Fiction: literary and general non-genre

Book SynopsisFIRST IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD A murder takes place in the isolated Icelandic town of Siglufjörður, where an avalanche has cut off all communication and the unrelenting snow threatens rookie police officer Ari Thór Arason first investigation… ‘A modern Icelandic take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom…’ Ian Rankin ’Ragnar J&?oacute;nasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty’ Peter James ‘Seductive … Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves ________________Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel.Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theatre, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life. An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness – blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights. ________________ ‘His first novel to be translated into English has all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunnit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone’ Sunday Express ‘A chiller of a thriller’ Washington Post 'A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens. First rate and highly recommended' Lee Child ‘Required reading’ New York Post ’Morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons’ Independent ‘A truly chilling debut, perfect for fans of Karin Fossum and Henning Mankell’ Eva Dolan ‘A stunning murder mystery by one of Iceland’s finest writers’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir ‘There is a young pretender beavering away, his eye on the crown: Ragnar Jónasson…’ Barry Forshaw ‘As dazzling as its title implies’ William Ryan ‘An isolated community, subtle clueing, clever misdirection and more than a few surprises combine to give a modern day Golden Age whodunnit. I look forward to the next in the series’ Dr John Curran ‘The best sort of gloomy storytelling’ Chicago Tribune ‘The prose is stark and minimal … bleakly brilliant’ Metro ‘A chilling, thrilling slice of Icelandic Noir’ Thomas Enger ‘This classically crafted whodunit holds up nicely, but Jónasson’s true gift is for describing the daunting beauty of the fierce setting, lashed by blinding snowstorms that smother the village in “a thick, white darkness” that is strangely comforting’ New York TimesTrade Review'Is King Arnaldur [Indridason] looking to his laurels? There is a young pretender beavering away, his eye on the crown: Ragnar Jonasson - ' Barry Forshaw

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Book SynopsisConfined to bed in his living room, he sees the walls around him begin to collapse, the windows come loose from their sashes, and the ceiling plaster fall off in great chunks, showering him with a lifetime of debris: newspaper clippings, old photographs, wool jackets, rusty tools, and the mangled brass works of antique clocks.Trade ReviewWonderful, lyrical . . . Triumphant . . . A beautiful, moving and elegiac lament on the human condition . . . Hypnotic. * The Times *Brilliantly realised . . . a reminder of how rich the written language can still be * Independent *Prepare to be seduced... Beguiles from the opening sentence ...This little novel is a wonder * Irish Times *An expert piece of historical and psychological archaeology, which unpicks the intricacies of ordinary life while also asking the terrifying, unanswerable, yet endlessly fascinating questions that haunt us all * Observer *A dense, elegiac and richly imagined piece of remembering...Life-affirming and visceral in its detail. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe classic World War II thriller from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. Now reissued in a new cover style.The guns of Navarone, huge and catastrophically accurate, embedded atop an impregnable iron fortress in the Mediterranean Sea.Twelve hundred British soldiers trapped on a nearby island, with no hope of rescue from Allied ships, waiting to die.Keith Mallory, world-famous mountaineer, skilled saboteur. His mission: to lead a small team of misfits and silence the guns forever.Reaching the island and scaling the sheer cliffs undetected will be hard enough; defeating the German forces and destroying the massive guns all but impossible. And as for getting out alive when there may be a traitor in the teamTrade Review‘The most successful British novelist of his time’Jack Higgins ‘Could hardly be bettered.’Sunday Times ‘Its strength comes from the speed of its narrative, its vivid creation of tensions and its power in handling descriptions of action.’Evening Standard ‘Action sustained at a high pitch. From the outset there is a feeling of suspense: a problem that can only be solved by action involving danger and demanding courage … an insistently gripping tale.’Scotsman

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Book SynopsisEmpordan Scafarlata is a mirage of memories written with intelligence, irony, courage and tenderness; linking tradition, modernity, resentment and nostalgia for a mythical country and for that part of the river in which: ‘he will never swim again.’ In a mixture of prose and poetry, Adrià Pujol brings us snippets of Empordà, a region of northern Catalonia wedged between the mountains and the sea, and invites us onto its sweaty, well-trodden, exalted paths. All this he does it by avoiding conventions, clichés and with the sincerity of someone who writes about a world he loves and which for that very reason he does not simplify, rather elaborating it with powerful, eclectic prose, showcasing the writing that has pushed Adrià Pujol to the very forefront of great Catalan writing.Trade Review‘Every page is a festival of words, images and sounds; a machine-gun burst of prose and rhyme, through which he immortalises moments, spaces and characters.’ —SEBASTIÀ ROIG, EL DIARI DE GIRONA. ‘The book is a cunning diary, a game by the author with himself, a blending of the journal of a curious anthropologist with the notebook of a perplexed poet. It is the creative exercise of someone who wants to be chronicler of a specific time and ecosystem, and who also has the will to restore a certain cordial relationship with himself.’ —ISIDRE FERRÉ, NÚVOL.

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Book Synopsis‘A thousand-miles-an-hour hoot.’ Esquire ‘Hilarious…and immensely moving.’ The New Yorker ‘A blast of satirical heat from the talented heart of black American life.’ New York Times White Boy Shuffle is Man Booker-winner Paul Beatty’s electrifying debut novel about teenage-surf-bum Gunnar Kaufman who is forced to wise up when his mother moves from suburban Santa Monica to urban West Los Angeles. There, he begins to undergo a startling transformation from neighbourhood outcast to basketball superstar, and eventually to reluctant messiah of a ‘divided, downtrodden people’. A bombastic coming-of-age novel that has the uncanny ability to make readers want to laugh and cry at the same time,Beatty mingles horrific reality with wild fancy in this outlandish, laugh-out-loud funny and poignant vision of contemporary America.Trade Review‘A thousand-miles-an-hour hoot’ * Esquire *‘A dazzling satire of the African-American urban experience’ * Guardian *'He won the Booker for 2015's The Sellout but my heart belongs to Beatty's sharp-edged debut… It feels even more pertinent today.' -- i newspaper

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Book Synopsis**THE HORSE - THE NEW NOVEL FROM WILLY VLAUTIN - IS AVAILABLE TO PREORDER NOW**SOON TO BE A NETFLIX FILM STARRING VANESSA KIRBY''Pacey and visceral.'' Sunday Times''Imbued with the noirish urgency of a page-turning thriller.'' Irish Times''A tear-struck revelation.'' MEGAN ABBOTTBetween looking after her brother, working two low-paid jobs, and trying to take part-time college classes, Lynette is dangerously tired. Every penny she's earned for years, she's put into savings, trying to scrape together enough to take out a mortgage on the house she rents with her mother. Finally becoming a homeowner in their rapidly gentrifying Portland neighbourhood could offer Lynette the kind of freedoms she's never had. But, when the plan is derailed, Lynette must embark on a desperate odyssey of hope and anguish.Written with all Willy Vlautin's characteristic and heart-wrenching empathy, The Night Always Comes Trade Review'Imbued with the noirish urgency of a page-turning thriller.' - Irish Times'This is a novel that lives firmly in the melancholia of the city's gentrification, hurtling readers through one woman's desperation to keep her life afloat in a city that's pushing its working class out, one razed lot at a time.' - New York Times'The Night Always Comes is a rare example of art that matters-a rare example of a novel that is heartbreaking, but also a combative condemnation of American injustice, while also a love letter to the beleaguered working class, and still damn fun to read.' - CrimeReads'It's propulsive, moving, dark and full of hope and heart. He's a genius. My book of the year.' - Craig Silvey, Sydney Morning Herald'Vlautin's finest work to date, marrying his typical deep empathy for troubled characters with a robust and dynamic plot reminiscent of classic American noir crime fiction . . . All of this is done with a prose style that sings with simple clarity, like an arrow straight at the reader's heart. Extraordinary stuff.' - Big Issue'A tear-struck revelation - both epic and timely, intimate and clear-eyed ... Lynette will have you from the first page and put you to the test a hundred times before the last. You'll finish knowing you'll never forget her.' - Megan Abbott'I can't remember the last time I worried myself sick about a fictional character the way I did about Lynette in Willy Vlautin's terrific, big-hearted new novel The Night Always Comes. You won't soon forget either her or the fraught world she so courageously navigates.' - Richard Russo'His stories are sturdy and bighearted and full of lives so shattered they shimmer.' - Cheryl Strayed

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Book Synopsis'Immediately enticing, endlessly charming, full of wit, magic and deep, moving humanity. It transported me to a world both familiar and utterly unknown, keeping me enthralled on every page' CLAIRE NORTH, AUTHOR OF THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST _____________ When Elina makes her annual summer pilgrimage to the remote family farm in Lapland, she has three days to catch the pike in a local pond, or she and the love of her life will both die. This year her task is made even more difficult by a host of deadly supernatural creatures and the homicide detective on her trail. Can Elina catch the pike and lay to rest the curse that has been hanging over her head ever since a youthful love affair turned sour? Can Sergeant Janatuinen make it back to civilization in one piece? And just why is Lapland in summer so weird?Trade Review'Spiced with multiple storylines and all kinds of mythical creatures, this rich novel is a delight' - Helsingin Sanomat'I feel like giving him 6 stars out of 5 - and this is exactly what I will do. Juhani Karila stretches the limits and borders of the world so wildly, that it seems only right for this literature critic to do the same' - Lapin Kansa'A fix of love story and thriller, realism and fantasy, folk comedy and all sorts of popular beliefs sufficient to cure the worst case of humourlessness' - Raijan kirjareppu'Karila's imagination is beyond words! The story is wild, absurd and crazy funny, writtenin a brilliant language and charged with a great sense of humour' - Kirja viekoon

