . . This is a proper international thriller, with Conway sweeping the reader from Belarus to Africa to London, and all the time bringing the scene to life with the lightest of touches * Holly Watt, author of To The Lions, on The Survivor *If you like your villains suave, if irredeemably vicious and evil, and your heroes incredibly brave and resourceful, Simon Conway's The Surviror, a hold-on-tight action-packed thriller, ticks all the boxes with considerable brio * Independent *A former British army officer and overseas aid worker, Conway brings insider knowledge of the military and geopolitics to add an extra layer to the finale in a terrifyingly plausible trilogy * Financial Times *A nail-bitingly believable cloak-and-dagger thriller * Peterborough Telegraph *Conway's military experience brings insider detail, but the riveting storytelling of the near-apocalyptic struggle between dark and light is the real triumph * Financial Times *Praise for Simon Conway:The Saboteur takes his storytelling to a new level * Financial Times, on The Saboteur *A novel with visceral thrills and the grand chess of international espionage. Throw in a hero and an anti-hero for our times, and you have one of the best thrillers of recent years * Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, on The Stranger *The Stranger renders Simon Conway one of the 21st century's masters of the thriller genre * Jon Snow on The Stranger *There's a healthy crop of younger spy writers just now, and Simon Conway is among the pick of the bunch. His military background renders the action scenes bloodily and the novel's apocalyptic scenario all too plausibly * The Times on The Saboteur *Violent, authentic and alarmingly believable story about modern spying * the Sun on The Saboteur *It's a hugely entertaining read, featuring the nastiest, most charismatic villain of recent years, and barely pauses for breath throughout * Mick Herron, author of Slough House, on The Saboteur *This book puts Simon Conway into the top flight of thriller writers probing the darker corners of the 'war on terror' * Allan Little, BBC special correspondent on The Stranger *
£9.49
Hachette Books Ireland My Hot Friend
Book SynopsisPopular Fiction Book of the Year - An Post Irish Book Awards 2023''Relatable, hilarious, insightful'' LOUISE O''NEILL''Extremely funny and refreshingly honest'' MARIAN KEYES''Unputdownable'' IRISH TIMES''Fantastic'' IRISH INDEPENDENT''A genuinely hilarious read that is also full of heart, grit, and real emotion'' SUNDAY INDEPENDENTLEXI IS ON TOP OF THE WORLDThe podcast she co-hosts with her best friend is going stratospheric. But will the success bring them closer, or drive them apart?JOANNE''S JUST HAD A BABYAnd her life now looks very different to the ones her child-free mates seem to be living. Does becoming a mum mean she has to change who she is?CLAIRE IS FEELING LEFT OUTMaybe she''s being paranoid, but it feels like her childhood pals have set up a group chat without her. Is it time to
£9.49
Hachette Books Ireland The Book Club: a heart-warming page-turner about
Book Synopsis'An emotional and heart-warming story about community spirit, grief, and hope, The Book Club by Roisin Meaney is everything you could wish for in a novel and then some' Books of All KindsIn the small seaside town of Fairweather, the local book club - a tight-knit group - is still reeling in the aftermath of a tragic accident.Lil Noonan hasn't spoken a word since, and her grandmother Beth is worried that she plans to spend the rest of her life hidden away with only books for company. Beth, meanwhile, is trying to keep busy with the running of the local library and decides to make a fresh start by renting out her daughter's now-empty house to a newcomer in town.Tom McLysaght tells the book club that he's eager to escape his high-flying life in London. Closer to the truth is that he's hiding a much bigger secret, one he can't escape from, no matter how hard he tries.As the months pass and the book club continues to meet, Beth starts to open up to the idea that the future might still have some happiness to offer to her grand-daughter - and to her as well. But will they have the courage to reach for it? And will Tom trust them enough to reveal his secret?
