Family life fiction / Stories about family

Book Synopsis'This is The Undoing meets Big Little Lies. A fast-paced, decadent skewering of upper-middle-class motherhood' ABIGAIL DEAN 'The Other Mothers is the elevated, devourable thriller you’ve been looking for' ASHLEY AUDRAIN 'I read this brilliantly plotted, brilliantly observed thriller in one sitting ... So good' INDIA KNIGHT The outstanding new thriller from the author of international bestseller, Greenwich Park _______________ You want to be one of them. Until you know them. Ex-journalist Tash has been searching for a story to launch her freelance career. But she has also been searching for something else: new friends to help her navigate motherhood. She sees them at her son’s new playgroup. The other mothers. The sleek, the sophisticated, the successful mothers… The women she wants to be. And then one day they welcome her into their circle and Tash discovers the kind of life she has always dreamt of; their elegant London townhouses a far cry from her cramped basement flat and endless bills. They seem to have everything. But they also have their secrets. And it’s soon clear that not everyone at the playgroup can be trusted. _______________ PRAISE FOR KATHERINE FAULKNER: 'Next-level Mum noir' Ellery Lloyd 'Deliciously dark' Heat 'Twisty, fast-paced' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewKatherine Faulkner unpeels Fornasetti wallpaper and opens glass box extensions, revealing delectably dislikeable characters, secrets - and murder. This is The Undoing meets Big Little Lies. A fast-paced, decadent skewering of upper-middle-class motherhood -- Abigail DeanI was gripped; the writing is on point while the characterisation will have you nodding in agreement * Belfast Telegraph *Has all the skillfully handled red herrings you would expect from the creator of the deft final twist of Greenwich Park. But her real gift is for observing the currents beneath apparent surface perfection, and what the middle class is capable of when it can't have it all * The Times *Once again, Katherine Faulkner so masterfully delivers a delicious combination of treacherous secrets and enviable lives, this time among a group of upper class moms whose perfection unravels after Tash, a new mom to the playgroup and struggling journalist, realizes things aren’t quite what they seem. I couldn’t part with this book until I’d finished—The Other Mothers is the elevated, devourable thriller you’ve been looking for -- Ashley AudrainAn elegant and relentlessly twisty skewering of upper middle-class motherhood and a propulsive mystery, I was gripped by The Other Mothers and Katherine’s immersive writing -- Sarah VaughanKatherine's done it again! Anyone who enjoyed Greenwich Park will love this – maybe even more. Full of terrible people behaving terribly, it's such a compelling story. I read it in one sitting last night – extremely gripping. It filled me with immense relief that my children are now in their later teenage years and that I never have to deal with this again -- Harriet TyceAs addictive as it gets! * Fabulous magazine *Glossy, privileged mummy posse - appalling humans, obviously - dead nanny, struggling, unglossy journalist trying to make sense of it all. I read this brilliantly plotted, brilliantly observed thriller in one sitting, and then thanked the Lord for no longer being the parent of a school-aged child. So good -- India Knight, Sunday Times MagazineA page-turner about the dark secrets that lie behind the seemingly perfect facades of young mothers * Cosmopolitan *Next-level mum noir, The Other Mothers is a brilliant portrayal of the complexities of parenthood, work and - oh yes - murder. Smart, tense and gripping. Loved it! -- Ellery LloydFans of Motherland will love the observations in this twisty, one-sitting read * Woman & Home *A wry and tightly plotted look at parent cliques, playgroup angst and when mum-life turns sour … The Other Mothers is Big Little Lies meets Silent Witness. I loved it! -- Harriet WalkerWonderful sense of growing dread in the dark side of motherland -- Fiona BartonThe Other Mothers is not only a sharp, fabulously pacy thriller, but also a biting commentary on the demands (and consequences) of a certain kind of performative parenting. I finished it in one sitting, captured by Faulkner’s compelling characters and gripping plot, and the ending provided a truly satisfying twist! A sinister window into the darker side of motherhood, you’ll never look at playgroup parents quite the same… -- Kate Collins, author of A Good House for ChildrenThe Other Mothers is brilliant! Such a fast-paced, twisty story that takes you in completely unexpected directions. I read this in one sitting and adored every page. Katherine Faulkner's first novel was fantastic, but this is another step up. The characters are wonderfully vivid and Faulkner captures the worlds of both journalism and motherhood perfectly. She also nails the moment when they both start going wrong -- Holly WattFans of TV’s Motherland will love this twisty read * Woman's Weekly *Grips to the end * Crime Monthly *Smart, slick and utterly captivating; The Other Mothers reeled me in with its wonderfully intricate plot and brilliant cast of characters. Highly recommended -- Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect TwinA highly addictive and whip-smart tale, The Other Mothers strips the surface from Insta-perfect lives to reveal a deeply unsettling reality. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! -- Teresa DriscollA delicious peek behind the curtain of London’s yummy mummies, a world of bi-fold doors and dark secrets, Sweaty Betty leggings and suspicious deaths. The characters leap off the page -- Amanda ReynoldsThe Other Mothers is a first-class thriller, with taut prose, gasp-worthy twists and characters you’ll love to hate. Faulkner has done it again - fans of Greenwich Park won’t be disappointed -- Robin Morgan-BentleyThe Other Mothers is my favourite version of this genre: smart, well-written and thoughtful, so that you feel like you get two books in one. Firstly, a brilliant exploration of class, motherhood and identity and secondly, a thriller that will keep you page turning way into the night -- Caroline CorcoranThrough many twists and turns this book keeps you guessing up to the very end. A riveting read -- Muddy StilettosPraise for Greenwich Park: Deliciously dark and deftly plotted. Faulkner mines the seam of guilt beneath her characters "perfect" lives with devastating precision -- Lesley Kara, author of 'The Rumour'Praise for Greenwich Park: 'Faulkner offers a clever spin on psychological thrillers set during maternity leave … A twisty, fast-paced read’ * Sunday Times *Praise for Greenwich Park: Do not read this book if you have anything important you need to get done! Fast-paced, twisty and with wonderfully complex and believable characters, it had me gripped to the last page -- Clare Pooley, author of 'The Authenticity Project' and ''The People on Platform 5'A gripping story full of fascinating characters * My Weekly *

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Book Synopsis'Beautiful and heartbreaking ... I absolutely loved it' Monica Ali, Sunday Times Bestselling author of Love Marriage 'A poignant, captivating, beautifully woven family saga. As honest as Elena Ferrante, with the folkloric intensity of Téa Obreht' Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Exiles Maria and Josef live with their children in a valley in westernmost Austria. When the First World War breaks out and Josef is drafted into the army, Maria is left to provide for her family alone. Every day is a struggle against starvation, the harsh alpine climate and the hostile nearby villagers who see Maria as little more than a beautiful temptress out for the men left behind. But when a red-haired stranger arrives in the village, Maria feels happiness seep back into her life and she faces a choice whose consequences will affect the lives of her family for generations to come. Based on the internationally bestselling and award-winning Austrian novelist Monika Helfer's own family history, Last House Before the Mountain is a propulsive, haunting, multi-layered saga about love, family, and the hidden wages of war.Trade Review[Last House] is beautiful and heartbreaking, and readers will fall in love with Maria. It’s also a profound meditation on the stories we tell about ourselves, the stories others tell about us, how those stories are handed down the generations, and the effect of inherited narratives and memories on our lives. I absolutely loved it * Monica Ali, Sunday Times Bestselling author of Love Marriage *A poignant, captivating, beautifully woven family saga. As honest as Elena Ferrante, with the folkloric intensity of Téa Obreht, Last House Before the Mountain explores the ways we reconstruct our family histories in an attempt to understand who we are * Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Exiles, A Piece of the World, and Orphan Train *Helfer brings a great deal of nuance to her exploration of female desire and vulnerability, male power, and community division. * Publishers Weekly *This is a novel about what’s hidden and what happens when it is revealed ... What distinguishes Last House Before the Mountain from a hundred other family stories is its charm * Observer *Last House Before the Mountain by Monika Helfer is a masterclass in literary compression. In just 125 pages, Helfer brings a whole world of wonder, loss and deep, deep longing to indelible life * Laird Hunt, author of Zorrie *Monika Helfer powerfully transfigures the lives of a family who exist physically and emotionally at the edge of their society, as the flames of war reshape their shadowed world forever * David Park, author of Spies in Canaan *The whole, biographically inspired family drama tells of the greatest feelings we have: Love, anger, envy and grief * Meike Schnitzler, Brigitte *Every sentence resonates in hazy, indescribable beauty * Alexander Solloch, NDR Kultur *In Monika Helfer's novel, not only every word is right, but every syllable * schreiblust-leselust.de *A powerful, autofictional family epic * TOPMagazin *

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Book SynopsisNothing Ventured is the incredible and thrilling novel by the master storyteller and bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer.This is not a detective story, this is a story about a detectiveWilliam Warwick has always wanted to be a detective, and decides, much to his father’s dismay, that rather than become a barrister like his father, Sir Julian Warwick QC, and his sister Grace, he will join London’s Metropolitan Police Force.After graduating from university, William begins a career that will define his life: from his early months on the beat under the watchful eye of his first mentor, Constable Fred Yates, to his first high-stakes case as a fledgling detective in Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques squad. Investigating the theft of a priceless Rembrandt painting from the Fitzmolean Museum, he meets Beth Rainsford, a research assistant at the gallery who he falls hopelessly in love with, even as Beth guards a secret of her own that she’s terrified will come to light.While William follows the trail of the missing masterpiece, he comes up against suave art collector Miles Faulkner and his brilliant lawyer, Booth Watson QC, who are willing to bend the law to breaking point to stay one step ahead of William. Meanwhile, Miles Faulkner’s wife, Christina, befriends William, but whose side is she really on?Nothing Ventured heralds the start of the William Warwick Novels, in the style of Jeffrey Archer’s number one Sunday Times bestselling The Clifton Chronicles: telling the story of the life of William Warwick – as a family man and a detective who will battle throughout his career against a powerful criminal nemesis. Through twists, triumph and tragedy, this series will show that William Warwick is destined to become one of Jeffrey Archer’s most enduring legacies.Continue the gripping series with Hidden in Plain Sight.