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Book SynopsisLondon, 1893. When Cora Seaborne's controlling husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Along with her son Francis - a curious, obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, in the hope that fresh air and open space will provide refuge. On arrival, they hear rumours that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist, is enthralled, convinced that what the locals think is a magical beast may be a yet-undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar, who is also deeply suspicious of the rumours, but thinks they are a distraction from true faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, Will and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves at once drawn together and torn apart, affecting each other in ways that surprise them both.Trade ReviewThe Essex Serpent is a novel to relish: a work of great intelligence and charm, by a hugely talented author -- Sarah WatersHad Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker come together to write the great Victorian novel, I wonder if it would have surpassed The Essex Serpent? No way of knowing, but with only her second outing, Sarah Perry establishes herself as one of the finest fiction writers working in Britain today. -- John BurnsideA big, warm, generous novel that wears its considerable wisdom lightly, The Essex Serpent is an absolute pleasure from start to finish - I truly didn't want it to end. -- Melissa HarrisonThe Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry [is] a joyous and beguiling book that wrapped itself around me rather like its eponymous monster. -- Cathy RentzenbrinkA blissful novel of unapologetic appetites, where desire and faith mingle on the marshes, but friendship is the miracle. Sarah Perry has the rare gift of committing the uncommittable to prose - that is to say: here is a writer who understands life. -- Jessie BurtonA book to make you want to be a better person. -- Justine Jordan, The GuardianI loved this book. At once numinous, intimate and wise, The Essex Serpent is a marvellous novel about the workings of life, love and belief, about science and religion, secrets, mysteries, and the complicated and unexpected shifts of the human heart - and it contains some of the most beautiful evocations of place and landscape I've ever read. It is so good its pages seem lit from within. As soon as I'd finished it I started reading it again. -- Helen MacDonaldA sinuous historical novel by the genius that is Sarah Perry -- Lucy Mangan * Stylist *An historical novel with real depth ... Perry writes fantastically, and this deserves attention for the rest of the year. -- Steven Cooper * The Bookseller *One day this book will make a fine BBC period drama ... Perry is a wonderful descriptive writer with a remarkable talent for making the familiar strange ... Her accounts of open-heart surgery carried out half a century before antibiotics, or an autistic child questioning the nature of sin, or a soldier's wedding in the phthisic slums of Bethnal Green, snatch the breath in your throat. Perry bleeds light into darkness and back again with a mastery born of her deep professional acquaintance with the gothic tradition. -- Oliver Moody * Times *The Essex Serpent is a work of historical fiction, set in the 1890s, which, for originality, richness of prose and depth of characterisation is unlikely to be bettered this year ... a remarkable novel. Although Will and Cora provide the focal points for her story, Perry has packed The Essex Serpent with a rich array of equally rounded characters to hold our attention. The novel is full of vivid set pieces ... it is Perry's ability to conjure up a sense of entire lives unfolding before our eyes that is most impressive. Filled with wisdom about human behaviour and motivations, and written in a distinctive, stylish prose, The Essex Serpent is one of the most memorable historical novels of the past decade. -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *One for the holiday suitcase. A historical romance with a gothic twist ... expect to spot a copy on beach towels this summer. * Vogue *An irresistible novel that taps the vein of Victorian gothic and British myth * Daily Telegraph *It's prompted comparisons to both Dickens and Bram Stoker and marries the former's abhorrence of injustice with the latter's genius for unsettling atmosphere ... Hardy-esque ... a rich and complex novel but also a deeply enjoyable read, with warm humanity at its core. -- Jeff Robson * iPaper *An irresistible novel ... Perry's Victoriana is the most fresh-feeling I can remember ... Her prose is often beautiful ... the tone is a masterstroke ... You feel the influences of Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens and Hilary Mantel channelled by Perry in some sort of Victorian séance. This is the best new novel I've read in years. It's the kind of work that makes you alive to the strangeness of the world and of our history. -- Charlotte Runcie * Daily Telegraph *Engaging ... On the book's cover, John Burnside compares The Essex Serpent to Dickens and Stoker. But it was one of my favourite novels, Alasdair Gray's Poor Things (1992), that kept coming back to me ... Perry takes apart our preconceptions of prim Victorian mores with similar gusto ... The Essex Serpent is a historical novel with an entirely modern consciousness, and is every bit as gripping and unusual as its predecessor. -- Alex Preston * FT *The Essex Serpent is frightfully good. -- Susan Hill * Twitter *An intelligent, lushly written gothic yarn ... Reading it makes you want to hotfoot it to the Essex coast. -- Claire Allfree * Metro *Everything they're saying is true: sumptuous, beautiful, powerful, engrossing, brilliant. -- Nina Stibbe * Twitter *A lovely book ... it sets out unashamedly to lift the spirits ... The writing has a gorgeous lilt ... The method is itself Victorian - an omniscient narrator scattering sackfuls of sympathy - but the message never gets old: the world is poorer if we don't put ourselves in each other's place once in a while. -- Anthony Cummins * Spectator *Sarah Perry's new novel The Essex Serpent is a thing of beauty inside and out. I don't think I've ever mentioned a book's cover in a review before, but Peter Dyer's William Morris-inspired design is stunning, a tantalizing taste of the equally sumptuous prose that lies within ... When it comes to historical fiction, Perry's achieved the near impossible; she's created a novel and within it a world that seems to have sprung complete and fully formed directly from the period in question - a long lost fin-de-siècle Gothic classic - but her characters are as enticingly modern as they are of their period ... Perry also showcases the most beguiling evocations of landscape ... For only a second novel it's a stunning achievement, one for which I predict prize nominations galore, from the Wellcome to the Man Booker -- Lucy Scholes * Independent online *A richly themed and exhilarating novel ... this poetically written story dramatises the clash between rationality and resurgent superstition, between desire, morality and the intellect, and the struggle of reformers to redress the poverty of late-Victorian society. -- Elizabeth Buchan * Daily Mail *Sarah Perry has written an exquisitely absorbing, old-fashioned page-turner peopled by memorable characters, particularly the magnificent, stubborn and wilful Cora. Perry also captures a society on the brink of a profound shift, uncomfortably reassessing its view of the world through the prism of scientific progress. The Essex Serpent is shot through with such a vivid, lively sense of the period that it reads like Charles Dickens at his most accessible and fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will also find much to love in this engaging, entertaining Gothic novel. -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Express *A novel of ideas, and flexes its muscles in addressing multiple concerns of the period ... The novel probes at both private emotion and public concerns, and is engrossing and immersive. The grime of London is only surpassed by the murk of Aldwinter. Cora makes for an indelible heroine: uncompromising, funny and smart, and not unlike Alma Whittaker in Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things. There will also be whispers of Dickens or a gamut of 19th century novels of similar size and scale, but Perry's voice and story are her own. Her language is exquisite, her characterisation finely tuned. Based on The Essex Serpent and its predecessor, it's clear that Perry is a gifted writer of immense ability. -- Sinéad Gleeson * Irish Times *A Victorian-era gothic with a Dickensian focus on societal ills, Perry's second novel surprises in its wonderful freshness. There's a sense of Llareggub about close-knit Aldwinter, its flint church, historic oak and ribby shipwreck instantly present, while the tapestry of voices that results from the use of letters amplifies the Under Milk Wood echo. Perry's singular characters are drawn with a fondness that is both palpable and contagious, and the beautifully observed changing seasons permitted space to breathe, all making for pure pleasure. -- Stephanie Cross * Observer *An eerie tale of science and superstition ... gothically good. -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *It's 1893, and Cora Seabourne is a young widow whose husband's death has released her from a miserable marriage. Finally free to follow her own interest in natural history, Cora heads to Essex, hoping the recent reports of a mysterious ancient serpent may possibly turn out to be proof of a "living fossil . . . a species outwitting extinction". There she meets the local vicar, Will Ransome, and despite his scepticism about science and her lack of faith in religion, the two forge an unlikely bond. A bewitching and luminous book about science, faith and different kinds of love. -- Anna Carey * Irish Times *Dazzling * Woman and Home *The Essex Serpent is rare in being a novel that is both highly diverting and intellectually rewarding, in taking its thematic interests seriously while playing delightedly with romance and the Gothic. -- Sarah Moss * The Lancet *Sarah Perry...beautifully and deeply...elucidates friendships of all kinds in her books...I must recommend the delicate beauty and sinuous power. -- Lucy Mangan * Stylist *It's a brilliantly written story of one woman's life and relationships in late Victorian England and my favourite historical novel since Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger. -- John Meagher * Irish Independent *A graceful and intelligent book. -- Maria Croce * Daily Record *The Essex Serpent is probably the best novel I have read this year. It is the right kind of literary fiction: full of ideas, challenge, and intrigue, but with a compelling narrative that tows you through the pages like a freight train...Perry has created an ensemble of characters so richly drawn that each could warrant a novel in his or her own right...invigorating, fascinating, and hugely enjoyable. -- Malcolm Doney * Church Times *My stand-out novel of the year is The Essex Serpent...It's about love, faith and myth. I loved it. -- Jenni Murray * Radio Times *The eponymous serpent makes its presence felt throughout, but this novel is about much, much more than a winged demon terrorising the Essex countryside, and is all the richer for it. -- Kate Foley * Living North *One of the most-loved books of the last two years...Perry's descriptions of Essex bring to life the beauty of one of our more under-appreciated counties. * Emerald Street *The Essex Serpent has been hailed as a modern classic, and for good reason. It's an esoteric, whimsical book that joins the ranks of generations of Victorian and Gothic novels from Doyle to Shelley, all the while defying the very traditions these books have set down... The perfect book to read as you sit in an overgrown garden, or while tramping through the heath. * The Edinburgh Reporter *A Notable Book of 2017 * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisAnd the Ass Saw the Angel - Nick Cave''s classic Gothic novel, in its full and original formOutcast, mute, a lone twin cut from a drunk mother in a shack full of junk, Euchrid Eucrow of Ukulore inhabits a nightmarish Southern valley of preachers and prophets, incest and ignorance. When the God-fearing folk of the town declare a foundling child to be chosen by the Almighty, Euchrid is disturbed. He sees her very differently, and his conviction, and increasing isolation and insanity, may have terrible consequences for them both...In 2009 Cave released a cut-down version of his novel but this reissue restores the full uncut text, as first published in 1989.Compelling and astonishing in its baroque richness, Nick Cave''s acclaimed first novel is a fantastic journey into the twisted world of Deep Southern Gothic tragedy. This book will be adored by readers of Will Self, William Faulkner and Falnnery O''Connor, as well as fans of the cult rock star evTrade ReviewAn explosion of linguistic brio and Gothic grotesquery, horrifying, funny and tragic -- Michel Faber * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE WINNER OF THE COMMONWEALTH WRITERS' PRIZEA BBC2 BIG JUBILEE BETWEEN THE COVERS READLondon, 1806. William Thornhill, happily wedded to his childhood sweetheart Sal, is a waterman on the River Thames. Life is tough but bearable until William makes a mistake, a bad mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly.His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. Soon Thornhill, a man no better or worse than most, has to make the most difficult decision of his life.Trade ReviewAn outstanding study of cultures in collision . . . a chilling, meticulous account of the sorrows and evils of colonialism . . . Kate Grenville is a sophisticated writer * * Guardian * *Splendidly paced, passionate and disturbing * * The Times * *This is a novel everyone should read * * Irish Times * *A vivid and moving portrayal of poverty, struggle and the search for peace * * Independent * *Beautifully written * * Financial Times * *Sumptuous . . . Brilliantly atmospheric * * Independent on Sunday * *A rich novel of character * * Sunday Telegraph * *A magnificent novel - an unflinching exploration of modern Australia's origins * * New Yorker * *Here is someone who can really write -- PETER CAREYReading The Secret River may put you off anything less accomplished for a while * * Daily Express * *