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton The Lost Storyteller: An enchanting debut novel
Book Synopsis'A powerful novel about the bond between fathers and daughters, and how stories connect us all. I loved it' Jenny Colgan THE LOST STORYTELLER is the heartwarming and evocative debut novel from a stunning new voice in fiction, Amanda Block. Perfect for fans of Ruth Hogan, Jessie Burton and Diane Setterfield.Rebecca hasn't seen her father Leo since she was six. Her family never talk about him, and she has long since pushed him firmly to the back of her mind. All she knows is that, once upon a time, he was a well-loved children's TV star. But when a journalist turns up uninvited at her office, asking questions about her once-famous father, Rebecca starts to wonder whether there is more to Leo's absence than she realised. Then, looking for answers, she unearths a book of fairy tales written by Leo and dedicated to her - but what use are children's stories to her now, all these years later? Tentatively, Rebecca tries to piece together her father's life, from the people he used to know and her own hazy memories. Yet her mind keeps returning to the magical, melancholic fairy tales, which seem to contain more truth than make-believe. Perhaps they are the key to unlocking the mystery of her father, the lost storyteller; to revealing who he was, what he went through - and even where he might be now...THE LOST STORYTELLER celebrates the power and resilience of imagination.'Absolutely beautiful . . . A cleverly wrought tale of fathers and daughters, and a bond buried so deep that it is lost to folklore' Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child'Captivating, moving and profound. I loved it! A spellbinding novel about the power of the stories we tell both to ourselves and to others' Tracey Emerson, author of She Chose Me'Incredibly moving . . . A genuinely beautiful must-read' Buki Papillon, author of An Ordinary WonderTrade ReviewA powerful novel about the bond between fathers and daughters, and how stories connect us all. I loved it -- Jenny ColganI've been lost in The Lost Storyteller's marvellous pages . . . brilliantly written and high concept with a moving story and vivid characters. But it also has that special indefinable SOMETHING. One of my books of the year -- Tracy Rees, bestselling author of The Rose GardenCaptivating, moving and profound. I loved it! A spellbinding novel about the power of the stories we tell both to ourselves and to others. -- Tracey EmersonAbsolutely beautiful . . . A cleverly wrought tale of fathers and daughters, and a bond buried so deep that it is lost to folklore -- Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated ChildThe Lost Storyteller is a deeply evocative book about family and the redemptive power of stories, all wrapped up in some of the most beautifully affecting fairy tales I've ever read. If you like stories that tug at your heart and show you a different way of looking at love, loss, betrayal and redemption, you will enjoy this heartwarming tale . . . I loved this book -- Buki Papillon, author of An Ordinary WonderCompletely engaging . . . A lovely reflection on the power and magic of stories -- Marianne Cronin, author of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. . . Beautifully, sensitively told. Block reminds us that people don't always behave as we want them to, and maybe because of that, there are few things so powerful as the ability to be kind * The Wee Review *Beautifully revealed, with a lovingly drawn conclusion -- Zoe West * Woman and Home *A warm, immersive read that weaves folklore through a story of self-discovery that touches on what it means to be a daughter, the ramifications of the past and daring to follow your heart -- Kate Sawyer, author of The StrandingA captivating and richly mesmerizing read * Buzz Magazine *A beguiling, gorgeous book about fathers and daughters and the stories that bind and redeem us * YOU magazine *
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton The Octopus
Book SynopsisAgatha Christie meets Mulholand Drive in this stylish exploration of power, manipulation and murder . . .