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Book SynopsisFrom rags to riches…?Since her father's death, Emma Beech has supported her family by selling paper flowers to the theatre crowds in the West End. But when Emma meets street musician Theodore Barrington, she dreams of finally leaving poverty behind. Previously known as the Great Theodore on the London stage, Barrington turns Emma's head with tales of his former glory. But as Emma is captivated and eager to become his new assistant, she must face her mother’s disapproval over their secret rehearsals. Forced to make a difficult decision between staying loyal to her family and her roots, or pursuing fame and fortune, will she follow her heart or her head?...A gripping East End saga, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Maggie Hope.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE'Masterful . . . [This Other Eden] has much to say to our times.' Guardian'A testament of love . . . so real it could make you weep.' Danez Smith, New York Times'A luminous, thought-provoking novel.' Esi Edugyan, author of Washington BlackSet at the beginning of the twentieth century and inspired by historical events, This Other Eden tells the story of Apple Island: an enclave off the coast of the United States where waves of castaways - in flight from society and its judgment - have landed and built a home.Benjamin Honey- American, Bantu, Igbo- born enslaved- freed or fled at fifteen- aspiring orchardist, arrived on the island with his Irish wife, Patience, and discovered they could make a life together there. More than a century later, the Honeys' descendants remain, with an eccentric, diverse band of neighbours. Then comes the intrusion of 'civilization': officials determine to 'cleanse' the island, and a missionary schoolteacher selects one light-skinned boy to save. The rest will succumb to the authorities' institutions or cast themselves on the waters in a new Noah's Ark.Full of lyricism and power, Paul Harding's This Other Eden explores the hopes and dreams and resilience of those seen not to fit a world brutally intolerant of difference.'Harding invites comparisons with authors such as William Faulkner, Robinson and even Elizabeth Strout . . . This Other Eden . . . begs to be widely read.' SpectatorTrade ReviewThe Pulitzer prize-winning author's gifts have found their fullest expression . . . [This Other Eden] impresses time and again because of the depth of Harding's sentences, their breathless angelic light * Observer *Masterful . . . This Other Eden is a story of good intentions, bad faith, worse science, but also a tribute to community and human dignity and the possibility of another world. In both, it has much to say to our times * Guardian *Harding's new novel is suffused with the tremulous imagery and soaring imagination that won him the Pulitzer Prize . . . Exquisite -- Financial TimesMasterful . . . This Other Eden is a story of good intentions, bad faith, worse science, but also a tribute to community and human dignity and the possibility of another world. In both, it has much to say to our times. * Guardian *Harding's new novel is suffused with the tremulous imagery and soaring imagination that won him the Pulitzer Prize . . . Exquisite. * Financial Times *Rich and full-bodied in its lyricism, Harding's novel, too, is part warning, part memorial, but perhaps above all, reinforces the power of art to bring us into sympathy with strangers' lives. * Daily Mail *Harding invites comparisons with authors such as William Faulkner, Robinson and even Elizabeth Strout . . . This Other Eden . . . begs to be widely read. * Spectator *This Other Eden is ultimately a testament of love: love of kin, love of nature, love of art, love of self, love of home . . . The humans he has created are, thankfully, not flattened into props and gimmicks, which sometimes happens when writers work across time and difference; instead they pulse with aliveness, dreamlike but tangible, so real it could make you weep. * New York Times *Powerful . . . a moving indictment of a shocking episode in America's past that is rendered in lyrical prose. * Mail on Sunday *[Harding] writes with the gravitas of a mythmaker . . . The pace of Harding's storytelling is stately, his descriptions, even of small events, gorgeous . . . This Other Eden is beautiful and agonizing. * Harper's *Beautiful . . . Perhaps the chief wonder of this novel is its vivid depictions of a community that is loving, longstanding, peculiar, full of surprises, filled with history, both dark and joyous and above all, functional and self-sustaining - until as has happened so many times and so many places, someone comes along to mess it up. * TLS *In boldly lyrical prose, This Other Eden shows us a once-thriving racial utopia in its final days, at a time when race and science were colliding in chilling ways. In the stories of the Apple Islanders - especially that of Ethan Honey, spared a destructive fate because of his artistic gifts and his fair skin - we are made to confront the ambiguous nature of mercy, the limits of tolerance, and what it means to truly be saved. A luminous, thought-provoking novel.A special book by a rare writer.Harding, who won a dark-horse Pulitzer Prize for Tinkers, again demonstrates his gifts for concision and compassion in a narrative that balances historical fact with fully drawn characters. . . . Sure to be a standout of 2023. * Los Angeles Times *There is no writer alive anything like Paul Harding, and This Other Eden proves it: astonishingly beautiful, humane, strange, interested in philosophy and the heart, stunningly written. It's about home, love, heredity, cruelty, and the very nature of art, so completely original it's hard to know how to describe it in a mere blurb, by which I mean: you must read this book.Tender, magical, and haunting, Paul Harding's This Other Eden is that rare novel that makes profound claims on our present age while being, very simply, a graceful performance of language and storytelling. Here is prose that touchingly holds its imagined island community in a light that can only be described as generous and dazzling. I have not read a novel this achingly beautiful in a while, nor one in which the fate of its characters I will not soon forget.An exquisite book which is both intimate and epic. The writing is polished, precise, luminous. A beautiful testament to people, and whole ways of life, which are have simply been removed from history, and leave hardly a trace behind.'A tragic tale beautifully told. * The Scotsman *

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Book Synopsis'Smart, funny and beautifully written. Brodeur is a brilliant dissector of family relationships, a lyricist of the natural world, and an astute observer of our inner turmoils' MONICA ALI'Gorgeous, gripping, I couldn't put it down' RUTH OZEKI'Beautiful, lyrical and unvarnished, Adrienne Brodeur's Little Monsters delivers its powerful emotional punches so subtly that they sneak up on you and leave you floored' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of THE PAPER PALACEA riveting novel about Cape Cod, complicated families and long-buried secretsKen and Abby Gardner were raised in a remote home on Cape Cod. As adults, their relationship is strained, but their lives are still deeply intertwined. Ken is a successful businessman with political ambitions and a picture-perfect family, but when his wife walks in on him in an internet chatroom, she demands they go to therapy. Abby is a talented artist who depends on her brother's goodwill, in part because he owns the studio where she lives and works.Their father, Adam, a brilliant oceanographer, raised them as a single parent. As his seventieth birthday approaches and he begins to stare down his mortality, he comes off his bipolar disorder medication in order to make one last scienti?c breakthrough; he has secretly stopped taking his pills, which he knows will infuriate his children.Meanwhile, Abby and Ken are both harbouring secrets of their own, and there is a new person on the periphery of the family - Steph, who doesn't make her connection known.Set over one fraught summer, Little Monsters is an absorbing, sharply observed family story by a writer who knows Cape Cod inside and out - its Edenic lushness and its snakes.Trade ReviewGorgeous, gripping, I couldn't put it down. Adrienne Brodeur does family intrigue and dysfunction like no one else I know. In Little Monsters, she once again draws back the curtain on a world of seaside wealth and casual privilege, to reveal a family unravelled by the lies, rivalries, secrets, and silences that have bound it together -- Ruth OzekiBrodeur creates an evocative sense of place in a Cape Cod-set novel that's affecting and powerful * Observer *An utterly gripping, immersive story of one family's unravelling traumas and hopes. It will capture and hold you in its depths. Brodeur creates characters who are so real, so complex, I could almost touch them, feel them sitting beside me -- Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of AleppoA page-turner about the conspiracy of silence and corrosive nature of skeletons in the closet * Financial Times *Beautiful, lyrical and unvarnished, Adrienne Brodeur's Little Monsters delivers its powerful emotional punches so subtly that they sneak up on you and leave you floored -- Miranda Cowley Heller, New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace[An] engaging and neatly plotted novel. . . Little Monsters is so alluring, with its sense of looming familial implosion within a cultural implosion. . . Brodeur is very deliberately examining a small family horror story within a larger political context. * New York Times *Gorgeously told, with psychological nuance to spare, Adrienne Brodeur's latest fiction returns us to a world she knows by heart, wind-blown, wave-swept Cape Cod and the fraught, labyrinthine territory beneath the surface of family. This is the work of a seasoned and wonderfully wise storyteller. Brodeur is as masterfully attuned to the complex DNA of kindred secrets and high-risk loyalties as she is empathetic to the specifically tangled lives of the Gardner clan. We ultimately want for them what we want for ourselves, the freedom that comes with hard-won healing and truth telling, and the intimacy that waits if we're brave enough to look back down the loaded barrel of love -- Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go DarkSmart, funny and beautifully written. Brodeur is a brilliant dissector of family relationships, a lyricist of the natural world, and an astute observer of our inner turmoils -- Monica AliWho understands complicated family dynamics better than Adrienne Brodeur? Little Monsters is a gripping portrait of how we carry the past into the present, and how the boundaries of kinship blur and change over time -- Mary Beth Keane, author of ASK AGAIN, YESWrenching, psychologically complex, and emotionally satisfying, Little Monsters is an immersive pleasure. This sprawling, big-hearted family saga is about the lies we tell each other and ourselves that enable us to maintain alliances-and what happens when we start telling the truth -- Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan TrainIn Little Monsters, Adrienne Brodeur plunges into a multi-charactered family novel that is richly satisfying, like the best of meals, taking the reader into the heart of what Freud called 'the family romance,' with all its complexities, evasions, buried guilts, forbidden passions and sibling rivalry. As sharply observant about her characters as she is of the landscape and seascape of Cape Cod, where they live, her novel is that rarest of things: a truly great read -- Michael KordaA compelling family drama set on the beautiful Cape Cod * Good Housekeeping *A juicy portrait of a wealthy family on the brink of disaster. . . Little Monsters simmers with tension as secrets explode out into the open. . . Tensely constructed and absorbing. . . A consummate summer read, which somehow evokes smooth beach glass and hot pink sunsets with nary a mention of either * The Washington Post *Adrienne Brodeur knows her way around a family drama. . . Brodeur weaves a story dense with stinging secrets and simmering resentments, rooted in another context that she knows well: the manicured towns and wild fringes of Cape Cod. . . Set against the island’s rippling dune grasses and scrub pines, [the] narrative is as elegantly rendered as it is compulsively readable * Vogue *

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Book Synopsis'Both heartbreaking and heartwarming' - ***** Amazon reviewer'Emotional, charming and uplifting' -***** Amazon reviewerA message in a bottle. One summer. A family to reunite.Lou suffers from a rare type of dementia and dies in her fifties. She leaves behind a message in a bottle, charging her husband Joe with a challenging task: he has two months to reunite their patchwork family whose members have fallen out with each other.Luckily for him, Lou has thought of everything and helps him along with a list of family activities and recipes. Slowly but surely, they all find their way back to each other: Joe's son Cyrian and his two daughters Apple and Charlotte. Cyrian's second wife who can't stand Apple because she isn't her own. Joe's stunning daughter Sarah who has lost the love of her life and seeks solace in one-night stands.But Joe is running out of time. Will his efforts pay off before it is too late? And most importantly: what's in the mysterious letter?