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Book Synopsis'Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is, for me, her masterpiece' - Robert McCrum, Guardian, 'The Best 100 Novels''An author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth' - SARAH WATERS 'Jane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabath Bowen - soul-sisters all' ANNE TYLEROn a rainy Sunday in January, the recently widowed Mrs Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel where she will spend her remaining days. Her fellow residents are magnificently eccentric and endlessly curious, living off crumbs of affection and snippets of gossip. Together, upper lips stiffened, they fight off their twin enemies: boredom and the Grim Reaper.Then one day Mrs Palfrey strikes up an unlikely friendship with an impoverished young writer, Ludo, who sees her as inspiration for his novel.'Elizabeth Taylor's exquisitely drawn character study of eccentricity in old age is a sharp and witty portrait of genteel postwar English life facing the changes taking shape in the 60s . . . Much of the reader's joy lies in the exquisite subtlety in Taylor's depiction of all the relationships, the sharp brevity of her wit, and the apparently effortless way the plot unfolds' -Robert McCrum 'the 100 best novels', GuardianTrade ReviewElizabeth Taylor's exquisitely drawn character study of eccentricity in old age is a sharp and witty portrait of genteel postwar English life facing the changes taking shape in the 60s . . . Much of the reader's joy lies in the exquisite subtlety in Taylor's depiction of all the relationships, the sharp brevity of her wit, and the apparently effortless way the plot unfolds . . . Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is, for me, her masterpiece -- Robert McCrum * 'the 100 best novels', Guardian *Jane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Bowen - soul-sisters allElizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: an author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. As a reader, I have found huge pleasure in returning to Taylor's novels and short stories many times over. As a writer I've returned to her too - in awe of her achievements, and trying to work out how she does it -- Sarah WatersOne of the most underrated novelists of the twentieth century, Elizabeth Taylor writes with a wonderful precision and grace. Her world is totally absorbing -- Antonia FraserShe's a magnificent and underrated mid-twentieth-century writer, the missing link between Jane Austen and John Updike * Independent *

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Book SynopsisNamed by the Guardian as one of 'the 100 best novels,' and shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont is a humorous and compassionate look at friendship between an old woman and a young man from a 'magnificent...writer, the missing link between Jane Austen and John Updike' (David Baddiel, Independent)On a rainy Sunday in January, the recently widowed Mrs Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel where she will spend her remaining days. Her fellow residents are magnificently eccentric and endlessly curious, living off crumbs of affection and snippets of gossip. Together, upper lips stiffened, they fight off their twin enemies: boredom and the Grim Reaper.Then one day Mrs Palfrey strikes up an unlikely friendship with an impoverished young writer, Ludo, who sees her as inspiration for his novel.'Elizabeth Taylor's exquisitely drawn character study of eccentricity in old age is a sharp and witty portrait of genteel postwar English life facing the changes taking shape in the 60s . . . Much of the reader's joy lies in the exquisite subtlety in Taylor's depiction of all the relationships, the sharp brevity of her wit, and the apparently effortless way the plot unfolds' -Robert McCrum 'the 100 best novels', GuardianTrade ReviewElizabeth Taylor's exquisitely drawn character study of eccentricity in old age is a sharp and witty portrait of genteel postwar English life facing the changes taking shape in the 60s . . . Much of the reader's joy lies in the exquisite subtlety in Taylor's depiction of all the relationships, the sharp brevity of her wit, and the apparently effortless way the plot unfolds . . . Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is, for me, her masterpiece -- Robert McCrum * 'the 100 best novels', Guardian *Jane Austen, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Bowen - soul-sisters allElizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: an author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. As a reader, I have found huge pleasure in returning to Taylor's novels and short stories many times over. As a writer I've returned to her too - in awe of her achievements, and trying to work out how she does it -- Sarah WatersOne of the most underrated novelists of the twentieth century, Elizabeth Taylor writes with a wonderful precision and grace. Her world is totally absorbing -- Antonia FraserShe's a magnificent and underrated mid-twentieth-century writer, the missing link between Jane Austen and John Updike * Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe BRAND NEW instalment in the bestselling Mulberry Lane series!With Mulberry Lane's favourite pub, The Pig & Whistle undergoing renovation, proprietors Peggy and Able Ronoscki leave the chaos behind and head off on a trip of a lifetime to America. But disaster hits and Peggy finds herself in a critical condition in hospital. Meanwhile, business is booming for young entrepreneurs Fay Ronoscki and Maggie Rowan with their new restaurant and catering empire. It seems neither has time for love. But when fate throws a famous global singing sensation and glamourous racing car driver into the girls paths, falling in love with Jace and Greg seems beyond their control. Cupid has struck. Life is made up of laughter, love and tears. What is next for the folk of Mulberry Lane - can they find the happiness they all so crave? Another passionate tearjerker from Rosie Clarke in the Mulberry Lane series.

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Book Synopsis'I've never read anything quite like Songbirds - a beautifully crafted novel that sits at the intersection of race and class.' Jodi PicoultShe walks unseen through our world.Cares for our children, cleans our homes.Her voice unheard.She has a story to tell.Will you listen?Nisha has crossed oceans to give her child a future. By day she cares for Petra's daughter; at night she mothers her own little girl by the light of a phone. Nisha's lover, Yiannis, is a poacher, hunting the tiny songbirds on their way to Africa each winter. His dreams of a new life, and of marrying Nisha, are shattered when she vanishes. No one cares about the disappearance of a domestic worker, except Petra and Yiannis. As they set out to search for her, they realise how little they know about Nisha. What they uncover will change them all.Set in her native Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a powerful, redemptive story of loss, of the triumph of the human spirit, and of the enduring love of a mother for her child.COMING IN AUGUST 2023, CHRISTY LEFTERI'S BREATHTAKING NEW NOVEL, THE BOOK OF FIREPraise for Christy Lefteri:'This thought-provoking novel of love loss and redemption is thoroughly sublime.' Caroline Montague'Lefteri is an astonishing weaver of stories.' Daljit Nagra' . . . broke my heart and kept me turning the pages of her gorgeous novel well into the night.' Alka Joshi, NYT-bestselling author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur'Christy Lefteri has crafted a beautiful novel, intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant.' Benjamin Zephaniah on The Beekeeper of Aleppo' . . . it's impossible not to be moved by Lefteri's plea for humanity and perhaps inspired too.' Observer, on The Beekeeper of Aleppo'Courageous, proactive, haunting.' Heather Morris, on The Beekeeper of Aleppo***DON'T MISS CHRISTY LEFTERI'S MOVING AND CAPTIVATING NEW NOVEL: THE BOOK OF FIRE, OUT NOW!***