£13.49
Hodder & Stoughton Here Goes Nothing
Book Synopsis'One of the funniest and most original writers at work today' The TimesA firecracker of a novel by the Booker-shortlisted author of A Fraction of the Whole - a scathingly funny and affecting tale of life, death, love and the questionable existence of God.Angus Mooney is not happy - he's been murdered, cut off in the prime of his life. He feels humiliated - he's never even believed in an afterlife. (How wrong he'd been). He's confused - death has provided more questions than answers. And he desperately misses his audacious and fiery wife, Gracie, who's expecting their first child. The only upside is that Angus has found a way to see what his murderer is up to, and how Gracie is faring. The downside: Gracie and his murderer are getting uncomfortably close, and a worldwide pandemic means the afterlife is about to get very crowded . . .'Toltz takes his time with each book and Here Goes Nothing is a funny, clever, entertaining argument in favour of cultivating the patience to get it right' GuardianTrade ReviewSteve Toltz's fabulously impressive third novel cannonballs straight into heady existential questions, magicking up a vision of human life at once generous and absurd while wearing its considerable ambition lightly . . . Toltz takes his time with each book and Here Goes Nothing is a funny, clever, entertaining argument in favour of cultivating the patience to get it right. -- Rob Doyle * Guardian *A morbidly two-fisted tour de force . . . energetically full of sardonic one-liners . . . it reeks of mortality, but it is thoroughly bracing. -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *Savagely comic . . . Here Goes Nothing is a Jeremiad with jokes . . . But when the story focuses on the end of days on Earth, Toltz abandons existential standup for the detailed horror of what we all might have faced if Covid had triumphed. Wider questions persist about what it means to be alive. * Spectator *In his three books (alas, too few) Steve Toltz has shown that he is one of the funniest and most original writers at work today. -- Robbie Millen * The Times *Toltz refreshingly posits an afterlife without any religious scaffolding . . . He conjures up scenes few other novelists would dare to imagine, let alone write . . . In a book full of narrative tricks, Toltz saves the best, or strangest, for last. -- Suzi Feay * Financial Times *Steve Toltz's first two novels . . . were filled to the brim with exuberant sentences, dark jokes, large philosophical ideas and wildly imaginative, often lurid incidents . . . Now, with Here Goes Nothing he pulls off the same trick again . . . While Toltz obviously has a serious purpose - to rub our noses in what a mess we've collectively made of being alive - his usual high quotient of fizzing one-liners ensures that not many pages go by without at least one laugh -- James Walton * The Times *The greatest Mitteleuropean novelist ever to have come from Australia . . . Toltz's great skill is to make [his] monsters in a lunatic way loveable . . . I read the final pages through a veil of tears. Of course, the flipside to such remorseless, brilliantly withering contempt is sentimentality. It is perhaps the most difficult genre to do well, and Toltz does it humanely, compassionately and unforgettably. -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *Toltz is the king of pitch-black comedy and personal catastrophe . . . his new novel grapples with big existential questions but is also stuffed with zingers. If there's no cure for being alive, laughter is still the best medicine. -- Justine Jordan * Guardian *A wildly comic riff on love, mortality and metaphysics; an extended vision of the afterlife that resembles Dante on magic mushrooms . . . Thought-provoking, inventive and full of literary pyrotechnics, this remarkable novel is unlike anything you will read this year. -- Simon Humphreys * Mail on Sunday *Sizzles with black comedy and anarchic energy * Guardian, Hot New Books for the Summer *A moving meditation on all that is wrong with our world today . . . In its epic scope charting this life and beyond, Here Goes Nothing works as a smart social commentary on our fossil fuel-guzzling, warmongering, information-obsessed, pandemic-riddled world. It is a hugely timely book. -- Sarah Gilmartin * Irish Times *I honestly think you have to resort to the likes of Oscar Wilde to find so many maxims per minute in a narrative. The book is the ideal guide to living and dying and living again in this parlous age. * Steve Stern *Clever lines drop down on these pages like flowers thrown on a casket . . . [a] zany, increasingly dark