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Book SynopsisA READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK'A riveting mother-daughter tale' Elle'Beautifully gripping' Heat'A joy to read' Christina Baker Kline, author of The Exiles Ann Tran is already at a crossroads when she gets the call that her beloved grandmother, Minh, has died. Ann has built a seemingly perfect life. She lives in a beautiful lake house and has a charming professor boyfriend, but it all crumbles away with one positive pregnancy test. With both her relationship and carefully planned future now in question, Ann returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother, Hu'o'ng. Under the same roof for the first time in years, mother and daughter must face the simmering questions of their past, while trying to rebuild their relationship without the one person who's always held them together. Running parallel to this is Minh's story, as she goes from a lovestruck teenager living in the shadow of the Vietnam War to a determined young mother immigrating to America in search of a better life. And when Ann makes a shocking discovery in the Banyan House's attic, long-buried secrets come to light as it becomes clear how decisions Minh made in her youth affected the rest of her life and her family. Spanning decades and continents, from 1960s Vietnam to the wild swamplands of the Florida coast, Banyan Moon is a stunning and deeply moving story of mothers and daughters, the things we inherit, and the lives we choose to make out of that inheritance.'Heart-shatteringly beautiful' Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of The Mountains SingTrade ReviewA riveting mother-daughter tale spanning two different timelines, and anchored by the magnetic pull of a Gothic home known as the Banyan House, Banyan Moon is author Thao Thai's beautiful debut * Elle, Best Books of 2023 *A beautifully gripping tale about motherhood * Heat *A beautifully written, page-turning novel . . . Banyan Moon is a celebration of life in all its forms and a joy to read * Christina Baker Kline, author of THE EXILES *Heart-shatteringly beautiful . . . a love letter to keepers of secrets, to motherhood, family and survival. Thao Thai is a major talent * Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of THE MOUNTAINS SING *Pleasurably atmospheric . . . Banyan Moon is strongest when exploring the unique blend of contempt and fury that can exist between mothers and daughters . . . Thai renders these feelings with nuance and a familiarity that is sometimes difficult to bear * New York Times *Tender, gripping and heartbreaking. A haunting page turner that reexamines lineage, motherhood, and what it means to be a survivor . . . A welcome debut from a stunning voice who will forever impact the Vietnamese American canon * Carolyn Huynh, author of THE FORTUNES OF JADED WOMEN *An honest and aching exploration of the gulf between generations . . . A novel of hope, a story of forgiveness, a reminder that even though we can never fully know the people closest to us, it is worth the try * Tracey Lien, author of ALL THAT'S LEFT UNSAID *An intricately woven story of three generations of women, surviving and living each in their own way. This novel has everything you want: desire, betrayal, grit, tenderness, pride, love, and . . . the sacred secrets we make and keep to protect what we hold dear * Meng Jin, author of SELF-PORTRAIT WITH GHOST *Thao Thai captures the complexities of familial love with an unflinching, yet gorgeously lyric, eye. Banyan Moon is an ambitious and masterful debut! * Stacey Swann, author of OLYMPUS, TEXAS *A spellbinding and intricately layered story, Banyan Moon celebrates Vietnamese women * E. M. Tran, author of DAUGHTERS OF THE NEW YEAR *Haunting, a little spooky and occasionally heartbreaking, this sweeping debut novel follows three generations of Vietnamese women as they try to find their way in the world * Good Housekeeping, Best Books of 2023 *Powerful * Reader's Digest *Well worth reading * Vogue *

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Book SynopsisLondon, 1940When tragedy strikes, Libby Gilbert is left homeless and destitute, fending for herself on the capital's most dangerous streets.Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Libby is on the cusp of making a decision that could jeopardise her future when a local boy saves her from ruin.The kindness of this stranger sets her on a different path, and Libby heads to Liverpool with a determined mind and hope in her heart.There, she reconnects with long lost family - but will she be able to uncover the truth that tore them apart all those years ago?WHY READERS LOVE KATIE FLYNN:'Takes you on a journey of heartbreak and joy''Hard to put down''Her characters are like old friends''Heartwarming romance'

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Book SynopsisGrace Johnson can't escape the feeling that her life is on autopilot-until her husband announces he's done with their marriage. Grace has a choice: wallow in humiliation . . . or reluctantly grant her outlandish mother's seventieth birthday wish with a road trip Graceland. Buckle up, Elvis. We're on our way.Now the two are hightailing it from El Paso to Memphis, leaving a trail of sequins, false eyelashes, and difficult memories in their wake. Between spontaneous roadside stops to psychics, wig mishaps, and familiar passive-aggressive zingers, Grace is starting to better understand her Elvis-obsessed mama and their own fragile connection. She may even have another shot at love. Apparently the King really does work in mysterious ways. But after all these years, will it ever be possible for Grace and her mom to heal the hurts of the past?

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Book SynopsisDuncan Wheeler is a successful architect who savors the quotidian pleasures in life until a car accident leaves him severely paralyzed and haunted by the death of his young assistant. Now, Duncan isnt sure what there is left to live for, when every day has become a broken series of unsuccessful gestures. Duncan and his wife, Laura, find themselves in conflict as Duncans will to live falters. Laura grows desperate to help him. An art conservator who has her own relationship to the repair of broken things, Laura brings home a highly trained helper monkeya tufted capuchin named Ottolineto assist Duncan with basic tasks. Duncan and Laura fall for this sweet, comical, Nutella-gobbling little creature, and Duncans life appears to become more tolerable, fuller, and funnier. Yet the question persists: Is it enough? Katharine Weber is a masterful observer of humanity, and Still Life with Monkey, full of tenderness and melancholy, explores the conflict between the will to live and the desire to die.

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Book SynopsisTold by four women whose stories nest together, She Never Told Me about the Ocean is an epic about a rite of passage that all humans undergo and none remember: birth. Eighteen-year-old Sage has been mothering her mother for as long as she can remember, and as she arrives on the shores of adulthood, she learns a secret: before she was born, she had an older brother who drowned. In her search to discover who he was and why nobody told her, Sage moves to tiny Dragon Island where her mother grew up. There, she embarks on a quest to learn the superstitions of the island, especially its myths involving her mother. Gathering stories from Ilya, a legendary midwife who hires Sage as her apprentice; Marella, Sage's grieving mother who was named for the ocean yet has always been afraid of it; and Charon, the Underworld ferrywoman who delivers souls to the land of the dead, Sage learns to stop rescuing her mother and simply let go. But when her skill as Ilya's apprentice enables her to rescue her mother one final time, in a way that means life or death, Sage must shed her inherited fears and become her own woman.

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Book SynopsisIn 1990, three boys are born, unrelated but intertwined by circumstance: Dayo, Iseul and Youssef. They are adopted as infants and live in a shared bedroom perched atop a mosque in Staten Island. The boys are a conspicuous trio: Dayo is of Nigerian origin, Iseul is Korean and Youssef indeterminately Middle Eastern, but they are so close as to be almost inseparable. Nevertheless, Youssef is keeping a secret from his brothers: he has an imaginary double, a familiar who seems absolutely real, a shapeshifting creature he calls Brother. The boys' adoptive father, Imam Salim, is known for his radical sermons extolling the virtues of opting out of Western ideologies. But he is uncharismatic at home, a distant father who spends evenings in his study with whiskey-laced coffee, writing letters to his former compatriots back in Saudi Arabia. Like Youssef, he too has secrets, including the cause of his failing health, the reason for his nighttime excursions from the house and the truth about what happened to the boys' parents. When Imam Salim's path takes him back to Saudi Arabia, the boys will be forced to follow. There they will be captivated by an opulent, almost futuristic world and find traces of their parents' stories. But they will have to change if they want to survive in this new world, and the arrival of a creature as powerful as Brother will not go unnoticed.With stylistic brilliance and intellectual acuity, in Brother Alive Zain Khalid brings characters to vivid life with a bold energy that matches the great themes of his novel - family, capital, power, sexuality and the possibility of reunion for those who are broken.Trade ReviewBeguiling...Khalid's sentences abound with florid, poetic metaphors while maintaining the clipped, declarative tempo of Scripture....a searing collage of the profound and the mundane * New York Times *[An] auspicious debut...Khalid brilliantly reveals new shades of truth from each character's point of view, and perfectly integrates the many ideas about capitalism and religious extremism into an enthralling narrative. It's a tour de force * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *One of the most exciting debuts in recent years...That Khalid executes a novel this intricate, elegant, and compassionate with such masterly prose all but guarantees that this will be one of the finest works of literature this year * Library Journal *This wildly ambitious novel seeks to break new ground in big-issue territory like provenance, race, class, birth and rebirth...that it succeeds in some of its lofty aspirations is impressive. To do so while creating memorable characters is even more of a feat. * Big Issue *Zain Khalid's imagination and talent are a marvel to behold in these pages. Brother Alive bristles with a kinetic, hypnotic energy that also manages to ask profound questions about love, faith, family, and loyalty. Hallucinatory and electrifying, Brother Alive announces the arrival of a writer with an impassioned and fearless vision. -- Maaza Mengiste, author of THE SHADOW KING, shortlisted for the Booker PrizeBrother Alive is a hallucinatory revelation. With beautifully-written prose, characters that truly leap from the pages, and a rendering of love, both familial and romantic, that made my heart ache, Zain Khalid has announced himself as a writer the world needs to sit up and pay attention to. An exquisitely told, breathtaking, revolutionary book, I barely blinked while reading it and was bereft when I finished it. -- Kasim Ali, author of GOOD INTENTIONSA rigorously intelligent, wholly sensitive and quietly rebellious work of art, with prose as profound as it is beautiful. What an inspiring examination of the waywardness of life and the grounding of love this story is. What a wise, thoughtful writer Zain Khalid is. What a gift to humanity this book is. -- Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times-bestselling author of THE PROPHETSBrother Alive is a remarkable work. Zain Khalid creates an immersive world rich in compelling detail. But even more impressively, Khalid achieves a kind of resistance text against our endemic inhumanity. The thrill lies in witnessing such a cogent and powerful intellect tune in to the music of life. An inspiring reminder of the great capacity of novels. -- Sergio de la Pava, author of A NAKED SINGULARITYThis genre-defying novel, and the intelligence, originality, and awareness of the mind that produced it, astonished me. I was reminded of Günter Grass, of Viet Thanh Nguyen. Through the consciousness of an unforgettable narrator, Youssef, Khalid begins by subtly illuminating the contours of a globalized world in which the personal is geopolitical; he ends by turning up the light and refusing to let us look away. -- Vauhini Vara, author of THE IMMORTAL KING RAO

