Narrative theme: identity / belonging

Book Synopsis''One of my top ten books ever. Maybe top five. If you haven''t read it, you should'' Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind''Fresh, original and engrossing'' George R.R. Martin, the phenomenon behind A Game of Thrones They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he''s part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count.Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they''re the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards. Together their domain is Trade ReviewThe Lies of Locke Lamora, exports the suspense and wit of a cleverly constructed crime caper into an exotic realm of fantasy, and the result is engagingly entertaining * The Times *Fresh, original, and engrossing . . . gorgeously realized * George R.R. Martin *The Lies of Locke Lamora is one of my top ten books ever. Maybe my top five. If you haven't read it, you should * Patrick Rothfuss *A great, swashbuckling yarn of a novel * Richard Morgan *Filled with thievery goodness, hilarious turns of phrase and description, and some truly harebrained schemes, The Lies of Locke Lamora belongs on any fantasy fans bookshelf * The Fantasy Book Review *This extremely well-written tale of avarice and brotherhood is a treasure of gold * Novel Notions *A rewarding read, well written, and entertaining * Mark Lawrence *[This book] stole hours of sleep. It wrapped me in cozy myth. It gave me the blessing of feeling like a kid again * Pierce Brown *If you like intelligent funny dialogue, clever protagonists facing equally clever antagonists, and vivid original world building, Scott Lynch is your guy * Rick Riordan *

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Book SynopsisPhilip K. Dick's classic SF novel, which was adapted as the film BLADE RUNNER.Trade ReviewOne of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction, Dick made most of the European avant-garde seem like navel-gazers in a cul-de-sac * Sunday Times *My literary hero * Fay Weldon *For everyone lost in the endlessly multiplicating realities of the modern world, remember: Philip K. Dick got there first * Terry Gilliam *A masterclass in sci-fi wonderment * Empire *

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Book Synopsis THE INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON BEHIND THE COSMERE **** Speak again the ancient oaths:Life before death.Strength before weakness.Journey before Destination.Return to men the Shards they once bore.The Knights Radiant must stand again.Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar''s niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan''s motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.****FANTASY COULDN''T BE MORE EPIC:''I loved this book. What else is there to say?''PATRICK ROTHFUSSSanderson is a master... He doesn''t disappoint''LIBRARY JOURNAL''Sanderson is astonishingly wise''ORSON SCOTT CARD''Epic in every sense''GUARDIAN Trade ReviewThe Way of Kings is epic in every sense. Sanderson has built a world that leaps to life, a cast of varied characters and a vast history that slowly unfolds. While Sanderson cuts from the familiar cloth of fantasy, his narrative impetus and meticulous world building bode well for future volumes. * GUARDIAN *No one has more fun writing or is better at describing galactic dogfights.... Read the first one for fun or enjoy the second on its own * BOOKLIST *Sanderson is an evil genius * RT BOOK REVIEWS *It's rare for a fiction writer to have much understanding of how leadership works and how love really takes root in the human heart. Sanderson is astonishingly wise -- Orson Scott CardSanderson has created a fascinating world here, one that deserves a sequel * WASHINGTON POST *I loved this book. What else is there to say? -- Patrick RothfussThe best part...is the compelling, complex story of Dalinar, Kaladin, and Shallan as they struggle though emotional, physical, and moral challenges. Fans and lovers of epic fantasy...will eagerly await the next volume * LIBRARY JOURNAL *The Way of Kings is epic in every sense. Sanderson has built a world that leaps to life, a cast of varied characters and a vast history that slowly unfolds. While Sanderson cuts from the familiar cloth of fantasy, his narrative impetus and meticulous world building bode well for future volumes. -- Eric Brown * THE GUARDIAN *