comedy * Washington Post *Dark, twisted and hilarious . . . Toltz is smart, imaginative and funny, unafraid to lob a literary grenade into hard-held beliefs of humankind. He uses Here Goes Nothing as a jumping-off point to parody the perversity and stubbornness of human nature and to highlight our uneasy relationship with mortality. Think of it as a comic, modern-day Divine Comedy with more intercourse and fewer opportunities to reach Paradise. -- Connie Ogle * Star Tribune *A story about the afterlife is ambitious enough but to make this so effortlessly funny is quite an achievement. * Penelope Debelle, Herald Sun (Australia) *What should survive of our past when we can start again from scratch? What do the dead owe the living? The answers Toltz provides are provisional, bleak and often hilarious, but they are never superficial. Here Goes Nothing reads like late-phase Saul Bellow in that it is brilliantly febrile and argumentative, though pessimistic when it comes to the human condition. Yet the implications of its character's actions are at variance to the general melancholy, and gloriously so. -- Geordie Williamson * Australian *
£9.49
John Murray Press Factory Girls: WINNER OF THE COMEDY WOMEN IN
Book Synopsis'The perfect pick for those missing their dose of Derry Girls' Irish Examiner'Entertaining, touching and savagely funny' Sunday Times'Vital, bang-on, and seriously funny' Roddy DoyleSmart-mouthed and filthy-minded, Maeve Murray has always felt like an outsider in the shitty wee town in Northern Ireland that she calls home. She hopes her exam results will be her ticket to a new life in London; a life where no one knows her business, or cares about her dead sister. But first she's got to survive a tit-for-tat paramilitary campaign as brutal as her relationship with her mam, iron 800 shirts a day to keep her summer job in the local factory, and dodge the attentions of Handy Andy Strawbridge, her dubious English boss.Maeve and her two best friends try to squeeze as much fun as possible into their last summer at home. But as marching season raises tensions among the Catholic and Protestant workforce, Maeve realises something is going on behind the scenes at the factory, forcing her to make a choice that will impact her life - and the lives of others - for ever.Trade ReviewHighly entertaining . . . crackles with good one-liners . . . yet this earthy comedy also has telling things to say about violence and division -- Martin Chilton * Independent, Books of the Month *A cracking follow-up - at times savagely funny, but with a loamy undertow of complex feeling . . . Fans of the contemporary Irish authors Lisa McInerney and Louise Kennedy should enjoy it too. -- Patricia Nicol * Sunday Times, best popular fiction books of 2022 *This brash and lively novel is a black comedy of great skill and wit . . . Raucous, in your face, sexually frank and (often hilariously) politically incorrect . . . it's intoxicating, defiant, bitter laughter in the dark, knowing comedy at its blackest pitch * Irish Examiner *Full of the stuff that we're starting to expect of Michelle Gallen; wild, hilariously angry characters, and language that is vital, bang-on, and seriously funny * Roddy Doyle *A wee novel with an enormous, furious heart . . . Honest, hilarious and such a recognisable portrait of 90s Northern Ireland, Factory Girls is an essential read * Jan Carson *Majella O'Neill was no flash-in-the-pan - Factory Girls is a powerful second novel. It has all of Gallen's flair for character, her ear for dialogue and her unparalleled sense of comic timing. And this novel cuts deeper, throbs with pent-up fury, a palpable sense of real and urgent despair. Viciously funny * Lucy Caldwell *Brilliantly observed and full of heart, Factory Girls will be up there on my list of best books for this year * Sheila O'Flanagan *A gorgeous, gritty and hilarious love letter to working class Northern Ireland in the 1990s. Gallen's protagonist, Maeve Murray . . . is a compelling creation who crackles brilliantly from the first pages * Maeve Galvin *A riot of a read. A masterclass in voice, the North and the 90s * Sue Divin *One of the most moving and hilarious novels I have ever read . . . Factory Girls is one of the best books ever written about the Troubles, and one of the best books I've read in a very long time * Silas House *Provocative in more ways than one! * Melatu-Uche Okorie *A much-awaited second triumph of dark humour - fabulous, dirty dancing words, that lift the soul. Gallen knows how to move us and make us roar at the same time. Jumping out with hysteria, Maeve is the hilarious queen of truth we all want to be -- Helen LedererSome