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Book SynopsisIt''s the 1980s, and art historian Claire Markham reels from a series of heartbreaking losses. Desperate to escape her shattered reality, she becomes an art guide in Europe for quirky stranger Viv Chancey and embarks on a life-changing journey through the art-filled cities of Milan, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Rome, and Paris. Once abroad, Claire tries to hide her woes by focusing on Vivs art education, but Viv-who is not who she seems-has a different learning experience in mind. Frustrated and wanting to reimagine her life, Claire embraces the idea of reality as illusion and finds herself slipping into the tales of art and history. When threatened with one more crushing loss, Claire must learn from the spirit of her eccentric companion and the lessons from the art they encounter to take charge of her life or lose the most precious thing in it. THE ART OF TRAVELING STRANGERS is a journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment inspired by the great art masterpieces of Italy and France. It''s a tale of female bonding and the amazing powers of perception. After all, reality, like art, is just an illusion.

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Book SynopsisHow far would you go to save a child who isn't even yours?Before You Found Me explores the unlikely bond that develops between two abuse survivors and takes a deep dive into personal sacrifice, morality, and the healing powers of family-both blood and found--from the author of After We Were Stolen.Rowan McNamara doesn't open the door to her new life-she's thrown through it. Following an explosive argument with her abusive fiancé, Rowan runs. With no family except for her estranged sister, Celia, Rowan takes refuge in an idyllic New England town.There, she meets Gabriel, the eleven-year-old son of her neighbor, Lee. Lee is welcoming, friendly, and a little too helpful. But Gabriel is a mystery: withdrawn, often bruised, and only willing to speak to Rowan through his basement window. When she discovers that Lee has kept Gabriel imprisoned for the past three years, Rowan is desperate to save him. Fueled by outrage and empathy, she abducts Gabriel and flees to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma, determined to raise him as her own.Together they battle nightmares, curious stares, and Celia's constant disapproval. But when Lee begins haunting more than their dreams, Rowan and Gabriel realize they stopped pretending to be a family a long time ago. Their bond is just as strong as blood, and they're willing to do anything to protect one another.From Brooke Beyfuss comes a tender, deeply emotional novel exploring trauma and healing, love and family, and the impossible lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love, even at the expense of ourselves.

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Book SynopsisFranny Steinberg knows there's powerful magic in laughter. She's witnessed it. With the men of Chicago off fighting WWII on distant shores, Franny has watched the women of the city taking charge of the war effort. But amidst the war bond sales and factory shifts, something surprising has emerged, something Franny could never have expected. A new marvel that has women flocking to comedy clubs across the nation: the Showstopper.When Franny steps into Chicago's Blue Moon comedy club, she realizes the power of a Showstopper-that specific magic sparked when an audience laughs so hard, they are momentarily transformed. And while each comedian's Showstopper is different, they all have one thing in common: they only work on women.After a traumatic flashback propels her onstage in a torn bridesmaid dress, Franny discovers her own Showstopper is something new. And suddenly she has the power to change everything...for herself, for her audience, and for the people who may need it most.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 41st International 3-Day Novel Writing Contest Alan is unsure if he is dead or dreaming, he only knows that he is stuck in a loop. He finds himself being forced to walk along a straight path through an unending pine forest where any deviation from the path causes him to black out and begin again. Dipping in and out of an endless purgatorial walk, Alan relives key moments in his life where he missed the opportunity to learn, escape, and change: The death of his mother, an abusive relationship with his father, and the opportunity to connect with his only real friend, a neighbour he never speaks to named Edgar. The Loop chronicles the life of an alcoholic who is unable to escape his past to explore the ways in which abuse can shape someone into their abuser and the ways trauma can transfer from one generation to the next. How much of who we are is who we are? How much of it is someone else? What if this has all happened before?

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Book SynopsisRose Addams is hitting her sixties, but these days it feels like they''re starting to hit back. Her daughter, Morgan, has ditched her thesis program and moved back home to Vancouver, while her son Jason''s partner has never seen eye to eye with his mother. Her husband Charles has decided to take early retirement from the university to work on his long-gestating book, and his rakish best friend Garnet has a new mistress who is way too young for their social circle. When Rose encounters a young man panhandling outside of her library office though, a chain of events is set in motion whereby Rose will have to confront all the facets of her rapidly-complicating life.Recalling the work of Caroline Adderson, Krista Foss, and Marie-Renée Lavoie, Margie Taylor''s Rose Addams is an insight into the life of a woman who is in the process of beginning her third act, an empathetic and incisive look at the problems of those just exiting middle age while attempting to keep up with a rapidly-changing world.

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Book Synopsis Return to the northern town of Thorp in this moving new addition to Marion Husband's bestselling The Boy I Love series. 'You, me, Eric, Paul Harris - even Margot - even Adele. All of us so messed up by the war we couldn't tell right from wrong.' 1964. The town of Thorp in the North of England has always kept its secrets. With so many husbands returned from the war changed men, there are some truths that can never be spoken.And yet, Bobby Harris is determined to find out the truth about his father, Paul. Horrified by Paul's scandalous posthumous biography, Bobby must discover if he really has been lied to all his life.But in uncovering his father's secrets, he soon learns that it is not only his own family who will be affected by his search for the truth.Praise for Marion Husband: 'As with all the best novelists, Husband's talent seems to draw its energy from the experience of writing from perspectives far removed from her own as she inhabits other genders, other sexualities, other eras' Patrick Gale'Don't miss this series - if you love the power of words, words rich in layer and tone . . . you will love them. Can't recommend them enough.' Goodreads Reviewer

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Book SynopsisThis new novel from Marion Husband, best-selling author of the Boy I Love trilogy, is a story of adultery, love and redemption.'Husband's stunning writing and inspired prose lend well to her honest characters . . . read when you're in the mood for something intense and moving' Three Dollar Bill Reviews USAIn my more lucid moments I know I'm dead . . . So begins Edwina's story, a young woman whose spirit is trapped by guilt. Set between the present day and the First World War, Edwina's ghost tells the story of Gaye and David Henderson, the adulterous couple whose house she haunts. But she also has her own story to tell, gradually revealing the terrors that keep her from finding peace.Just some of the amazing GOODREADS REVIEWS: 'An absorbing page-turner.''Thoroughly enjoyable and only gets better the more you read.''This beautifully understated novel will keep you guessing until the last page.'

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Book SynopsisShe is determined to live the life she wants…Cassandra Trent does not like being told what to do. So when she is forced to leave behind her beloved Bardsley and join her aunt in London, she is furious. She wants nothing to do with polite society and useless noblemen.But Cassandra finds some comfort in the friendship she forms with her kind and gentle cousin, Susannah Berrinden. Despite being destined to marry Simeon Giffard, a charming and – more importantly – wealthy young man, Susannah has other ideas…And it seems Simeon does too. He has eyes only for Cassandra – but winning her over might prove to be a near impossible task.A heartwarming historical saga perfect for fans of Elisabeth McNeill, Rosie Goodwin and Gloria Cook.

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Book Synopsis'A perfect holiday read, compulsively readable but also intriguing, thought-provoking and so good on female friendship' Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request. Three best friends. A weekend away. And a whole lot of baggage. Alice, Nina and Jules have been best friends for twenty years. They met in Paris and return there once a year, to relive their youth, leave the troubles of home behind, and indulge in each other's friendship and warmth. But this year, aged thirty-nine, the cracks in their relationships are starting to show... After their weekend together in Paris, the three women never speak again. Each claims the other two ghosted them. But is there more to the story? Praise for After Paris: 'A gripping yet tender story about friendship and motherhood... I think every reader will find a version of themselves somewhere in this book.' Holly Miller, author of What Might Have Been 'A refreshing and authentic take on female friendship. Complex, flawed and so real, I loved spending time with these three women.' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City 'Nicole Kennedy writes beautifully about female friendship, family dramas, relationships, parenting, and the city of Paris. Moving, funny, and hugely relatable.' Andrea Mara, author of All Her Fault 'Touching, evocative and impossible to put down.' Lorraine Brown 'Gossip Girl meets Emily in Paris meets One Day. Complex, clever and – as with all of Kennedy's writing – relatable.' Laura Price, author of Single Bald Female 'A gorgeous, big hearted book.' Suzanne Ewart 'Brilliant, engaging and completely compelling, After Paris is a triumph.' Hannah Doyle 'I was enthralled by the story – from the setting to the heartache; the trials of motherhood and such a razor sharp look at the bonds of friendship.' Caroline Khoury Readers love After Paris: 'I loved the writing, the three main characters and the scene setting, all just perfect.' Reader 5* Review 'It is rare to find a book that is purely about female friendships. I absolutely adored this book.' Reader 5* Review 'An ideal summer read that will make you appreciate your friends and what you have.' Reader 5* Review 'I raced through the book, desperate to see what happened... I loved this immersive read.' Reader 5* Review 'A beautiful story of adult friendships that really resonated... I absolutely loved the setting and characters.' Reader 5* Review 'I love all things Paris, and I also love female friendships. This book had all of that and more!' Reader 5* ReviewTrade ReviewGripping yet tender... An insightful, keenly observed story about friendship and motherhood. I think every reader will find a version of themselves somewhere in this book -- Holly Miller, author of What Might Have BeenNicole Kennedy writes beautifully about female friendship, family dramas, relationships, parenting, and the city of Paris. Moving, funny, and hugely relatable -- Andrea Mara, author of All Her FaultA refreshing and authentic take on female friendship. Complex, flawed and so real, I loved spending time with these three women -- Louise Hare, author of This Lovely CityGossip Girl meets Emily in Paris meets One Day... I loved it! -- Laura Price, author of Single Bald FemaleA perfect holiday read, compulsively readable but also intriguing, thought-provoking and so good on female friendship -- Laura Marshall, author of Friend RequestA great summer read that unpicks the threads of love, lies and betrayal connecting the three women * Woman & Home *A brilliant look at friendship and what happens when you grow apart * Bella *This is the perfect chick flick for your holiday * Pick Me Up! *A thought-provoking tale about holding on to friendships when you start to grow apart * My Weekly *