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily Collins. 'The moment I finished this story, I turned to page one and started it over again' MALORIE BLACKMAN'Excellent entertainment . . . du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings' STEPHEN KING'Rebecca is a masterpiece in which du Maurier pulls off several spectacular high-wire acts that many great writers wouldn't attempt' JIM CRACE, GUARDIAN On a trip to the South of France, the shy heroine of Rebecca falls in love with Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower. Although his proposal comes as a surprise, she happily agrees to marry him. But as they arrive at her husband's home, Manderley, a change comes over Maxim, and the young bride is filled with dread. Friendless in the isolated mansion, she realises that she barely knows him. In every corner of every room is the phantom of his beautiful first wife, Rebecca, and the new Mrs de Winter walks in her shadow.Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the other woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.This beautiful cover design on this deluxe edition is by textile designer Neisha Crosland.'As a new generation of readers are introduced to the wicked housekeeper Mrs Danvers and learn Maxim de Winter's terrible secret, this chilling, suspenseful tale is as fresh and readable as it was when it was first written' DAILY TELEGRAPHTrade ReviewFrom the opening sentence - "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again" - to the final - "And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea" - I was hooked ... Rebecca is one of the underrated classics of the 20th century ... Rebecca is a masterpiece in which du Maurier pulls off several spectacular high-wire acts that many great writers wouldn't attempt * Guardian *One of the most influential novels of the twentieth century, Rebecca has woven its way into the fabric of our culture with all the troubling power of myth or dream. A stunning bookWith one of the most evocative first lines ever, Daphne du Maurier's fifth novel has everything a reader could ask for . . . Psychologically astute and disturbingly romantic, Rebecca was an immediate bestseller on publication in 1938 and has cast a sinister spell ever since * Marie Claire *Her masterpiece . . . Seldom has a dead woman exercised such power beyond the grave. Rebecca will live for ever because du Maurier touches a fearful nerve, buried deep in the unconscious * The Times *It's the perfect winter book, brooding, dangerous and engrossing -- Kit de Waal * Sainsbury's Magazine *Addictive and breathtaking. Its blending of melodrama and subtlety is ingenious. The Cornish setting never quite leaves the imagination * Independent *A brilliantly constructed novel - the ultimate in psychological suspense, instantly gripping and haunting, Rebecca will stay with you for ever. * Psychologies *A mesmerising novel which reveals more on each readingIt is the greatest psychological thriller of all time. I see du Maurier as a forerunner to Patricia Highsmith, Ruth Rendell, Gillian Flynn: she is the giant whose magnificent shoulders the rest of us stand uponWhat she did was build emotional landscapes that can be entered at will, in which difficult and untamable desires were given free rein. Maybe because of her relationship with gender, she was able to make worlds in which people and even houses are mysterious and mutable, not as they seem; haunted rooms in which disembodied spirits sometimes dance at absolute liberty * Guardian *I read this book more than twenty years ago, and must have read it a dozen times since. The characters are incredibly vivid, and the twists superb. It's the book every writer wishes they'd written -- Clare MackintoshThis 1930s gothic thriller is suspenseful and so well crafted. Its young, nameless heroine marries rich widower Maxim de Winter and returns with him to his mansion, Manderley, only to find the ghost of his first wife, Rebecca, still lingers * Good Housekeeping *

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Book Synopsis - Goodreads Choice: Best Fiction 2021 shortlisted - Author's Club First Novel Award longlisted - Voted Best Uplifting Book in the independent'Emotional, involving, witty and sad. Everyone is going to love Lenni and Margot' JILL MANSELL'Lenni and Margot are two of the most wonderful, warm, witty and wise heroines I've ever met. Beautiful and glorious' CLARE POOLEY, author of The Authenticity ProjectFiercely alive, disarmingly funny and brimming with tenderness, THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LENNI AND MARGOT unwraps the extraordinary gift of life, and revels in our infinite capacity for friendship and love when we need them most._______________________________________Life is short.No-one knows that better than seventeen-year-old Lenni. But as she is about to learn, it's not only what you make of life that matters, but who you share it with.Dodging doctor's orders, she joins an art class where she bumps into fellow patient Margot, a rebel-hearted eight-three-year-old from the next ward. Their bond is instant as they realize that together they have lived an astonishing one hundred years.To celebrate their shared century, they decide to paint their life stories: of growing old and staying young, of giving joy, of receiving kindness, of losing love, of finding the person who is everything.As their friendship deepens, it becomes vividly clear that life is not done with Lenni and Margot yet.An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. Their last one begins here.---------------------------------------------VOTED BEST UPLIFTING BOOK OF 2021 BY THE INDEPENDENT'Full of wisdom and kindness. It is just the kind of book I adore' JOANNA CANNON'Such a delight! I fell head over heels for Lenni and Margot, their wit and vibrancy and marvellous outlooks on life. An utter joy' ABBIE GREAVES'Charged with light and colour. Gloriously original and full of wisdom, humour, and hope. It made me think and care and laugh and cry. One of my all-time favourite books' HAZEL PRIOR, author of Away with the Penguins'This is something special: moving, joyful and life-affirming' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Book of the MonthTrade ReviewA gorgeous, heartbreaking story readers won't soon forget * ELLE MAGAZINE *Charged with light and colour. Gloriously original and full of wisdom, humour, and hope. It made me think and care and laugh and cry. One of my all-time favourite books * HAZEL PRIOR, author of AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS *Cronin's characters are fully drawn, and chime together to tell a sweet story about connection, loss and living * IRISH TIMES *A gorgeous, heartwarming novel. The perfect antidote to the world right now * FABULOUS MAGAZINE *Filled with kindness and quirky characters who restore your faith in life. This debut will stay with you, answering the question, What is life made of? * MY WEEKLY, BOOK OF THE WEEK *Full of honesty and warmth. A beautiful debut * CULTUREFLY *An extraordinary tale of living, love and heartbreak * The Sun *A beautiful, funny, and incredibly assured story filled with rich characters. * INDEPENDENT *A special and lovely read. Guaranteed to leave you wanting a hug * STYLIST, Best New Fiction *Heartwarming and remarkable stories of two loveable characters * BBC NEWS, ones to watch, 2021 *

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Book SynopsisThe global bestselling series that inspired the hit musical phenomenon.The sequel to Wicked - now a major movie and record-breaking box office sensation.Back in the land of Oz, the adolescent boy Liir was last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead, Liir is tended to at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by a silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts. What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba''s son? He has her broom and her cape - but what of her powers? In an Oz that, since the Wizard''s departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up?

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Book Synopsis'A deliciously dark tale of ambition, seduction and literary theft . . . an ingeniously conceived novel that confirms Boyne as one of the most assured writers of his generation.' Hannah Beckerman, Observer*You’ve heard the old proverb about ambition, that it’s like setting a ladder to the sky. It can lead to a long and painful fall.If you look hard enough, you will find stories pretty much anywhere. They don’t even have to be your own. Or so would-be-novelist Maurice Swift decides early on in his career.A chance encounter in a Berlin hotel with celebrated author Erich Ackerman gives Maurice an opportunity. For Erich is lonely, and he has a story to tell; whether or not he should is another matter.Once Maurice has made his name, he finds himself in need of a fresh idea. He doesn’t care where he finds it, as long as it helps him rise to the top. Stories will make him famous, but they will also make him beg, borrow and steal. They may even make him do worse.This is a novel about ambition.*'Maurice Swift, the novelist protagonist of John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky, is a bookish version of Patricia Highsmith’s psychopathic antihero Tom Ripley' The Times'A dark morality tale in the mould of Patricia Highsmith . . . consistently intriguing' Daily MailTrade ReviewA deliciously dark tale of ambition, seduction and literary theft . . . compelling and terrifying, powerful and intensely unsettling. In Maurice Swift, Boyne has given us an unforgettable protagonist, dangerous and irresistible in equal measure. The result is an ingeniously conceived novel that confirms Boyne as one of the most assured writers of his generation. -- Hannah Beckerman * Observer *Maurice Swift, the novelist protagonist of John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky, is a bookish version of Patricia Highsmith’s psychopathic antihero Tom Ripley. * The Times *A dark morality tale in the mould of Patricia Highsmith . . . consistently intriguing * Daily Mail *Everything the wonderful Irish novelist John Boyne writes is special . . . a highly entertaining read -- Jake Kerridge * S Magazine, Sunday Express *Gripping . . . John Boyne is a master storyteller and fans will doubtless be captivated by this chilling and darkly comic tale of unrelenting ambition * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisApproval follows would-be parents David and Cici through a series of forays into the past as they go through the motions of applying to adopt a child. Their story builds a picture of hope, vulnerability and fear as David is put under intense and intrusive scrutiny during their battle against faceless bureaucracy. From family background and early experiences to adult relationships, he is forced to revisit uncomfortable – sometimes painful – episodes, in the hope of meeting the authority’s requirements. Confronting a lonely, difficult and uncertain path to family life, Approval is a brave novel told from a perspective rarely explored in fiction: a man’s response to a couple’s infertility. Approval follows would-be parents David and Cici through a series of forays into the past as they go through the motions of applying to adopt a child.Trade Review“John Rutter's Approval is many things at once. A powerful meditation on judgement. A transfixing fable of a Kafka-esque application process. A complex tragedy about fatherhood. But it's also a simple, affecting and beautifully wrought story of one couple's journey towards what they most desire – a child – and the cost of reaching out for one. A hugely promising debut.” -- Rodge Glass"An authentic voice … the issues it raises are very real and have contemporary resonance." -- Lancashire Evening Post

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Book SynopsisA retelling of Disney The Lion King, accompanied by art from the original Disney Studio artists. Collect the whole Animated Classics series!This beautiful hardback features premium cloth binding, a ribbon marker to match the cover, foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, making this the perfect gift for all those who have been enchanted by the magic of The Lion King and a book to be treasured by all.A family favourite, Disney The Lion King is one of the best-loved films of all time. Relive the magic through this retelling of the classic animated film, accompanied by paintings, story sketches and concept art from the original Disney Studio artists. Also featured is a foreword by Lissa Treiman, a Story Artist and Studio Department Lead at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Turn to the back of the book to learn more about the artists who worked on this iconic animated film.