writers make you think; some writers make you laugh till you cry. Michelle Gallen belongs to that rare, rare group of writers who make you think even as the tears are tripping you. Factory Girls is a seriously funny novel - that manages at the same time to be deadly serious - about work, about friendship, about Northern Ireland in the months leading up to the 1994 ceasefire, and about being a teenager, any time, anywhere -- Glenn PattersonThe perfect pick for those missing their dose of Derry Girls * Irish Examiner *Gallen writes with such verve and vivacity, her pacing pitch perfect and her dialogue sharp, true and laugh out loud funny. . . In Maeve, the factory and the town, we feel the heat of the 90s in Northern Ireland, the strength and weakness of teenage friendships against a simmering backdrop of turmoil and change - everything moving forward despite the hold the past has on the place. Gallen's evocation of community and place is extraordinary, a masterclass in dark humour. -- Olivia Fitzsimons, author of The Quiet Whispers Never StopMichelle Gallen's Factory Girls pulses with dark, irreverent humor. Set in a place where dreams are laughable at best, dangerous at worst, it's a big F you to the only world these characters know. And yet, there's vulnerability here. Hope, too. I loved it. -- Mary Beth Keane, NYT bestselling author of Ask Again, YesImpossible to put down, and packed with more humour and poignancy than a Catholic funeral, Factory Girls is a bold and brilliant snapshot of working-class lives during the North's most tumultuous period * Sunday Business Post *Gallen manages to take a dark and violent period in history and turn it into one of the most moving and hilarious novels I have ever read. The rich cast of characters will break your heart and make you laugh out loud, sometimes within the same paragraph. I found it difficult to put this book down; while reading it the rest of the world fell away and I was transported to Northern Ireland via an unforgettable voice and a steadily boiling story of friendship, grief, and determination. Factory Girls is one of the best books ever written about The Troubles, and one of the best books I've read in a very long time -- Silas House, author of Southernmost and Lark AscendingOriginal and compelling . . . Gallen's comic, insightful novel . . . shares brilliantly the tangled stories of young women in a struggling provincial town. . . . Factory Girls brings a hidden generation of young women to the literary stage, and does so in a flurry of 'thons' and 'skitters'. -- Nicholas Allen * Irish Times *If the cast of Derry Girls worked in a shirtmaking factory . . . There's a lot of laugh-out-loud humour . . . but at its heart it's an emotional read * Belfast Telegraph *Gallen's pen draws blood with the sharpness of her observations, rendering a fresh and acutely more complex portrait of Northern Ireland through Maeve's eyes . . . Brilliantly, wickedly funny and soul-crushingly sad, Gallen has written the Vienetta of books this summer -- Fiona Murphy * Irish Independent *Funny, poignant and provocative * Daily Mirror (Ulster) *This novel is a wonder; the heroine is cheeky, the humour dark, the dialect thick, the sorrow palpable. Fans of Kenneth Branagh's Belfast and television's Derry Girls will find much to love * Library Journal, starred review *Darkly comic -- Patricia Nicol * Daily Mail *One of the most entertaining, engagingly written summer reads you will lay your hands on * Sunday Life Magazine *Hilariously funny and heartbreakingly sad. Don't read this book in public if you don't like howling with laughter, or weeping, in front of strangers -- Penny Wincer * That's Not My Age *
£15.29
Hodder & Stoughton Good Part
Book SynopsisFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Just Haven''t Met You Yet, This Time Next Year, and Before I Do''An emotional rollercoaster that left my crying tears of joy'' - Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''I wish I could skip to the good part, where my life is sorted. I''m so tired of being broke and single and stuck . . . I just want to get to the good part of my life.''What if you could fast forward to your happy ever after?Lucy Young is twenty-six and fed up with life, so when she stumbles upon a wishing machine, she wishes to skip ahead. When she wakes up the next day to the perfect life, Lucy can''t believe it''s real . . . especially when she looks in the mirror and sees her forty-something face staring back. As Lucy navigates her future life, she soon realises that along with the good part, there are harder surprises too. Does she want to go back to being the girl she once was? Or is the g