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Book SynopsisTessa is a successful writer who develops a friendship, first by correspondence and then in person, with Charlie, a ruggedly handsome philosopher and scholar. Sparks fly as they exchange ideas about Camus and masculine desire, and their intellectual connection promises more - but there are obstacles to this burgeoning relationship.While Tessa's husband Milton enjoys Charlie's company, Charlie's wife Wah is a different case, and she proves to be both adversary and conundrum to Tessa. Wah's traditional femininity and subservience to her husband strike Tessa as weaknesses, and she scoffs at the sacrifices Wah makes as adoptive mother to a Burmese girl, Htet. But Wah has a kind of power too, especially over Charlie, and the conflict between the two women leads to Tessa's martini-fueled declaration that Wah is 'an insult to womankind.' As Tessa is forced to deal with the consequences of her outburst, she wonders if Wah is really as weak as she has seemed, or if she might have a different kind of strength altogether.An exercise in empathy, an exploration of betrayal and a charged story of the thrill of a shared connection - and the perils of feminine rivalry - My Nemesis is a brilliantly dramatic and captivating story from a hugely talented writer.Trade ReviewTaut, bristling and psychologically profound...Slimmer, punchier and more tightly wound [than her previous work], My Nemesis highlights her talent for capturing the minutiae of interpersonal drama. * The Economist *A compelling discourse around race, motherhood and marriage * Observer *Much of the power of this excitingly barbed book is Craig's complex portrait of a woman for whom rage is the default. A gin-drenched Valkyrie, Tessa weaponises her feminism with cruel aggression. She joins a line-up of fascinating female characters, each as unforgiving as they are unforgivable. * Financial Times *A blisteringly smart novel about feminism, identity and desire that refuses easy answers and will linger for a long time in my mind. -- Monica AliThe writing is biting and propulsive...This confident work is sure to spark conversations. * Publishers Weekly *A simple plot summary cannot capture the depth of Craig's treatment of such big themes as femininity and masculinity, motherhood and fatherhood, friendship and love...Craig offers an effective inquiry into the elusive nature of intimate relationships, whether they stem from love or hate. * Booklist *Charmaine Craig's brilliant anatomization of mid-life art, identity and infidelity shares in the intellectual grace and precision of its characters' philosophical pursuits, yet beneath the ruminative surface this book churns with desire and remorse. -- Jonathan Lethem, author of THE ARRESTI was bowled over by this brilliant narrative of desire, complicity and the limits of empathy. My Nemesis is a compact masterpiece in the confessional mode, one that reverberates long after the last page is turned. Bravo! -- Antoine Wilson, author of MOUTH TO MOUTHI devoured this sly, seething novel. So marvelously perceptive, so effortlessly elegant, it lays bare the horror of what husbands and wives expect of each other. My Nemesis is a pearl cultivated in justified rage. I loved it. -- Sarah Manguso, author of VERY COLD PEOPLEAs deeply empathic as it is thrillingly addictive, My Nemesis is a stunning and brave literary feat. Charmaine Craig's searing prose and complex vision challenges us to abandon the safety and certainty of our own perspectives. What begins as a novel of female rivalry quickly transforms into a profound spiritual meditation on the danger of our inability - or unwillingness - to imagine and dignify the inner life of the other. With luminous grace, Craig's writing is a testament to the transcendent power and peace possible when we dare to try. -- Fatima Farheen Mirza, author of A PLACE FOR USMy Nemesis is an exhilarating act of defiance, a novel that lights a match and sends the whole question of female characters' likability up in flames. Charmaine Craig is a writer unafraid of contradictions - at once elegant and unruly, cool yet searing - and here she's given us a fiercely philosophical novel that is also irresistibly, addictively readable. -- Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of LIKESA timely exposition of trust after trauma . . . In reimagining the extraordinary lives of her mother and grandparents, Craig produces some passages of exquisitely precise description * New York Times Book Review on MISS BURMA *Like many of the best books, Miss Burma feels rooted in its time and place, while also laying bare timeless questions of loyalty, infidelity, patriotism and identity - not to mention the globally perpetuated unfair treatment of women * Elle on MISS BURMA *[A] riveting account of the treacheries, fractures and courageous acts of wartime * BBC (10 Books to Read in May) on MISS BURMA *Charmaine Craig wields powerful and vivid prose to illuminate a country and a family trapped not only by war and revolution, but also by desire and loss. Both epic and intimate, Miss Burma is a compelling and disturbing trip through Burmese history and politics. -- Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE SYMPATHIZER on MISS BURMA

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Book Synopsis'Family Lore is full of beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds' KILEY REID, author of Such A Fun AgeThe Marte women are preparing for a gathering that will change their lives foreverFlor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides to host her own living wake - bringing together her family and community to celebrate her long life - her sisters Matilde, Pastora and Camila are concerned. What has she foreseen?But Flor isn't the only one with a secret. Matilde has tried to hide the extent of her husband's infidelity for years, and now must confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora - always on a mission to solve her sisters' problems - needs to come to terms with her past. And Camila, the youngest sibling, has decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted. Alongside their struggles, the next generation of Marte women face their own tumult of family obligations, infertility, and heartache.Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the intertwining stories of these sisters and cousins, mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, to ask the ultimate question: what does it take to live a good life, for yourself and those you love?Trade ReviewAcevedo is a master of time. Family Lore is full of beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds. Tender, moving and altogether lovely. Not one word is wasted here -- KILEY REID, author of SUCH A FUN AGEAn exuberant, polyphonic story of one family's reckoning with their past . . . Acevedo's background in spoken-word poetry shines through in the energy and lyricism of her prose . . . But the novel's greatest triumph is in the warmth of her portrayal of these women, their strength and stubbornness, and the inseparability of love and grief * * Observer * *There is potent magic in these pages, passed down through this lineage of powerful sisters who have captured my heart. How does Acevedo do it? Reading Family Lore is like an embrace, and I am filled with nostalgia for a family I have never had and could never have imagined -- RUTH OZEKI, author of THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESSAn expansive story that follows three generations of the Marte family . . . [Family Lore] mixes the old-timey lyricism typical of the genre with a plethora of twenty-first-century references . . . [Acevedo's] writing is undeniably beautiful, overflowing with original turns of phrase and polished prose * * Sunday Times * *A labyrinthine tale of sisterhood and the chaos of love . . . the depth, grace and nuance Acevedo gives her characters is palpable; her love for these women comes through with arresting clarity . . . Pearls of magic and wisdom, hard but not hardened, the story of the Marte sisters is a treasure to behold * * New York Times Book Review * *The women's stories intertwine, establishing a fully realised family portrait with all the quirks, resentments and secrets that characterise it * * Daily Mail * *Acevedo expertly maneuvers through the complex and singular stories of each of these women and all that unites them. It was a joy to experience each character's expressive and gripping story; to acknowledge their truths and to recognise some of the women in the lives of women around me. A remarkable accomplishment -- ABI DARÉ, author of THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICEAcevedo's treatment of magic as an everyday possibility is compelling but there is also magic in the wonder, surprise, frustrations, and joys the characters experience in their relationships with one another . . . her obsession with imagery, interiority and making every word count is what makes her descriptions and dialogue sing; her characters think and speak in voices that feel distinct and alive. * * TIME * *The most magnificent, intricate story of a family and a group of women . . . the perfect accompaniment for a long summer read. A magical, intergeneration story from an assured debut novelist . . . [a] beautiful book * * Glamour * *Flor is throwing herself a wake and reminding us that "even a long life is too short". So while we are here "let's eat, and dance, and be alive". Acevedo has written unforgettable characters who breathe new life into how we grieve, age, take care of each other. Family Lore is a big hearted novel, a wonderful debut! -- ANGIE CRUZ, author of DOMINICANA