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Book SynopsisA powerful, captivating tale of family secrets and hidden heartache from an internationally acclaimed authorTrade Review'Powerful and deeply empathetic... A heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption.' Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of The Sympathizer'Beautifully crafted, haunting... A masterful display of Que Mai's capacity to evoke compassion through her lyrical prose.' Irish Times'Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful.' Elif Shafak, Women's Prize-shortlisted author of The Island of Missing Trees'Notable for its boundless compassion for all the characters, from young, brutalised US soldiers to the girls who pretend to love them and the dust children left behind.' The Times'Dust Child is satisfying, lyrical, and deeply empathetic. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is a born storyteller.' Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow'Once again, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai has written a beautiful novel that shines a light on the history of Vietnam... Dust Child is simply stunning.' Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost to the Water'A heartbreaking, beautifully told, utterly unique story of love, loss, and longing that speaks to the very heart of the human experience.' Kristin Harmel, New York Times-bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars'Well-researched, realistic, and compassionately written... This eye-opening and fascinating novel is a must-read!' Le Ly Hayslip, bestselling author of When Heaven and Earth Changed Places'Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is one of the most unique storytellers of our time... She creates plots which are Dickensian in their breadth and mastery, while bravely probing the complex emotional challenges of living in a modern world full of disruption and displacement.' Natalie Jenner, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society'Nguyen's novels, suffused with kindness and understanding, are an important and accessible tool to delve deeply into the perspectives of those whose lives were changed by the conflict. Her kaleidoscopic view opens doors of empathy and humanity.' Sydney Morning Herald'Phenomenally beautiful.' Australian Women's Weekly'Look for a reception akin to Min Jin Lee’s bestselling Pachinko.' LA Times'I truly cannot wait for the rest of the world to celebrate this book.' Chanel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Know My Name'Quế Mai demonstrates a deep understanding of splintered lives. The compassionate treatment of her characters, insights into the period and eloquent prose are impressive.' FT

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1914, Dubliners depicts middle-class Catholic life in Dublin at the start of the twentieth century. Themes within the stories include the disappointments of childhood, the frustrations of adolescence, and the importance of sexual awakening. James Joyce was twenty-five years old when he wrote this collection of short stories, among which 'The Dead' is probably the most famous. Considered at the time as a literary experiment, Dubliners contains moments of joy, fear, grief, love and loss, which combine to form one of the most complete depictions of a city ever written, and the stories remain as refreshingly original and surprising in this century as they did in the last.This Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Dubliners features an afterword by dramatist Peter Harness.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book Synopsis''Intensely readable and exciting'' Sunday TelegraphSet in the turbulent days of the founding of Hong Kong in the 1840s, Tai-Pan is the story of Dirk Struan, the ruler - the Tai-Pan - of the most powerful trading company in the Far East. He is also a pirate, an opium smuggler, and a master manipulator of men. This is the story of his fight to establish himself and his dynasty as the undisputed masters of the Orient.''Packed with action . . . gaudy and flamboyant with blood and sin, treachery and conspiracy, sex and murder . . . grand entertainment'' New York TimesTrade ReviewPacked with action . . . gaudy and flamboyant with blood and sin, treachery and conspiracy, sex and murder . . . grand entertainment * New York Times *Intensely readable and exciting * Sunday Telegraph *James Clavell is a teller of stories. They are complicated and exciting, and you are desperate to know what will happen to his characters because they are like the people you know from your own life and experience, set in strange and sometimes terrible circumstances * John Simpson *Intensely readable and exciting * Sunday Telegraph *Packed with action . . . gaudy and flamboyant with blood and sin, treachery and conspiracy, sex and murder . . . grand entertainment * New York Times *

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Book Synopsis1871. Pete Ferguson is a wanted man. An army deserter, hunted for murder in Oregon, not to mention theft and arson in Nebraska.Taking the name of Billy Webb, he is hired by bison hunters, but leaves after a bloody dispute. He then takes the Comancheros Road, which he follows to Mexico, and then to Guatemala . . . Whatever he does, wherever he goes, Pete is a magnet for trouble and seems incapable of making the right choices. The violence that follows him keeps him away from those he loves: his brother Oliver, still on the Fitzpatrick ranch with Aileen, Alexandra and Arthur Bowman.It is a woman who will change his destiny, an Indigenous woman driven out of her lands. To save her, Ferguson will sabotage an attempted coup d''état and together, they will go to the Equator that has become Ferguson''s grail, and where the malevolent forces governing this world must finally be defeated.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE'BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF 2021' Guardian and Irish Times'Starts as a charming romantic comedy and turns into something tender and affecting about our need for connection. I loved this one. ' David Nicholls'Beautiful, bittersweet portrait of modern life . . . his tragicomedy will also make the heart swell.' Guardian'Brilliant.' Candice Carty-Williams'This is a miraculous book.' Joe DunthorneNick, a young illustrator, can't connect with people. Whether it's the barista down the street, his own family or Wren, an oncologist whose life becomes painfully tangled with his, Nick can't shake the feeling that there is some hidden realm of human interaction beyond his reach. He staggers through meaningless conversations and haunts lookalike, vacuous coffee shops in the hope that he will find it there. But it isn't until Nick learns to stop performing and speak about the things that really matter that the complex and colourful worlds of the people he meets are finally revealed to him.Illustrated in both colour and black-and-white in McPhail's instantly recognisable style, In is poignant, fresh and hilarious. McPhail transforms the graphic novel with a heart-wrenching compassion uncannily appropriate for our isolated times.Trade ReviewThe finest graphic novel of the year was IN by Will McPhail, a clever and touching account of a young illustrator dealing with his mother's illness and his own ennui. This beautifully composed debut mixes nuanced observation with hipster satire, and scalpel-sharp one-liners about the things that don't matter with stumbling attempts to articulate the things that do. -- James Smart,Guardian Best graphic novels of 2021There are few better cartoonists that the New Yorker's Will McPhail, and we can now officially confirm there are few better graphic novelists...There are books which get called funny because they raise a few chuckles, and then there are books which have you wheezing with laughter and reading out multiple paragraphs to whichever long-suffering companion happens to be within hearing. In. is very much the latter kind of book, which makes its bracing dives into pathos and profundity all the more risky, and all the more stunningly rewarding. -- Best Graphic Novels of 2021 * Irish Times *Beautiful, bittersweet portrait of modern life . . . his tragicomedy will also make the heart swell. * Guardian *Starts as a charming romantic comedy and turns into something tender and affecting about our need to connect. I loved this one. * David Nicholls *Brilliant. IN feels so real to me. * Candice Carty-Williams *This is a miraculous book. Very funny, very sad and very beautiful - all at the same time, somehow. * Joe Dunthorne *A curious, funny and deeply human story about growing up in adulthood. Asks all the questions, and makes a case for real connection in a world full of podcasts and plant-based milk. * Emmy the Great *Will McPhail draws sensitively and with impeccable emotional precision. In IN, he has created a hilarious, touching, infinitely surprising world. I will read this book many times. * Liana Finck, author of Passing for Human: A Graphic Memoir *[A] breakout graphic novel...The characters in In are absolutely delightful. * BookPage, starred review *McPhail's delicately lined graphite drawings, neatly squared into comics-y frames, are playful yet full of depth. . . . Impressive art, a relatable hero's struggle, and a healthy dose of humor (Nick haunts establishments with names like 'Your Friends Have Kids Bar' and 'Gentrificchiato') will make McPhail's graphic novel debut appealing to many. * Booklist *The visuals are scrumptious and the yearning for personal connection is deeply relatable . . . McPhail presents [beats] with style and grace, deftly moving the story along with subtle, impactful visual cues . . . Gorgeous. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE WRITER OF THE OSCAR-WININNG WOMEN TALKINGINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHORLONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARDGo Grandma Elvira!' Margaret Atwood''Wickedly funny and fearlessly honest.'' The New Yorker''Glorious.'' Sarah Moss____________You are a small thing, and you must learn to fight.Swiv has taken this advice too literally. Now she's suspended from school, in the care of her foul-mouthed, hilarious grandmother. Mom is busy being pregnant, so Grandma gives Swiv a very different education. Swiv learns maths with Amish jigsaws and How to Dig a Winter Grave. Grandma's methods may be unorthodox, but she has faced the worst of life with a wild, independent spirit and this is what she hopes to pass on. Time is running short. Grandma's health is failing and the baby is on the way can Grandma inspire this fire in Swiv, and ensure it never goes out?Poignant, hilTrade ReviewWickedly funny and fearlessly honest.' - The New Yorker'Fight Night is glorious: funny and sad and beautifully written.' - Sarah Moss