£8.99
Hodder & Stoughton My Name is Maame
Book Synopsis THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. Hilarious, honest and heartbreaking, MY NAME IS MAAME is the most moving debut - and a heroine you''ll never forget. *Read with Jenna Today Book Club Pick**Apple Book of the Month**A 2023 Debut of the Year as chosen by:SUNDAY TIMES, STYLIST, VOGUE, RED MAGAZINE, INDEPENDENT, BELFAST TELEGRAPH, HUFFINGTON POST UK, POP SUGAR, HARPERS BAZAAR, MY WEEKLY, EVENING STANDARD, COSMOPOLITAN, BUSTLE* ___________________________________________________________________________''Lively, funny, poignant . . . Prepare to fall in love with Maddie. I did!'' BONNIE GARMUS, Sunday Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry''Utterly charming and deeply moving . . . Maddie''s journey will resonate with anyone who''s had to grow up - or who''s still trying to''CELESTE NG, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fi
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Cold Clay: Shady Hollow 2 - a cosy crime series
Book SynopsisA MURDER TO SOLVE. A REPORTER ON THE CASE.CRIMES OF THE PAST WON'T STAY BURIED . . .In the woodland community of Shady Hollow, you'll discover a secret. Moose and mice, owls and bears live side by side in civilised harmony. The town has a coffee shop and a bookshop, a haberdasher and a bank. Life is peaceful, until a skeleton is found buried deep under an apple tree. Danger has returned to Shady Hollow.Ace reporter Vera Vixen only wants a good news story as harvest time arrives with the promise of glorious feasts ahead. But the discovery of the body casts a darker shadow. Soon enough, the coffeeshop's owner is being dragged down to the police station. Vera can't believe gentle Joe the moose is a killer. To get to the bottom of the matter, she will have to dig into the secrets her neighbours would rather leave buried forever . . .Entertaining and perceptive, Cold Clay is fast-paced and witty, with characters that jump off the page and a hugely satisfying mystery to solve. Once you've met the residents of ShadyHollow, you won't forget them.
£8.99
Hodder & Stoughton End of Story
Book Synopsis**Pre-order Louise''s new book, LIGHTS OUT, now - coming soon!**''Absolutely show-stopping'' JANICE HALLETT ''Unputdownable'' SOPHIE HANNAH ''So intense! So gripping!'' B.P. WALTER ''A tour-de-force'' CHRIS WHITAKER ''Wow!'' CHRISTINA DALCHER ''Enthralling and incredibly clever'' C.J. TUDOR ''Brilliantly terrifying '' B.A. PARIS ''Blew my mind'' JANE CORRY ''A drop-the-book twist'' TAMMY COHEN ''I adored it'' AMANDA PROWSE ''Devastatingly good'' CLAIRE ALLAN ''A highlight of the year'' CULTUREFLY ''Ingenious'' SFX ''Compelling and chilling'' HEAT ''Fascinating'' BESTYOU MIGHT KNOW HOW THIS STORY BEGINS. BUT YOU WILL NEVER GUESS HOW IT ENDS . . . Once upon a time, there was a writer named Fern. She was a bestseller. An award-winner. Loved by readers and critics alike. With he
£9.49
Quercus Publishing Dandelion Summer
Book SynopsisFrom the million-copy bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a beautiful novel which will make you want to laugh and cry.All her life, Epiphany Salerno has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, at sixteen, she must move to the low-rent side of Blue Sky Hill and work where she's not wanted: in an upscale home on The Hill.J. Norman Alvord's daughter has hired a teenager to stay with him in the afternoons. Widowed and suffering from heart trouble, Norman wants to be left alone. But in Epie's presence, Norman discovers a mystery. Deep in his mind lie memories of another house, another life, and a woman who saved him.As summer comes to Blue Sky Hill, two residents from different worlds will journey through a turbulent past, find that an unexpected road trip can bring a life-changing friendship ... and discover clues to a family secret hidden for a lifetime.Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes and Santa Montefiore.Trade ReviewLisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation's history and weaves a tale of enduring power * Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife *Heartfelt, honest, and entirely entertaining... this poignant story will touch your heart from the first page to the last * Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale *One of the year's best books . . . It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel. It invades your heart from the very first pages and stays there long after the book is finished * Huffington Post *A poignant, engrossing tale * People Magazine *Wingate roots her tender tale in hope, redemption, and family * Publishers Weekly *A gift for crafting a story. Lisa Wingate never disappoints * USA Today *