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Book Synopsis'Brings twist after delicious twist. I love this book.' Jo Spain______________________________Their school is about to be taught a lesson...Beverley Franklin will do whatever it takes to protect her local school's reputation.So when a scandal involving her own daughter threatens to derail the annual school musical's appearance on national television, Beverley goes into overdrive.But in her efforts to protect her daughter and keep the musical on track, she misses what's really going, both in her own house and in the insular Glass Lake community - with dramatic consequences.Glass Lake primary school's reputation is about to be shattered...'Eithne Shortall mixes humour and tragedy with a deftness reminiscent of Marian Keyes' Irish TimesTrade ReviewThe queen of the character-driven plot returns with a slow-burn Irish mystery that brings twist after delicious twist. I love this book. * Jo Spain *Sharp, funny and brilliantly observed - I absolutely loved it! * Andrea Mara *A wonderfully gossipy read, layered with dark moments, dry humour and a mystery at its heart to keep you guessing right to the end * Carmel Harrington *As cleverly plotted as an Agatha Christie whodunnit ... thought-provoking, with well-drawn characters ... tempered by empathy and witty humour * Irish Independent *Insightful ... an engrossing page turner that'll leave you shocked and amused in equal measure * Belfast Telegraph *This novel knocked me for six ... carefully and beautifully written ... I couldn't have liked it more. * Daily Mail on Three Little Truths *Funny... relatable, contemporary and exceptionally witty * Irish Times on Three Little Truths *Funny, endearing, mysterious and outrageous, this book is wildly entertaining and hugely enjoyable. -- Liz Nugent on Three Little TruthsA smart, humorous and gripping whodunnit, clear your schedule: this is a book for devouring in one sitting * Sunday Business Post *'A witty take on school-gate politics ... a multi-layered story' * Sunday Independent *Many secrets are hidden and shared in this page-turner whose scandal-evolving plot is meticulously constructed * Irish Examiner *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR POPULAR FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2023'I defy anyone to read this without turning the final page with a great big smile on their face!' - Ruth HoganOne house. Three strangers. A second chance at happiness.Tessa's life as an activist and volunteer worker takes a hit after a fall. At the ripe young age of 69, she's no longer able to live alone and decides to take in two lodgers for free.After the recent death of his brother, Conn is riddled with grief and determined to make amends. A free room seems too good to be true - until he meets the other lodger.Chloe arrives at Tessa's house to deliver a package and leaves with a room. But she takes an instant dislike to Conn, who refuses to say where he disappears to at night. With everyone so busy keeping their own secrets, the mysterious package is forgotten. It's addressed to Tessa's daughter who's been missing for 10 years - and only the contents have the answer to what happened...'This moving, funny and charming novel is reminiscent of Marian Keyes' Louise O'NeillTrade ReviewHeartwarming * Daily Mail *Such a joyful read, written with wit, compassion and humour - and the characters are all so relatable. Throughout the chaos, sadness and uncertainty, hope, community and friendship shine through. I defy anyone to read this without turning the final page with a great big smile on their face! -- Ruth HoganThis moving, funny, and charming novel is reminiscent of Maeve Binchy; what an absolute joy it was to read -- Louise O'NeillRomantic, witty and very engaging. A heartwarming read. -- Patricia ScanlanBoth laugh aloud and emotional ... epitomises true family, friendship and home. It's fabulous. * My Weekly *A sumptuous holiday read ... an endearingly oddball cast of characters, a lovely romance, and several intriguing mysteries, all in one gorgeous package -- Beth MorreyImmersive, captivating, and full of heart, I fell in love with The Lodgers. A story that's deeply moving but also laugh out loud funny, this is Eithne Shortall at the absolute top of her game. -- Andrea MaraIdeal summer read ... Expertly balances the joys and absurdities of everyday life with its tragedies ... by turns hilarious and heartbreaking ... Shortall excels in witty, character-driven plots ... you will find it hard to put down * Irish Independent *I just adored The Lodgers. An evocative setting, page-turning plot and characters that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Utterly wonderful. -- Becky HunterPacked with plot and character ... uplifting ... full of faith in collective action and the power of the many * Sunday Business Post *With its rich cast of delightful characters, and a plot that swoops effortlessly from humour to tragedy and back again, The Lodgers is a warm embrace of a novel. A wonderfully life-affirming read. -- Emma RousShortall achieves that Marian Keyes feat of deftly weaving serious topics into her books, with a lightness of touch that never feels preachy * Irish Times *A brilliantly observed, life-affirming story of friendship, community and hope. Prepare to be touched and tickled in equal measure * Sunday Independent *I adored this. I love how effortlessly Shortall writes different people and makes them so very real. -- Maia Dunphy

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Book SynopsisA death in the family rarely brings out the best in people - even the deceased Jonathan Coulter planned for his death meticulously, leaving nothing to chance. His will states that his three adult children must decide between them how to dispose of his estate. If they cannot come together over their inheritance, then they risk losing it. But Liv, Noah and Chloe never agree on anything. And now, with only one weekend to overcome their rivalry, tensions begin to rise. Why has Jonathan left the decision to them? And why has he made no mention of his new partner, Megan, or the children's mother, Eloise? If he wanted to teach them a lesson from beyond the grave, what is it? And can the siblings put their differences aside for long enough to learn it? A powerful novel about love and loss, and what we truly pass on to our children.Trade ReviewThere is a raw realism to all of Caroline Bond's novels. This latest, The Legacy, reminds us that sometimes it's the loss of a loved one that gives us newfound appreciation for family, and for choices we previously couldn't understand. Redemptive and satisfying. * Carol Mason *What an astute and thoughtful writer Caroline Bond is. Exposing the dynamics of a family struggling to regroup after bereavement rings blisteringly true. * Elizabeth Buchan *A beautifully crafted exploration of family resentments and vulnerability. Caroline Bond writes with a keen eye for human frailty, bringing her characters vividly to life, flaws and all. * Charity Norman *A powerful, character-led story, ideal for book groups * Woman's Own *Caroline Bond has a gift for weaving heart-rending tales of impossible decisions and The Forgotten Sister is no exception. A beautifully written story that will stay with me for quite some time. Would I have made the same choices? -- Amanda Brooke on 'The Forgotten Sister'A deftly written novel [and] a moving exploration of love between sisters and the tangled, often complex emotions that exist in families. -- Madeleine Reiss on 'The Forgotten Sister'Caroline Bond takes a complex situation and has written a thoughtful, wrenching and, at times, tear-jerking novel. -- Elizabeth Buchan on 'The Second Child'

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Book Synopsis'A funny and touching insight into music, autism and motherhood' Dawn French'A truthful book that dives headfirst into the realities of motherhood that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart in equal measure' Izzy Judd________________________________Your family doesn't fit the mould. So what?Since giving birth to her second child, Lucy's life is totally unrecognisable: the romance in her marriage is officially dead and so is the career it took her years to build.Instead of playing the cello behind superstars at packed-out arenas, Lucy now spends most days mopping up broccoli vomit whilst listening to her four-year-old recite facts about the gallbladder. Something needs to change.With a little help from her friends, Lucy comes up with a plan to get her life on track, claw back her career and help her extraordinary son to find his place in an ordinary world.Trade ReviewA funny and touching insight into music, autism and motherhood * Dawn French *A truthful book that dives headfirst into the realities of motherhood that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart in equal measure * Izzy Judd *A relatable yet original read you won't be able to put down ... will make you laugh out loud. Simply brilliant! * Vicki Broadbent (The Honest Mum) *Honest, heartfelt and frankly bloody hilarious * Rowan Coleman *Will make you snort with laughter, wince in recognition and then punch you in the heart - often all in one page * Laura Vaughan *

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Book Synopsis'A thoroughly modern love story with old-fashioned heart' Vogue___________________Meet Ursula 35-year-old Ursula Byrne is successful, witty, smart, and single. She's tried all the dating apps, and let's just say: she's underwhelmed by her options. Enter The ArcA mysterious, super-sophisticated matchmaking service that relies on a complex series of emotional, psychological and physiological assessments. The price tag is high, the promise ambitious- you get one match, and one match only. Because one is all you need for a partnership that will go the distance.Is this a date with destiny? Or with data?Ursula is paired with 42-year-old lawyer Rafael Banks, and from the start, this feels like the electric, lasting love they've each been seeking their whole adult lives. But as their relationship unfolds in unanticipated ways, the two begin to question The Arc's legitimacy. After all, the arc of a relationship is never predictable ... even when it's fully optimized.Trade ReviewA thoroughly modern love story with old-fashioned heart * Vogue *The satirical (yet also surprisingly deep) take on dating app culture we all need * Cosmopolitan *With giddy hilarity and stabs to the heart, Hoen's heady cocktail of satire and celebration is a delectable addition to the dating-app and matchmaking rom-com list. * Booklist *Hoen raises some fascinating questions about love and relationships and ends on an optimistic note that will please romance fans. The result is as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking. * Publishers Weekly *You don't expect a razor-sharp satire to satisfy so deeply on an emotional level, but The Arc does that and more: Tory Henwood Hoen brings humor, wit and brutal honesty to start-up culture, relationships and human frailty in this riveting debut. * Alexandra Andrews, author of Who is Maud Dixon *Tory Hoen has the rare combination of a satirists eye and a romantics soul. Populated though it may be with biz-whiz types, lifestyle apps, and start-up schemes, The Arc is, at its heart, about the inimitable qualities that make us human. Clear off space on your shelf of contemporary favorites for this timeless love story wrapped in a timely, funny portrait of modern society. * Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink *A zeitgeisty and hopeful page-turner that proves neither algorithms nor big data can keep the heart from wanting what it wants. * Courtney Maum, author of Touch and Costalegre *Whether she's skewering mediocre start-up bros or the absurdities of twenty-first century 'self-care,' there's nothing about the way we live now that escapes Hoen's gaze. A hilarious and thoughtful exploration of love in a culture obsessed with optimization, The Arc is a dazzling debut. * Grant Ginder, author of People We Hate at the Wedding *A delightful debut about love and dating and modern womanhood that asks as many questions about self-determination and free will as it answers. * Shelf Awareness *The Arc is an incisive, inventive, probing portrait of a modern relationship featuring remarkably well-drawn characters that readers will champion and adore. Hoen's clever, original debut is as hilarious as it is heartwarming. * Carola Lovering, author of Too Good to be True *Funny and modern ... like a rom-com's cooler big sister * Real Simple *

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Book Synopsis'Oh, you're not crazy, Denise. I think this is probably the sanest you've ever been...'Two women. An open road. The trip of a lifetime.Thea is confident, sorted, determined to have fun, but there are sorrows beneath the surface of her life.Denise is struggling under the weight of her many commitments and in desperate need of some excitement.When these polar opposites meet, and unexpectedly become friends, they realise they're both looking to escape.So begins a road trip that leads them far from home and yet closer to their true selves.But they can't outrun their pasts forever and when things start to become complicated, both women have an important decision to make. Do they give up or keep going? Turn around or drive on?Trade ReviewSharply observed and empathetic, many women will see themselves in this excellent novel * Elizabeth Buchan *There is a raw realism to all of Caroline Bond's novels ... Redemptive and satisfying -- Carol Mason on 'The Legacy'Absolutely captures the challenges of being a certain age - the characters jump off the page! * Sam Blake *A beautifully crafted exploration of family resentments and vulnerability. Caroline Bond writes with a keen eye for human frailty, bringing her characters vividly to life, flaws and all. -- Charity Norman on 'The Legacy'Caroline Bond has a gift for weaving heart-rending tales of impossible decisions and The Forgotten Sister is no exception. A beautifully written story that will stay with me for quite some time. -- Amanda Brooke on 'The Forgotten Sister'A deftly written novel [and] a moving exploration of love between sisters and the tangled, often complex emotions that exist in families. -- Madeleine Reiss on 'The Forgotten Sister'Compassionate, wry and packed with acute observations on human behaviour. Like wrapping yourself in a warm shawl. -- Charity Norman