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Book SynopsisWhen Alma Rivera arrives in Delaware she is full of the promise and possibilities of her new home. Hope that her daughter Maribel will be helped by the specialist support US education can provide, and faith that her husband Arturo will flourish in a country that celebrates the hard-working. But life without status, money, family and friends soon becomes unmanageable and violent.Told through a range of perspectives written with compassion and grace, Cristina Henríquez gives voice to the displaced and the unknown, and shows what it means to uproot your life in search of something better.Trade ReviewThe Book of Unknown Americans is filled with the fiercest kinds of love - of a boy for a beautiful girl, of stricken parents for an injured daughter, of an immigrant community for an impossible America. In this powerful novel, Cristina Henríquez gives us unforgettable characters, whose destinies are shaped by forces - senseless, random, political - far beyond their control, and yet whose resilience yields a most profound and unexpected kind of beauty -- RUTH OZEKI * * author of A Tale for the Time Being * *The strength of the book is in the quiet details . . . lit by sharp observations * * Guardian * *A striking original . . . With a simple, unadorned prose that, in the end, rises to the level of poetry, Henríquez achieves the seemingly impossible: Without a trace of sentimentality, without an iota of self-indulgence or dogma, she tells us about coming to America * * Washington Post * *Cristina Henríquez's novel is a triumph not just of storytelling, but of American storytelling, a novel whose breadth and power blow open any traditional definition of 'American.' Henríquez pulls us into the lives of her characters with such mastery that we hang onto them just as fiercely as they hang onto one another, and their dreams. This passionate, powerful novel will stay with you long after you've turned the final page -- BEN FOUNTAIN * * author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk * *Gripping, memorable . . . A novel that can both make you think and break your heart * * San Francisco Chronicle * *A sweeping and ambitious work, with the point of view shifting among a dozen different characters * * LA Times, Faces to Watch 2014 * *Wonderful. If most novels, or at least most good ones, are songs, then The Book of Unknown Americans is a choir. In a multiplicity of voices, each one distinct and authentic, Cristina Henríquez tells a whole community of stories, and the book that emerges is warm, wise, and unfailingly generous. It never seems to strive for profundity or grasp at poignancy, and yet page by page, as naturally as can be, it rouses the conscience and touches the heart -- Kevin Brockmeier * * author of The Brief History of the Dead and The Illumination * *The Chicago writer's highly anticipated novel tells the love story of a Pananamian boy and Mexican girl-the latter of whom suffers a near-fatal accident-and the language, racial and cultural obstacles their families face in America * * Time Out, Book to Read in 2014 * *Here is an important story about family, community and identity, told with elegance and compassion. The Book of Unknown Americans is unforgettable -- Jami Attenberg * * author of The Middlesteins * *A symphonic love story between these immigrants and an impossible America. Told in a multiplicity of voices, the novel manages that rare balance of being both unflinching and unsentimental. In doing so, it rewrites the definition of what it means to be American * * The Millions: The Great 2014 Book Preview * *Some of the characters in The Book of Unknown Americans were born in the United States, others came as adults or were brought here from Central and South America. Their stories speak to us, involve us in their lives. They dream, meet challenges, and dare to live on hope. Sometimes they cry, but they also laugh, dance, make love. In this beautiful book, Cristina Henríquez introduces us to their vibrant lives, to heartbreaking choices, to the tender beginnings of love, and to the humanity in every individual. Unforgettable -- Esmeralda Santiago * * author of When I Was Puerto Rican and Conquistadora * *Spectacular . . . highly believable and poignant * * Library Journal * *Distinctively compassionate and original - a moving portrait of people who often pass before our eyes under a veil of invisibility. Gorgeously woven of both hope and delusion, and of the many kinds of love, this is a novel in which characters' assimilations and aspirations are as much to a new country as to something even broader: to other, finer versions of themselves. As a reader I felt assimilated too, forever altered by the extraordinary world Henríquez creates -- HEIDI JULAVITSEvoking a profound sense of hope, Henríquez delivers a moving account of those who will do anything to build a future for their children - even if it means confronting the fear and alienation lurking behind the American dream * * Publisher's Weekly * *

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Book SynopsisRobert Musil was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 1880. Trained in science and philosophy, he left a career in the military to turn to writing. The publication of his novel Young Törless in 1906 brought him international recognition and remains a classic parable on the misuse of power. After serving in the First World War, Musil lived alternately in Vienna and Berlin, with much of his time being dedicated to the slow writing of his masterwork, The Man Without Qualities. In 1938, when Hitler's rise to power threatened Musil's work with being banned in both Austria and Germany, he emigrated to Switzerland, where he and his wife lived until his death in 1942. The first complete German edition of The Man Without Qualities finally appeared in 1978.Trade ReviewThe Man Without Qualities is one of the towering achievements of the European novel * Observer *I would recommend Sophie Wilkins' translation as a conscientious attempt to give to the English reader a novel which is compared to The Remembrance of Things Past and Ulysses * The Times *Immensely rich and therapeutic, bristling with wit and a sly humour * Sunday Telegraph *At last, at last - the fully fleshed arrival in English of the third member of the trinity in twentieth-century fiction, complementing Ulysses and The Remembrance of Things Past . . . This last-waltz novel is amazingly contemporary * Wall Street Journal *There is scarcely a page that does not provoke new thoughts or offer new insights, not a chapter that, even read on its own, does not prove stimulating * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisIsobel, a gifted needleworker with strange talents, finds herself penniless and alone in Salem. When she meets Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are drawn to each other. Together, they are dark storyteller and muse, but where will their affair lead?Trade Review'Like the greatest historical fiction, Hester makes you believe utterly' Gillian Flynn, international bestselling author of Gone Girl‘Full of lush and colourful prose, Hester proves that a woman will do whatever she must to prosper, even when she is left with nothing but courage – and a few secrets of her own’ Sarah Penner, bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary‘A masterpiece that should be required reading alongside Hawthorne’s classic tale of adultery. Enthralling, ambitious and a total knockout’ Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue‘A luminous blend of fiction and truth, Hester weaves a spellbinding tapestry of Salem history as it has never been told before’ Afia Atakora, author of Conjure Women

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Book Synopsis[A] deservedly award-studded delight Strong Words Magazine ‘A smart, scathing and bleakly funny cross of folk horror, satire and historical fiction’ Toronto Star ‘Reads like a modern fairy tale’ New York Journal of Books 'Eerie and sensual' The Guardian 'So original, so beautifully done, and sinister and savage. I didn’t want it to end' Chris Whitaker Franck and Lise, a French couple in the film industry, rent a cottage in the quiet hills of the French Lot to get away from the stresses of modern life. In this remote corner of the world, there is no phone signal. A mysterious dog emerges, looking for a new master. Ghosts of a dark past run wild in these hills, where a German lion tamer took refuge in the First World War … Franck and Lise are confronted with nature at its most brutal. And they are about to discover that man and beast have more in common than they think. A literary sensation in France, Wild Dog is a dark, menacing tale of isolation, human nature and the infinite savagery of the wild. Trade Review[A] deservedly award-studded delight Strong Words Magazine ‘A smart, scathing and bleakly funny cross of folk horror, satire and historical fiction’ Toronto Star ‘Reads like a modern fairy tale’ New York Journal of Books WINNER OF THE PRIX LANDERNEAU DES LECTEURS 2018 'Wild Dog details a disturbing continuum of savagery, both animal and human. At once eerie and sensual, it’s a timely reminder that, no matter how sophisticated we believe ourselves to be, we are no match for nature' The Guardian 'The suspense seeps from each exquisitely crafted sentence, taking the reader into a world replete with complex emotional and moral dilemmas . . . a raw, brutal and magnificent literary experience' European Literature Network 'Whether you are a regular reader or just looking for your 2020 holiday reading I urge you to take a look at Wild Dog. It is a true five star read' Whispering Stories ‘Holds the reader in suspense until the very last page’ L’Express ‘A magnificent allegory for the ways in which the modern world wears us down … A unique voice’ Le Figaro ‘A hymn to space and calm’ Libération ‘Proof of Serge Joncour’s immense talent and understanding of human subtleties’ Marie Claire ‘An ode to nature’ Le Point ‘Joncour is a magician’ Le Temps

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Book SynopsisWINNER of the James Tait Black Prize 2021.WINNER of The Republic of Consciousness Prize 2021.Lush and frothy, incisive and witty, Shola von Reinhold's decadent queer literary debut immerses readers in the pursuit of aesthetics and beauty, while interrogating the removal and obscurement of Black figures from history.Solitary Mathilda has long been enamored with the 'Bright Young Things' of the 20s, and throughout her life, her attempts at reinvention have mirrored their extravagance and artfulness. After discovering a photograph of the forgotten Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who ran in the same circles as the Bright Young Things that she adores, Mathilda becomes transfixed and resolves to learn as much as she can about the mysterious figure. Her search brings her to a peculiar artists' residency in Dun, a small European town Hermia was known to have lived in during the 30s. The artists' residency throws her deeper into a lattice of secrets and secret societies that takes hold of her aesthetic imagination, but will she be able to break the thrall of her Transfixions?From champagne theft and Black Modernisms, to art sabotage, alchemy and lotus-eating proto-luxury communist cults, Mathilda's journey through modes of aesthetic expression guides her to truth and the convoluted ways it is made and obscured.Trade ReviewIt's funny and weird and dazzlingly clever. -- Alice Winn * The Guardian *a celebration of eccentric esprit -- Houman Barekat * The Guardian *Lote is a magical, revolutionary piece of writing * FRIEZE *An inspirational, cutting, exquisitely written, multilevel excavation of forgotten Black lives and an Afro-queer celebration of art, aesthetics, literature, and society. -- Paul Mendez * author of Rainbow Milk *An inspirational, cutting, exquisitely written, multilevel excavation of forgotten Black lives and an Afro-queer celebration of art, aesthetics, literature, and society. -- Paul Mendez * author of Rainbow Milk *

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Book SynopsisLife is a vexatious trap; when a thinking man reaches maturity and attains to full consciousness, he cannot help feeling that he is in a trap from which there is no escape.One of the greatest Russian short story writers and an exemplary playwright, Anton Chekhov penned down some of the finest short stories and plays in literature. His works continue to be translated into various languages across the world. This hardbound deluxe edition brings together his early short stories along with the outstanding short fiction written in his later years. It includes The Death of a Government Clerk,' The Huntsman,' Oh! The Public,' Anyuta,' Misery,' The Lottery Ticket,' A Dreary Story,' Peasant Wives,' The Lady with the Dog,' and his last completed story, Betrothed.'This classic collectable is a must-read for all!