£12.58
Quercus Publishing Injury Time: A Novel
Book Synopsis'One of the best football books I've ever read.' John Motson on Provided You Don't Kiss Me'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed by that attitude. I can assure you it's much more important than that' - Bill ShanklyWhat Shankly said isn't even half-true. In fact, it's bollocks. Football isn't the be-all and end-all of everything. If nothing else, I know that much.As a player, Thom Callaghan was defined by the winning goal he scored in an FA Cup final. The goal wasn't the blessing he imagined it would be. His whole career was defined by that brief moment of glory.With his playing days over, Callaghan, still a local hero, is tempted back to his old club as caretaker manager. His task to rescue it from relegation. He's got the job solely on the recommendation of his former boss and mentor Frank Mallory, now desperately ill and responsible for the team's precipitous decline.Callaghan is pitched into the Premier League during the last months of the 1996-1997 season, where - among reputations more gilded than his own - he finds himself pitted against the likes of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, chasing their fourth title in five years, and also one of the newest recruits to the English game, Arsene Wenger.Can Callaghan save his club from what seems the inevitability of the drop? Does Mallory - eccentric, inspirational and manipulative - even want him to succeed? What if the prize of a personal triumph isn't worth it in the end?Injury Time is the first novel from the multiple award-winning sportswriter Duncan Hamilton.Trade Review'What I enjoy most about this beautifully written and tender account of the relationship between a nervous young provincial reporter and a football genius is the sense of genuine proximity to its subject, so that Clough's obvious flaws seem forgivable and even beguiling, rather than cruel and unbearable. Wonderful book' Russel Brand, Guardian on Provided You Don't Kiss Me'One of the best football books I've ever read.' John Motson on Provided You Don't Kiss MeHamilton...expresses the passion that millions like him, in pursuit of happiness and belonging, feel for the beautiful game. Simply magnificent * Mail on Sunday *A marriage of prose and detail so fine and fastidious that it takes the breath away * Independent *Justifiably prize-winning * Mail on Sunday *A convincing behind the scenes re-enactment of English football... Hamilton has a perceptively humane understanding of men for whom football was never just a game * Guardian *A fictional look at action, on and off the pitch, past and present, that will leave you smiling * Sun *Set in the last decades of the 20th Century and mingling real-life footballers with fictional characters, this is a thoughtful, entertaining debut novel by one of our finest sports writers, in which the beautiful game becomes a moving metaphor for the vicissitudes of human experience. * Mail on Sunday *With spare, sharp prose and knowing insights, Hamilton has written a heartwarming as well as heartbreaking winner. * Weekend Sport *An immersive character study of people damaged by sport and its temptations of glory, how some overcome, and how others are crushed by it. * Strong Words *
£9.49
Quercus Publishing Madam
Book SynopsisA contemporary gothic debut with a feminist edge, for fans of Naomi Alderman and Madeline Miller'The simmering menace and mystery kept me absolutely gripped' Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne'Rebecca meets The Secret History. Gloriously dark, gloriously gothic' Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie LangtonFor 150 years, Caldonbrae Hall has loomed high above the Scottish cliffs as a beacon of excellence. A boarding school for girls, it promises that its pupils will emerge 'resilient and ready to serve society'. New to the school, Classics teacher Rose Christie is soon overwhelmed by the institution's arcane traditions and terrifyingly cool, vindictive students. Her classroom becomes her haven, until her lessons about fearless women starts to draw the suspicions of the powers that be. As Rose uncovers the darkness that beats at the very heart of Caldonbrae, the lines between myth and reality grow ever more blurred. Can Rose - and the fierce young women she has come to love - find a way to escape the fate the school has in store for them, before it is too late. . .