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Book Synopsis***'Tense, lyrical, intelligent' - The Big Issue******A heart-wrenching human story - Saga***Exit West meets An American Marriage in this breathtaking and evocative novel about a young Syrian couple in the throes of new love, on the cusp of their bright future...when a travel ban rips them apart on the eve of their son's birth.Boston, 2017: When Hadi returns to his heavily pregnant partner Sama after a trip to Jordan to bury his father, he is stopped at border control - a hostile new immigration law has just been enacted - while she awaits him on the other side. Worlds apart, suspended between hope and disillusion as hours become days become weeks, Sama and Hadi yearn for a way back to each other, and to the life they'd dreamed up together. But does that life exist any more, or was it only an illusion? Achingly intimate yet poignantly universal, No Land to Light On is the story of a family caught up in forces beyond their control, fighting for the freedom and home they found in one another.Trade ReviewZgheib writes so lyrically about rootlessness, separation and a fierce longing for home that it makes the tragedy of war that much easier to bear. Sama and Hadi will always hold a special place in my heart. -- ALKA JOSHI, author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of JaipurA masterful story of tragedy and redemption, an entire history told through the prism of a single Syrian couple, beginning and ending with love. -- HALA ALYAN, award-winning author of Salt Houses and The Arsonists' CityThrough a heart-wrenching human story runs a narrative about avian migration, the urge to take flight felt even by a caged bird - but all birds of passage need land to light on. -- Rose Shepherd * Saga Magazine *In elegant prose, Zgheib skillfully mingles her protagonists' memories with a nail-biting account of their 2017 ordeal to craft a narrative rich in metaphors and complex, believable characters. -- Washington Post * Washington Post *[in] glittering language that brings emotional resonance to the effects of monstrous policies [...] The separation comes in like thunder to break a happy story apart. Zgheib's poetic language serves her well in conveying that story. But much of its power lies also in the playful way Sama and Hadi experience new love, the sense of open possibility that immigration can still represent. This happiness is embedded within her story of suffering - and vice versa. -- Lorraine Berry * L.A. Times *Zgheib has created a tense, moving novel about the meaning of home, the risks of exile, the power of nations, and the power of love. * Kirkus *Her devastating second novel, No Land to Light On, is an illuminating, intimate look at the Syrian refugee crisis and the immigrant experience in America during the Trump administration [...] Zgheib offers nuanced insights into the complex psychology of and challenges faced by displaced people, and effectively makes the consequences of anti-immigrant sentiments and policies feel personal to all readers.Written in soul-searing prose, No Land to Light On is an essential, compassionate story that reinstates a sense of humanity for the countless people affected by U.S. travel bans. * BookPage *a graceful tale of imperiled lovers -- Kirkus * Kirkus *If you can handle suspense and heartache then add this one to your list. -- Elizabeth Walsh * Muse *An ongoing travel ban threatens every hope [Hadi and Sumi] ever shared, and through a chronicle of their torn-up plans, Zgheib deftly addresses pertinent issues of identity, homeland, exile and loss. This is a tense, lyrical, intelligent novel. -- Jane Graham * The Big Issue *

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick 2023'Not since Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger has the rotten core of modern India been exposed in quite such blackly antic fashion as Parini Shroff manages here in this intermittently absurd, feminist revenge caper about a group of snarky, much-abused, predominantly Hindu wives...sheer gutsy verve.' The Times'A darkly funny revenge drama rooted in the reality of rural India . . . [A] vivid, unsentimental story that succeeds in being both satirical and moving.' Guardian'A radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women' - New York Times'Mordantly humoured, pacey feminist revenge thriller' - The Sunday Times__________________________________For Geeta, life as a widow is more peaceful than life as a wife...Until the other women in her village decide they want to be widows, too.Geeta is believed to have killed her vanished husband - a rumour she hasn't bothered trying to correct, because a reputation like that can keep a single woman safe in rural India. But when she's approached for help in ridding another wife of her abusive drunk of a husband, her reluctant agreement sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of all the women in the village....A darkly irreverent and fresh take on a feminist revenge thriller, perfect for readers of My Sister the Serial Killer, How To Kidnap The Rich and the Sharon Horgan series Bad Sisters.'Tender, unpredictable, brimming with laugh-out-loud moments' Téa Obreht, author of THE TIGER'S WIFE'Original, memorable, and endearing' Charmaine Wilkerson, author of BLACK CAKE'A rollicking mash-up of adventure story, thriller, dark revenge, and comedy' Cristina García, author of DREAMING IN CUBANTrade ReviewNot since Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger has the rotten core of modern India been exposed in quite such blackly antic fashion as Parini Shroff manages here in this intermittently absurd, feminist revenge caper about a group of snarky, much-abused, predominantly Hindu wives...sheer gutsy verve. -- Claire Allfree * The Times *Shroff's debut is a darkly funny revenge drama rooted in the reality of rural India . . . Shroff doesn't pull any punches in this vivid, unsentimental story that succeeds in being both satirical and moving. -- Laura Wilson * Guardian *A radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women -- Chandler Baker * New York Times *This funny, feel-good read is a rollicking ride rife with memorable characters involved in ill-fated hijinks. It also serves up commentary on class, power dynamics and the role of women in society, with a feminist history lesson to boot. -- Good Housekeeping * Good Housekeeping *Shroff cleverly considers how women might achieve autonomy within rural India's patriarchal society through shrewd, if complicated, female friendships. -- Washington Post * Washington Post *The Bandit Queens is an original, memorable, and endearing story. At times deeply serious, at times laugh-out-loud funny...a sobering but hopeful exploration of womanhood, social injustices, and second chances. -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of BLACK CAKEParini Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship with acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence, turning on a dime from humor to horror, horror to heart, and then back again, exhilarating her reader until the very last line. Tender, unpredictable, brimming with laugh-out-loud moments, The Bandit Queens heralds a prodigious and sophisticated literary talent. -- Téa Obreht * Téa Obreht, Orange Prize-winning author of THE TIGER'S WIFE *Parini Shroff's splendid The Bandit Queens is a hilarious romp about serious things - as serious as a novel gets, and as funny, too, with characters who are dear and maddening and indelible and gorgeously drawn. Twisty, compulsive, bold, surprising, moving: it's a wonderful book. -- Elizabeth McCracken * Elizabeth McCracken *Parini Schroff's debut novel, The Bandit Queens, is a rollicking mash-up of adventure story, thriller, dark revenge, and comedy. Rooted in a rural village in India-and led by the pariah widow Geeta, who everyone believes to have killed her husband-a handful of women band together to take back their lives, and take down the patriarchy. An immensely enjoyable read! -- Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban and The Lady Matador’s HotelAn extraordinary caper of a novel. I've never met a character like Geeta...it is dark - but also it's utterly compelling and funny. -- Louise Minchin * Louise Minchin, Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 Judge *This is the best book I've read in a while. THE BANDIT QUEENS is an original, memorable, and endearing story. At times deeply serious, at times laugh-out-loud funny, THE BANDIT QUEENS is a sobering but hopeful exploration of womanhood, social injustices, and second chances in an Indian village. -- Charmaine Wilkerson * Charmaine Wilkerson, author of BLACK CAKE *One of the most talked-about debut novels of the year lives up to the hype and then some. The story of Geetha, a tough-but-wounded young woman in a remote Indian village who, after her abusive husband disappears, gains a reputation as a black widow. These rumors prove somewhat beneficial to Geetha in her desire to be left alone...until other women start approaching her for help in disposing their own shitty husbands. Uproarious, tender, and at times quite harrowing, with razor-sharp dialogue and a truly magnificent cast of characters, The Bandit Queens is a darkly hilarious delight of a novel. -- Dan Sheehan, Book Marks Editor-in-Chief * LitHub *a dark yet uplifting story of village women who fight domestic violence and caste discrimination -- Susan Blumberg-Kason * Asian Review of Books *an audacious high-wire act of a novel that mingles the deadly serious with the highly comic, yet never loses its profound empathy for the women at its heart * Apple Books *Parini Shroff's colourful debut novel, The Bandit Queens, [is] an irreverent and unusual tale of struggle and sisterhood in rural India. -- Radio Times * Radio Times *This mordantly humoured, pacey revenge comedy succeeds in being both feelgood and gleefully nasty, tender and violent. -- Patricia Nicol * The Sunday Times *...a fast-paced, dark comedy of female friendship, revenge, murder and survival. * Mirror *