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Book SynopsisUnbury our Dead With Song is a novel about four talented Ethiopian musicians - The Diva, The Corporal, the Taliban Man and Miriam, who are competing to see who can sing the best Tizita (popularly referred to as Ethiopian blues). Taking place in an illegal boxing hall in Nairobi, Kenya, the competition is covered by a US educated Kenyan journalist, John Thandi Manfredi, who writes for a popular tabloid, The National Inquisitor. He follows the musicians back to Ethiopia in order to learn more about the Tizita and their lives. As he learns more about the Tizita and the multiple meanings of beauty, he uncovers that behind each of the musicians, there are layered lives and secrets. A love letter to African music, beauty and imagination.Trade ReviewThe tale of the Tizita is the essence which binds the story, but as you turn the pages, stratums of Africa are revealed in all their beauty, cruelty and hope. If you are someone who is stirred by the sound of a song, or feel an ache in your heart over a farewell, and you enjoy a well-crafted and honest book - please put this one on your reading list. The New African

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Book SynopsisA Man Who Is Not A Man recounts the personal trauma of a young Xhosa initiate after a rite-of-passage circumcision goes wrong. With frankness and courage, this powerful novel details the pain and lifelong shame this protagonist experiences as a result not only of the physical trauma, but the social ostracism from being labeled 'a failed man.' He decodes the mysteries of this long-standing cultural tradition and calls to account the elders for the disintegrating support systems that allow such tragic outcomes. But it is also through this life-changing experience that the protagonist is forced to find his strength and humanity, and reassess what it really means to be a man.Trade Review"Highly original." - Nadine Gordimer "His straightforward no-frills prose tells an effective story of a botched circumcision and its consequences." - Zakes Mda, Sunday Independent "A brave book, triumphant and a testament to the indefatigable will to live." - Mail & Guardian

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Book Synopsis'Astonishing' Herald, Books of the Year'Sublime' Irish Times, Book of the Year'Wonderful' Guardian, Books of the YearDuring a sweltering South American summer, a family convenes for dinner at a restaurant. Midway through the meal, Carlos disappears. An experienced, semi-retired inspector takes the case, but what should be a routine investigation becomes something strange, intangible, even sinister. The corporation for which Carlos worked seems to serve no purpose; the staff talk of their missing colleague's alarming, shifting physical symptoms; a forensic scientist uncovers evidence of curious abnormalities in the thriving microorganisms that shared Carlos's body. As the inspector relives and retraces the missing man's footsteps, the trail leads him away from the city sprawl and deep into the country's rainforest interior, where he encounters both horror and wonder.Trade ReviewStunning - a totally original, surreal mystery shot through with hints of the best of César Aira, Vladimir Nabokov, Angela Carter, and Julio Cortázar. Smart, clever, and honest. I doubt you've read anything quite like it. -- Jeff VanderMeer, author of The Southern Reach trilogyWeird, wonderful, totally indefinable * Guardian, Books of the Year *Sublime * Irish Times, Books of the Year *Astonishing * Herald, Books of the Year *An electrifying piece of work: strange, terrifying, riveting, and written with scintillating intelligence. In its thinking about the porosity between the human and the non-human, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ballard, Lem, VanderMeer, Tom McCarthy -- Neel Mukherjee, author of The Lives of OthersThis is the work of a most singular and inventive mind, matched by writing with real flair and clarity. It is a book alive with ideas and cock-eyed intelligence, brimming with passages of genuine brilliance. Infinite Ground does that magical thing that only the very best novels do: it makes you see the world afresh. Dazzling stuff -- Graeme Macrae Burnet, author of His Bloody ProjectStrange, haunting, dislocating -- Ian Rankin, author of the Rebus seriesBrimming with strong, startling ideas... A curious and often remarkable book * Literary Review *A novel of intelligence, grace, cunning and warped imagination, one that melds and sometimes clashes styles and influences to create something original and unsettling. It is a bravura performance, and one that announces Martin MacInnes as one of our most exciting new voices -- Stuart Evers, author of Your Father Sends his LoveLabyrinthine, beautifully written and teeming with ideas about fiction and reality that linger long in the mind... A frighteningly good debut novel -- Lee Rourke, author of Vulgar Things

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Book SynopsisTsotsi is an angry young gang leader in the South African township of Sophiatown. A man without a past, he exists only to kill and steal. But when he captures a woman one night in a moonlit grove of bluegum trees, she shoves a shoebox into his arms: the box contains a baby and his life is inexorably changed. He begins to remember his childhood and rediscover the self he left behind.Tsotsi's raw power and rare humanity show how decency and compassion can survive against the odds.Trade ReviewExtraordinarily moving * * Guardian * *A real find, by one of the most affecting and moving writers of our time * * Financial Times * *One of the best novels in contemporary South African fiction * * Times Literary Supplement * *In lean yet lyrical prose . . . Fugard uncannily insinuates himself into the skins of the oppressed majority and articulates its rage and misery and hope * * New York Times Book Review * *Powerful and disturbing * * Mail on Sunday * *Outstanding . . . Fugard sets his intense scenes before a palpable void . . . one is left with an impression of both fierce instinct and fine shading * * Daily Telegraph * *

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Book SynopsisINTRODUCED BY MAGGIE O''FARRELL''A great work of literature, the product of a questing, burning intellect'' MAGGIE O''FARRELL ''Even if the themes being explored might seem irrelevant . . . this is not the case'' GUARDIAN''I loved the unnerving, sarcastic tone, the creepy ending'' PARIS REVIEW Based on the author''s own experiences, The Yellow Wallpaper is the chilling tale of a woman driven to the brink of insanity by the ''rest cure'' prescribed after the birth of her child. While she is isolated in a crumbling mansion, in a room with bars on the windows, the tortuous pattern of the yellow wallpaper winds its way into the recesses of her mind. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was America''s leading feminist intellectual of the early twentieth century and a brilliant writer, editor and speaker. The Yellow Wallpaper is her masterpiece.Trade ReviewEven if the themes being explored might seem irrelevant to you today and especially to such young audience, I can assure you that this is not the case * Guardian *A great work of literature, the product of a questing, burning intellect -- Maggie O'FarrellI loved it. I loved the unnerving, sarcastic tone, the creepy ending, the clarity of its critique of the popular nineteenth century * Paris Review *

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Book SynopsisIf you loved From Lukov with Love - the sensational TikTok hit that is captivating readers all over the world - then you don''t want to miss any of Mariana''s unique romances! No one writes slow burn like Mariana Zapata and her millions of fans agree!''Just so incredibly sweet that it reaches into your soul . . . Thank you, MZ, for sharing such an incredible gift'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ reader review''There is nothing Mariana will put out that I wouldn''t put on a pedestal. Ahhhhh. This book was so good I don''t want it to end. I swooned. I cried. I laughed. And I enjoyed every bit of it'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ reader review''As always Mariana brings us a story that we can get lost in . . . we have amazing characters . . . a second chance romance . . . the slow burn as always . . . but so much banter and emotional you cant help but know you are in a Zapata book!'' &

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Book SynopsisFifteen-year-old Noemi has no choice but to leave school and work in the house of the wealthy De Grandbourg family. Just across the road from the slums where she grew up, she encounters a world that is starkly different from her own – yet one which would have been all too familiar to her ancestors. Bewitched by a pair of green eyes and haunted by echoes, her life begins to mirror those of girls who have gone before her. Within Noemi’s lament is also the herstory of Mauritius; the story of women who have resisted arrest, of teachers who care for their poorest pupils and encourage them to challenge traditional narratives, of a flawed Paradise undergoing slow but unstoppable change. In Riambel, Priya Hein invites us to protest, to rail against longstanding structures of class and ethnicity. She shows us a world of natural enchantment contrasted with violence and the abuse of power. This seemingly simple tale of servitude, seduction and abandonment blisters with a fierce sense of injustice.Trade Review‘Not only am I finding the book really fascinating but I’m getting through it really quickly as I’m compelled to turn the pages!’ https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpjzZVoD0Y/?hl=en ‘4 stars’ https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch7tYSoLqSr/?hl=en -- @zukythebookbum * Instagram *‘I absolutely flew through it. The short chapters ignite the pace, delivering punch after punch and I found myself mesmerised by Priya’s fierce yet beautiful writing. This is one you won’t want to miss.’ https://www.instagram.com/p/CkApRfnrcvl/?hl=en -- @adleilareads * Instagram *‘The premise of this novel feels incredibly timely’ https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpkEiNo0pi/?hl=en -- @between2books_ * Instagram *The Selection for the 2022 Literary Season ‘A punchy novel that arouses indignation’ https://librairie-quartierlatin.fr/2022/09/10/la-selection-de-la-rentree-litteraire-2022/ * Quartier Latin *Paradise, Lost: Priya Hein’s Riambel "In the span of a mere 160 pages, this extraordinary debut packs rare insight into the trauma and deference seeded by the long reign of capitalism and the white man’s whims." https://www.cardiffreview.com/review/paradise-lost-priya-heins-riambel/ -- Vartika Rastogi * The Cardiff Review *Priya Hein: ‘Laughing loudly’ at Riambel https://www.lexpress.mu/article/413921/priya-hein-rire-en-belle-riambel?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1664170894-1 -- Aline Groeme-Harmon * L’Express *61 Anticipated African Books of 2023 https://brittlepaper.com/2023/01/61-anticipated-african-books-of-2023/ -- Alesia Alexander * Brittle Paper *Isele Magazine’s Most Anticipated African Books of 2023 https://iselemagazine.com/2023/01/13/isele-magazines-most-anticipated-african-books-of-2023/ * Isele Magazine *Reads for the Rest of Us: The Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2023 https://msmagazine.com/2023/01/25/anticipated-feminist-books-2023/ -- Karla J. Strand * Ms. Magazine *'a vivid, sensory book’ https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/review/2023/02/24/browser-how-the-head-of-mi6-tried-to-derail-charles-haugheys-career/ -- Ruth McKee * The Irish Times *'Riambel by Priya Hein: a sensual and deceptively simple evocation of generational slavery’ https://lucywritersplatform.com/2023/03/07/riambel-by-priya-hein-a-sensual-and-deceptively-simple-evocation-of-generational-slavery/ -- Laetitia Erskine * Lucy Writers *Shame and Violence: How a history of slavery continues to dictate Mauritian lives https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/riambel-priya-hein-book-review-yagnishsing-dawoor/ -- Yagnishing Dawoor * TLS *