______________________'A highly entertaining and atmospheric read' Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding'Imagine if Donna Tartt and Margaret Atwood got together to write a creepy, suspenseful novel . . . ' Chandler Baker, author of Whisper Network'Strange, dark, and utterly consuming . . . I loved it' Katie Lowe, author of The Furies'Chilling, eerie and very clever. I devoured it' Polly Crosby, author of The Illustrated Child'A thrilling debut, reminiscent of Du Maurier. Leaves us breathless at each twist and turn' Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made Of AirTrade ReviewRebecca meets The Secret History. Gloriously dark, gloriously gothic * Sara Collins, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON *Imagine if Donna Tartt and Margaret Atwood got together to write a creepy, suspenseful novel about a school for young women in the Scottish Highlands. The result is Madam, a book I couldn't for the life of me put down. Brooding and unsettling, Wynne paints a gorgeous picture that only serves to camouflage the dark secrets she's hidden within * Chandler Baker, author of WHISPER NETWORK *The simmering menace and mystery kept me absolutely gripped. It gave me the same feeling as when I read The Secret History and put me in mind of The Furies. I loved the clever interweaving stories of the classical women of ancient myth and history with the tantalising reveal of the horrifying truth behind the impressive facade of the grand boarding school. This was a smouldering slow burn of a novel that I could not put down * Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE *Strange, dark, and utterly consuming... I loved it * Katie Lowe, author of THE FURIES *Chilling, eerie and very clever. I devoured it * Polly Crosby, author of THE ILLUSTRATED CHILD *A thrilling debut, reminiscent of Du Maurier. The narrative, written in precise prose with beautifully crafted characters, barrels along at pace, leaving us breathless at each twist and turn. A truly wonderful read * Nydia Hetherington, author of A GIRL MADE OF AIR *I ripped through it and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It had real echoes of Jean Brodie and a flavour of one of my favourite films Heathers, too! A highly entertaining and atmospheric read * Kate Sawyer, author of THE STRANDING *Full of fire and light, written with a passionate intensity . . . Madam is a book that shimmers . . . This is a chilling and shocking read that shouts of the abuse of power. Yet the warmth of its writing and the spell it holds is more powerful than the words give way to. It's an extraordinary achievement * Now and Fen blog *Brooding, creepy and suspenseful... Perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale * Woman & Home *I was immersed in the bleak landscape and terrifying atmosphere...from beginning to end... A wonderful, refreshing, beautifully written novel, and I cannot wait to read Wynne's next * Louise Fein, author of PEOPLE LIKE US *Chilling, unsettling with strong messages about femininity, Madam shocks as it builds from subtle hits to its big satisfying crescendo . . . An interesting mix of modern gothic, the anticipation of a thriller and a strong female voice * My Weekly *Thick with Gothic intrigue and menace, this is also a novel with a feminist heart * Daily Mail *One of my favourite reads of 2021 so far and I found it thoroughly addictive, sickeningly disturbing at times and endlessly fascinating * Shemazing *Madam is a sinister and utterly compelling boarding school mystery * Mummy Pages *A dazzling slice of dark, Gothic feminism * Heat *A book that's truly hard to put down * Living North Magazine *A pitch-perfect debut with a feminist twist * 17 Degrees Magazine *Latin and Greek myths echo throughout, in a story that will not let you go * The Irish Times *
£8.54
Quercus Publishing All the Hollow of the Sky
Book SynopsisJedediah''s father walked out of his life forty years ago. Now he''s back. He won''t apologise, he doesn''t explain - and, impossibly, he hasn''t aged a day. If you asked the folks of Gyrford, they''d tell you Jedediah Smith looked up to his father. After all, Corbie Mackem was the Sarsen Shepherd: the man who saved the Smith clan from Ab, the terrifyingly well-meaning fey who blighted a whole generation with unwanted gifts. Corbie was a good fairy-smith. And if he wasn''t a good father, well, that isn''t something Jedediah likes to talk about. Especially since no one knows where Corbie''s body lies: the day of his son''s wedding, forty-odd years ago, he set off to travel and was never seen again.These days Jedediah is a respectable elder, more concerned with his wayward grandson John than with his long-buried past, and he has other problems on his mind. There''s the preparations for Saint Clement''s Day, and the odd fact that birds all over the co
£11.69