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Book Synopsis***'A refreshing perspective on mourning, as well as a moving tale of a social outcast' - i-D Magazine******'Subtle and understated [...] ultimately very moving' - The Big Issue******A fascinating glimpse into how [rural women's] lives are still led' - Dorset Magazine***Is it ever too late to change your life?Elegant, wry and moving, The Funeral Cryer tells the tale of one woman's mid-life re-awakening in contemporary rural China and proves that it's never too late to alter your fate.The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job as a professional mourner and under-appreciated by The Husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, The Funeral Cryer takes a leap of faith - and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better . . . Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a 'left behind' society - and proof that it's never too late to change your life.What readers have been saying about The Funeral Cryer:'A beautiful, thought-provoking book [...] incredibly humorous' - J. Wells, Five-star Reader Review'A stunning debut' - Stacey, Five-star Reader Review'A first person narrative that shows how the life of a middle-aged woman working as a funeral cryer in China is deeply linked to the people who touch her life and the way they treat her.' - Kate Poels, Five-star Reader Review'A remarkable novel that explores themes of marriage, family relationships, elderly care, and gender equality [...] this book offers a unique reading experience and an opportunity for deep contemplation.' - Rui, Five-star Reader Review'Excellent literary fiction. [...] Simultaneously the story speaks to the rural economic desperation, the separation of town and country, they way the young move to the cities and are often left with no other option to finance themselves than selling themselves. The huge discrepancy between the haves and have-nots is very evident.' - Cheryl M-M, Five-star Reader ReviewTrade ReviewA more wry exploration of grief is Wenyan Lu's The Funeral Cryer, about a professional mourner in rural China. Oscillating between tragedy and comedy, Wenyan's novel is a refreshing perspective on mourning, as well as a moving tale of a social outcast. -- Katie Goh * i-D Magazine *a fascinating glimpse into how [rural women's] lives are still led. * Dorset Magazine *I adored The Funeral Cryer about a professional mourner. The prose is elegant and restrained, yet still manages to convey the protagonist's anger that simmers between the pages like a dormant volcano. Highly recommend this stunning debut. -- Stacey Thomas * Stacey Thomas, author of THE REVELS *Wonderful. A deft, humorous exploration of female desire and a forgotten society with a protagonist to love and root for. -- Irenosen Okojie, award-winning author of BUTTERFLY FISH * Irenosen Okojie *This thought-provoking story will stay with me a long time [...] spectacular. -- Diane Billas, author of DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN? * GoodReads *In haunting, elegiac prose, Wenyan Lu paints a world and profession that few of us are aware of in contemporary, rural China. How a professional mourner, a manipulator of emotions, wrestles with her own midlife crisis is at turns both tragic and comic, and has wide resonance beyond its rural setting. -- Yvonne Singh, Journalist, Editor, Judge SI Leeds 2020It is an exquisite, wholesome and insightful read about a China which many of us might never otherwise have a chance to visit. A jolly good book. -- Chikodili Emelumadu * Chikodili Emelumadu, author of DAZZLING *A wonderful story; so moving. A beautifully written, memorable novel. -- Kadija George * Kadija George *A fascinating exploration of another culture. The eponymous character shows us about life in rural China with a unique voice that can be both wry and heartbreaking. Through her interactions with the other villagers we get a glimpse of what life is like away from the big city. -- M. J. Hollows * M. J. Hollows *...a captivating tale [...] China-born Lu adeptly weaves the age-old themes of filial piety and loyalty into the fabric of the story, highlighting the clash between tradition and modernity in her remote village setting. -- Gabrielle Chan * Strait Times (Singapore) *A fascinating insight into domestic rural life in China today. Lu's choice of heroine is perfect: the funeral cryer is shunned and scorned by the very people who require her services, her resultant marginal and ambiguous social position giving her a unique window on the world around her. Her questions about her own life echo wider concerns about the persistence of traditional culture in modern China, as she negotiates being a good mother, a good daughter and a good wife in a bad marriage. -- Sarah Burton, author of THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF HEnlightening [...] a moving story, which sheds light on what life is like in modern rural China, the mixing of modern and traditional customs, and the bonds of love, responsibility and loyalty that underpin everyday lives. * NZ Booklovers *The title character's wry, sad, and insightful inner voice is the star here. Her meditations on grief, death, love, and duty are full of poetry and longing. Perfect for literary-fiction fans, especially those who enjoyed other extraordinary novels about ordinary people, such as Lydia Millet's Dinosaurs and Zorrie by Laird Hunt. * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *

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Book Synopsis‘A sizzling summer read! – Sarah Morgan Is home always where the heart is? When Ellie spent a summer with her mum on a Wiltshire commune in the 90s it was a bigger disaster than Leo DiCaprio’s trip aboard the Titanic – so fleeing to America seemed a perfect plan. But now, with her marriage falling apart, running back to her mum seems like the only option for her and her son Josh.She wasn’t expecting Art, the boy she once had a crush on to still be working at Willow Tree Farm…And still be as hot and bothersome as he was when they were teenagers.Ellie came to Willow Tree Farm for a fresh start. But is she ready to risk sailing her life – and her heart – into another iceberg?

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Book Synopsis Can the festive magic heal her broken heart? There is more than one surprise in store… When Nessa Hunt arrives in Rose Bend she is looking for answers, and her absent father. Not a picture perfect town teeming with Christmas cheer, or the innkeeper’s ruggedly sexy son, Wolfgang Dennison. Instantly the heat between her and Wolf is undeniable and the festive merriment of the town is almost enough to make Nessa believe in the Christmas spirit. But with lingering questions about her birth father, is there room in Nessa’s life for happy holidays and happily-ever-after? Readers LOVE Christmas in Rose Bend ‘If you only read one festive themed read this year, make it Christmas in Rose Bend’ 5 Stars ‘I can’t adequately convey how much I loved this book.'Goodreads review 5 Stars ‘A lovely Christmas read.’NetGalley Reviewer 4 Stars ‘An adorable, quick and easy read that i really enjoyed. a cute plot, endearing characters and a great setting, I loved it’NetGalley Reviewer 4 Stars Fall in love with Rose BendSlow Dance at Rose BendThe Road to Rose BendA Kiss to RememberChristmas in Rose BendThe Love ListWith Love from Rose BendTrade Review‘I can’t adequately convey how much I loved this book.'Goodreads review 5 Stars ‘A lovely Christmas read.’NetGalley Reviewer 4 Stars ‘An adorable, quick and easy read that i really enjoyed. a cute plot, endearing characters and a great setting, I loved it’NetGalley Reviewer 4 Stars

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Book SynopsisThis incredibly topical and contemporary morality tale appeals across generations and will find favour with fans of authors such as Liane Moriarty, Marian Keyes and Kathryn Croft.

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Book SynopsisRecently bereaved Jamie is staying at a rural steading in the heart of Scotland with his actor boyfriend Alex. The sudden loss of both of Jamie’s parents hangs like a shadow over the trip. In his grief, Jamie finds himself sifting through bittersweet memories, from his working-class upbringing in Edinburgh to his bohemian twenties in London, with a growing awareness of his sexuality threaded through these formative years. In the present, when Alex is called away to an audition, Jamie can no longer avoid the pull of the past: haunted by an inescapable failure to share his full self with his parents, he must confront his unresolved feelings towards them. In spare, evocative prose, Allan Radcliffe tells a wistful coming-of-age story and paints a tender portrait of grief in all its complexities.Trade Review'Equally heart-warming and sorrowful. Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' -The Scots Magazine; 'Written with an honesty and understanding that is rare, it's a novel full of love, kindness, and compassion' -Skinny Magazine; 'A rippling, multifaceted jewel of a novel - Poignant and compelling, it is resonant with vivid images' -Kevin MacNeil, author of 'The Brilliant & Forever'; 'Allan Radcliffe's debut touched my heart. Both insightful and observant, warm and infinitely relatable' -Henry Fry, author of 'First Time for Everything'; 'This poignant Bildungsroman is at once a tender tale of queer awakening in the Edinburgh of the 80s and 90s and a heartbreaking love letter' -Mary Paulson-Ellis, bestselling author of 'The Other Mrs Walker', 'The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing' and 'Emily Noble's Disgrace'

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Book Synopsis#1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Paul Evans returns this holiday season with a tale of love, belonging, and family, following a trail of letters that leads to a Christmas revelation about the healing miracle of hope and forgiveness. After nearly two decades, Noel Post, an editor for a major New York publishing house, returns to her childhood home in Salt Lake City to see her estranged, dying father. What she believed would be a brief visit turns into something more as she inherits the bookstore her father fought to keep alive. Reeling from loneliness, a recent divorce, and unanticipated upheavals in her world, Noel begins receiving letters from an anonymous source, each one containing thoughts and lessons about her life and her future. She begins to reacquaint herself with the bookstore and the people she left behind, and in doing so, starts to unravel the reality of her painful childhood and the truth about her family. As the holidays draw near, she receives a Christmastime revelation that changes not only how she sees the past but also how she views her future.

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Book SynopsisEileen MacPherson is a child of eight when her beloved sixteen-year-old brother, Francis, leaves home after a violent family episode. Over the next 25 years, everything she understands to be true changes but she never wavers in her yearning to understand the forces that have torn her family apart. The Light a Body Radiates tells the story of Eileens passionate search for explanations in whispered fragments of conversation she overhears whenever she can slip into a room unseen. She gathers a whole storehouse of truths and myths, including her own, that lead her to a deeper understanding of how people, who love each other deeply, can find it impossible to bridge the gulf dividing them. While navigating the uneven road that leads to becoming a woman, Eileens loyalty to family and home is pitted against her desire for love and art and a wider worldview. Along the way, she uncovers the cracks and crevices in her familys well-defended hearts and minds. The discovery that Francis is gay is only one piece of a larger puzzle-and when, in the end, it is a devastating AIDS diagnosis that brings Francis home, Eileen learns how love can transcend the forces of poverty and culture and distance. Set in working class Cape Breton, against the backdrop of the 60s revolution, the AIDS epidemic of the 80s, and the culturally imperative migration that urged so many away from the places they called home, The Light a Body Radiates is a story that engages powerfully with questions of place, secrets, loyalty, and what it means to take care of your own.

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Book SynopsisAccustomed to being an only child, adoptee Brian Gumbo Guillemot''s teenage hobby was searching for his birth parents. After years without a lead, when he finally finds his birth mother, Kim, he''s unprepared for the boisterous instant family that comes with her.No one, besides Kim, knows anything about Gumbo''s birth father. With Kim refusing to answer any questions, Gumbo must choose whether to continue the search, even if it means alienating his few friends and both his families. And the more he learns, the more he wonders whether some things are better left unknown.Captivating and playful, The Home For Wayward Parrots explores friendship, romance, modern families and geek pop culture with wit, compassion and extremely foul-mouthed birds.

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Book SynopsisFinalist for Trade Fiction at the 2019 Alberta Book Publishing Awards!Twenty-nine-year-old Natasha Bell went for an evening jog, just like any other night - except now no one knows where she is. Not her sister, Abby - eighteen, eight months pregnant, and without a game plan. Not her childhood sweetheart, now ex-boyfriend, Greg, an introverted academic who could never bring himself to commit. Not her best friend Josie, a newlywed, born-again Christian, with whom Natasha recently had a falling out. And not detective Reuben Blake, who thought this case would be open ''n shut - a quick way to prove himself and move up the ranks. Missing person''s statistics suggest Natasha''s ex is the primary suspect, but what about the possibility of a stranger abduction? Or the possibility that Natasha left voluntarily or took her own life? What about Natasha''s mother, who took off eighteen years before her daughter''s disappearance? As days stretch into months and months stretch into years, the evidence that emerges seems only to complicate the picture more. What secrets might Natasha have been keeping? - and, for that matter, her friends and family.

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Book SynopsisYoung Jewish woman fights to uncover the truth about her family history in 1970s USA.

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