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER''Delectable and fun'' Guardian''Kuku astounds with her presentation of modern day Lagos'' Tatler''Bewitching and revelatory'' The New York TimesOne night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband's penis and promise to cut it off. It will scare him so much that the next day, he will call his family members for a meeting in the house. He will not call your family members, but you will not care.Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad is a collection of twelve short stories featuring characters with unique voices and stories that represent the diverse class, gender and ethnic melting pot that is Lagos.There's a story of a young lady who tries to find her oyibo soulmate on the streets of Lagos; another of a pastor's wife who defends her husband from an allegation of adultery; a wife takes a knife to her husband's penis; a night of lust between a rising musician and his Instagram baddie takes an unexpected turn.Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad underscores with wit, humour, wisdom and sensitivity, the perils of trying to find lasting love and companionship in Africa's most notorious city.

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Book SynopsisThe first collection in English of an endlessly surprising, master storytellerTrade Review"The Houseguest will make you paranoid; you will second guess every shadow and slight movement that catches your eye. Amparo Dávila's prose, her psychological awareness, and the beauty of her characters' misery is encompassing. I cannot believe that this is the first that I am experiencing Dávila in English." -- Nick Buzanski - Book Culture"Like Poe for the new millennium." -- Kirkus"For the first time, we finally have a collection of her stories translated into English and they’re as good as, as uncanny and mesmerizing as, some of the best work by Kafka or Poe." -- Literary Hub"Dávila is a marvel, and this book casts a delightful and disconcerting spell." -- Juan Vidal - Los Angeles Times"Mexico's answer to Shirley Jackson. Dávila radiates an interesting sense of unease and calamity. For a very long time, women have sought comfort in the darkness when their own lives were full of quiet despair. It is this silent scream which permeates The Houseguest." -- Silvia Moreno-Garcia - NPR"Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, Franz Kafka, and Edgar Allen Poe, Davila tests the limits of fiction." -- Ploughshares"Filled with nightmarish imagery and creeping dread, Dávila’s stories plunge into the nature of fear: Terrifying." -- Publishers Weekly"Mexico’s high priestess of horror. The world Dávila imagines weighs on the brain like some sort of delirium." -- Robert Rea - Southwest Review"Like a dream, Dávila’s fictional realm is filled with signs and symbols, with hybrid creatures who appear to defy the laws of nature, and with characters who do not act according to logic or reason. Dávila has said in interviews that one of her favorite subjects is the mysterious, the unknown, that which is not within our grasp. Her writing is intentionally opaque and allows readers to draw a number of different interpretations; it is this intriguing, elusive quality that has perhaps led to her enduring popularity in Mexico." -- The Paris Review"Readers of Dávila’s stories find it difficult, perhaps impossible, to forget them." -- Margaret Randall - World Literature Today"Each of these stories is equal parts Hitchcock film and razor blade: austere, immaculately crafted, profoundly unsettling, and capable of cutting you. Amparo Dávila is Kafka by way of Ogawa, Aira by way of Carrington, Cortazár by way of Somers, and I'm so grateful she's in translation." -- Carmen Maria Machado"The work of Amparo Dávila is unique in Mexican literature. There is no one like her, no one with that introspection and complexity." -- Elena Poniatowska"Extraordinary. " -- Julio Cortázar"How is this the first time I am reading Amparo Dávila? And when can I read more from her? In these stories, she creates creates claustrophobic worlds in miniature and populates them with people tormented by things we can't see. Whether she is writing about a wife whose husband brings home a ravenous and frightening guest, a young woman plagued by a not-completely-unwelcome visitor in the night, or a family held hostage by their possibly monstrous son, the horror is subtle—more is suggested than told. Often coupled with these very real terrors is the knowledge that their experiences will be doubted. It is easier for these characters to stay silent than to try and explain the shadowy, strange things that stalk them. Brief and terrifying, The Houseguest leaves one feeling that nothing is solid, that reality is a precarious and ever-changing thing, and that it doesn't take much to render the ordinary unrecognizable." -- Lauren P., Powell's Bookstore

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Book SynopsisDevastating in the most beautiful ways.' Torrey PetersSuperb . . . Statovci is a major talent.' New York Times Book ReviewIt is April 1995. Kosovo is a country on the cusp of a dreadful war. Arsim in twenty-two, newly married, cautious an Albanian trying to keep his head down and finish his studies in an atmosphere of creeping threat. Until he encounters Milos, a Serb, and begins a life in secret.A pitch perfect excavation of the vandalism of war, the wounds of love and the limits of the human soul.' Eimear McBride

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE FICTION PRIZE AT THE EAST ANGLIAN BOOK AWARDS 'Captivating and unique' THE STYLIST 'A terrific debut. Brave, unexpected... transfixing and captivating... full of hope, resilience and love.' THE SUNDAY TIMES"Holds the big within the small, the intimate within the epic" - Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies'A captivating read' THE SUN'GORGEOUS and original and captivating' - Marian Keyes, international bestselling author of Grown Ups'A story that is powerfully familiar and yet utterly original.' - Afua Hirsch'A captivating read... (a) beautiful, surprising novel' FABULOUS 'A novel that has stayed with me for weeks afterwards . . . Perceptive and unflinching' - Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist'A quiet, piercing contemplation on what really matters when it comes to the end of the world. Strange and beautiful' - Abigail Dean, author of Girl A'Beautiful and harrowing but also optimistic and extremely moving . . . a truly arresting depiction of an unlikely relationship' - Clover Stroud, author of The Wild Other'I didn't want this book to end. It blew me away, and moved me beyond belief' - Bryony Gordon, author of Mad GirlEVERY ENDINGIS A NEW BEGINNING.Ruth is ignoring the news. Like most people, she has relationship problems, job stress, friends and family who need her. Ruth has a life.But the news is about to catch up with Ruth, and her problems are going to be swept away...along with the rest of the world.Only when the comforts and complications of her old existence are gone, does Ruth finally realise how she might be able to live to the fullest.Trade ReviewIt's GORGEOUS and original and captivating . . . Beautiful writing and characters I cared for as if they were my own family * Marian Keyes, international bestselling author of Grown Ups *The Stranding is a breathtaking book about relationships, love and human resilience at the end of the world; it's beautifully written and I know I'll be thinking about it for a very long time! * Lex Croucher, author of Reputation *Powerful, atmospheric and utterly transfixing * Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne *The Stranding is an original, compelling and brilliantly written story. I loved the dual timelines of 'before' and 'after' and could not put it down. It's a thought-provoking and timely read, about hope, survival and the human spirit * Aliya Ali-Afzal, author of Would I Lie To You *I didn't want this book to end. It blew me away, and moved me beyond belief. I want to read it again and again and again * Bryony Gordon, author of Mad Girl *Original, visceral, rich with themes of refuge and redemption, it's a beautifully imagined story about the hiding places in our hearts and minds * Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters. *Beautiful and harrowing but also optimistic and extremely moving . . . a truly arresting depiction of an unlikely relationship * Clover Stroud, author of The Wild Other *A quiet, piercing contemplation on what really matters when it comes to the end of the world. Strange and beautiful * Abigail Dean, author of Girl A *Beautifully written, it's truly something special * Stylist *A terrific debut. Brave, unexpected . . . transfixing and captivation . . . full of hope, resilience and love * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisWhatever the question, the answer is wine!They’ve swapped the dark and lonely baby days for school gate chaos, but Aisha, Sophy and Mel are discovering that there are new parenting pitfalls just waiting for them…Influencer Sophy, is trying to keep on top of home and work life but is finding it all a bit tough! Everyone thinks she’s living her best life, but the pressure to maintain perfection when all she wants to do is cry, is taking its toll.Aisha doesn’t know what to do with all her spare time now her twins are at school. Maybe she could focus on herself and the dreams she’s put on hold? But when her mum suddenly begins to feel unwell, Aisha has to rethink everything.And when Mel is offered a chance to live her dream, she grabs it with both hands. But there’s a catch –an ex-boyfriend who makes it clear that he wants another chance…Can they navigate this new stage of motherhood together and keep their friendship and their sanity? Or could life be about to change for them all over again?Bestselling author Nina Manning is back with a brand-new story of mum guilt, parenting pitfalls and friendship around the clock."All the trials and tribulations of motherhood, served up with real heart and understanding. " Bestselling author Carmen Reid.

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Book Synopsis‘Colours of Siena’ is the compelling tale of Clara, forced from her home in Tuscany’s art capital, Siena, and her determination to return there to paint. When the most expensive painting in Christendom is paraded through the streets of Siena, Clara, young servant to the city’s most powerful family, is inspired. Ambrogio, the youngest painter, spots her genius for colour, and ignites her passion to become an artist. But when her father is murdered, she’s banished to the country. Can Clara persuade Ambrogio to rescue her? Will family and the Black Death stop Clara realising her dreams?

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