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Book SynopsisThe gripping standalone thriller from Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author Karin Slaughter, now a major Netflix series starring Toni Collette and Bella HeathcoteShe's the person you think you know bestBut what if you don't actually know her at all?Andy Oliver thinks she knows everything about her mother Laura.Until, in a moment of terrible danger, Laura steps forward into the line of fire.Now, Andy must embark on a desperate race against time to uncover the secrets of her mother's past.Before they both run out of timePraise for the Number One bestselling author:Passion, intensity, and humanity' Lee ChildI'd follow her anywhere' Gillian FlynnOne of the boldest thriller writers working today' Tess GerritsenHer characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled' Michael ConnellyA writer of extraordinary talents' Kathy ReichsFiction doesn''t get any better than this' Jeffery DeaverA great writer at the peak of her powers' Peter James''Karin Slaughter has by far the best name of all of us mysteTrade Review‘Slaughter has outdone herself with Pieces of Her–a novel that sets the standard for psychological thriller writing’ Jeffery Deaver ‘Amongst the world‘s greatest and finest crime writers’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir ‘An intriguing tale that surrenders its secrets carefully and gradually’ Guardian ‘A solid thriller’ Daily Mail ‘Captivating at every turn’ Female First ‘Slaughter judiciously keeps the characterisation of her imperilled protagonists to the fore’ Guardian ‘Smart, gripping and packed with enthralling characters, this darkly addictive tale will reel you in from the get-go’ Heat ‘Buckle up for an exhilarating read’ Prima ‘Slaughter skilfully juggles her twin time frames and delivers a taut, complex and unusually thoughtful thriller’ Mail on Sunday Event Magazine Praise for Karin Slaughter: ‘This is a great writer at the peak of her powers. Karin Slaughter is at her nail-biting, heart-stopping, emotionally-draining best’ Peter James 'Karin Slaughter has – by far – the best name of all of us mystery novelists. More to the point, The Good Daughter is Karin Slaughter’s most ambitious, most emotional, and best novel. So far, anyway' James Patterson ‘Simply the best book you'll read all year. Raw, powerful and utterly gripping – yet written with a tenderness and empathy that will break your heart’ Kathryn Stockett, bestselling author of The Help ‘The darkness of the past is very present in this utterly chilling thriller. With heart and skill Karin Slaughter keeps you hooked from the first page until the last’ Camilla Lackberg ‘It’s big, dark, rich, satisfying, and bloody – like a perfectly cooked steak’ Stuart MacBride ‘The best yet’ Lesley Pearse ‘A great read’ Daily Mail 'The best suspense novel of the year' Daily Express ‘Fierce, savagely well-written’ Metro ‘I’d follow her anywhere’ Gillian Flynn ‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ Tess Gerritsen ‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ Michael Connelly

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Book SynopsisGenly Ai is an ethnologist observing the people of the planet Gethen, a world perpetually in winter. The people there are androgynous, normally neuter, but they can become male ot female at the peak of their sexual cycle. They seem to Genly Ai alien, unsophisticated and confusing. But he is drawn into the complex politics of the planet and, during a long, tortuous journey across the ice with a politician who has fallen from favour and has been outcast, he loses his professional detachment and reaches a painful understanding of the true nature of Gethenians and, in a moving and memorable sequence, even finds love...Trade ReviewIt's a giant thought experiment that's also a cracking good read about gender -- Neil GaimanUrsula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David MitchellA rich and complex story of friendship and love * Guardian *Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their center ... Literature will miss her. There's no one like her -- Zadie SmithUrsula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell

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Book SynopsisThe phenomenal number one bestseller and a major BBC TV series.A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick. Winner of the Specsavers National Book Award and Waterstones Book of the Year.Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, Jessie Burton's historical novel set in Amsterdam, The Miniaturist, is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution.On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways . . .NeTrade ReviewThe kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading -- S. J. Watson, author of Before I Go to SleepA fabulously gripping read that will appeal to fans of Girl With a Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch, but Burton is a genuinely new voice with her visceral take on sex, race and class . . . Burton writes great complex female characters * Observer *A terrific novel: compelling cast, gripping plot, writing to savour -- Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the FallA remarkable debut - complex, involving and deeply atmospheric -- Deborah Moggach, author of Tulip FeverThe Miniaturist by Jessie Burton is set in 17th century Amsterdam where a trader presents his new wife Nella with a miniature replica of their home. Its tiny occupants mirror their real-life counterparts and show Nella what grave dangers lie in wait. -- Hot Books of 2014 * Daily Express *Utterly beguiling and impeccably written. I am missing the characters already -- Emylia Hall, author of The Book of SummersA delight on every page, The Miniaturist completely immerses the reader in sumptuous but strict seventeenth-century Amsterdam. Burton's novel is lovingly done, and exquisite to read -- Naomi Wood, author of Mrs. HemingwayUtterly transporting . . . My first instinct on finishing this book was to immediately read it again -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites

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Book SynopsisA Boy's Own Story traces an unnamed narrator's coming-of-age during the 1950s. With an introduction by Alan Hollinghurst, author of The Line of Beauty.It was his power that stupefied me and made me regard my knowledge as nothing more than hired cleverness he might choose to show off at a dinner party.Beset by aloof parents, a cruel sister, and relentless mocking from his peers, the unamed boy struggles with his sexuality, seeking consolation in art and literature, and in his own fantastic imagination as he fills his head with romantic expectations. The result is a book of exquisite poignancy and humour that moves towards a conclusion which will allow the boy to leave behind his childhood forever.Originally published in 1982 as the first of Edmund White's trilogy of autobiographical novels, A Boy's Own Story became an instant classic for its pioneering portrayal of homosexuality. Lyrical and powerfully evocative, this is an American literary treasure.'Edmund White has crossed The Catcher in the Rye with De Profundis, J. D. Salinger with Oscar Wilde, to create an extraordinary novel' – New York TimesTrade ReviewEdmund White has crossed The Catcher in the Rye with De Profundis, J. D. Salinger with Oscar Wilde, to create an extraordinary novel * New York Times *The boy's self-portrait shines with authenticity, he is an extraordinary but plausible mixture of sweetness and deviousness . . . White's prose is marvellously sensual while his eye is sharply satiric . . . outstanding * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisGarth Greenwell is a graduate of the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop, where he was an Arts Fellow. His novella Mitko won the 2010 Miami University Press Novella Prize and was a finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and a Lambda Literary Award. He is the author of What Belongs to You, Cleanness and Small Rain.Trade ReviewWhat Belongs to You stands naturally alongside the great works of compromised sexual obsession such as Thomas Mann's Death in Venice . . . we are dealing with a writer who deserves his plaudits . . . I found myself unable to stop reading . . . Headily accomplished . . . an essential work of our time * Daily Telegraph ***** *Worthy of its comparisons to James Baldwin and Alan Hollinghurst as well as Virginia Woolf and W G Sebald . . . spellbinding . . . a novel of rejection and disgust, displacement and transcendence . . . I found myself trembling as I read it * Evening Standard *A refreshingly slim, subdued and contemplative piece of work . . . Greenwell writes in long, consummately nuanced sentences, strung with insights and soaked in melancholy . . . What Belongs to You is an uncommonly sensitive, intelligent and poignant novel * Sunday Times *I had thought of Hollinghurst as I read What Belongs to You, Greenwell's astonishingly assured debut novel, but questioned whether the parallel came to mind because both writers create vivid, enclosed worlds filled with ambiguous and shifting relationships between gay men. In fact, though, the greater similarity lies in their ability to blend a lyrical prose - the prose of longing, missed connections, grasped pleasures - with an almost uncanny depth of observation . . . [The] middle section [is] a masterful study in alienation and escape . . . Like the writers he admires, WG Sebald, Thomas Bernhard and Javier Marías, he is drawn to the idea of a body of work that seems as though it is all one book, or, as with Sebald in particular, a territory in which the reader wanders. It is perhaps too soon to say precisely what Greenwell's own fictional territory will look like - but even this early on, the landscape looks too riveting to miss -- Alex Clark * Guardian *A rich, important debut, an instant classic to be savored by all lovers of serious fiction because of, not despite, its subject: a gay man's endeavor to fathom his own heart -- Aaron Hamburger * New York Times Book Review *Brilliantly self-aware . . . Greenwell's novel impresses for many reasons, not least of which is how perfectly it fulfills its intentions. But it gains a different power from its uneasy atmosphere of psychic instability, of confession and penitence, of difficult forces acknowledged but barely mastered and beyond the conscious control of even this gifted novelist -- James Wood * New Yorker *With What Belongs to You American literature is richer by one masterpiece. The character Mitko is unforgettable, as all myths are. He reigns at the heart of this book, surrounded by the magic flames of desire -- Edmund White, author of A Boy's Own StoryA powerful novel from a writer who seems destined to produce fine work in the years ahead, describing both the condition of loneliness and the insistent cravings of the flesh with precision and sensitivity. [Greenwell] never seeks to manipulate our emotions, but creates a narrative voice so enigmatic that one feels both affection and disdain for him simultaneously. Too often in fiction it becomes clear how an author wants the reader to feel, but Greenwell's character is too complex a creation for any easy judgments. And that is what will make both him and this novel particularly memorable -- John Boyne * Irish Times *In his spare, haunting novel, Garth Greenwell takes a well-known narrative and finds new meaning in it. What Belongs to You is a searching and compassionate meditation on the slipperiness of desire, the impossibility of salvation, and the forces of shame, guilt, and yearning that often accompany love, rendered in language as beautiful and vivid as poetry -- Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little LifeThere's a particular joy in reading Garth Greenwell, in having that feeling, precious and rare: here is the real thing -- Claire Messud, author of The Woman UpstairsIn Garth Greenwell's incandescent first novel, What Belongs to You, an old tale is made new, and made punishing. . . Mr. Greenwell writes long sentences, pinned at the joints by semicolons, that push forward like confidently searching vines. There's suppleness and mastery in his voice. He seems to have an inborn ability to cast a spell . . . A writer who opens chasms rather than builds substandard bridges . . . A subtle observer of human interactions. He underscores the way expressions of love are nearly always, in part, performance -- Dwight Garner * New York Times *Exquisite . . . Stylistically, Greenwell owes more to Sebald than to Nabokov . . . One of the great pleasures of his prose is how profoundly thoughtful it is, even when considering physical needs and passions. This is emotion recollected in tranquillity, or rather in melancholy. There is an almost visceral disjuncture between places and actions that are grubby, even squalid, and the delicacy of the lens through which they're seen. Yet the effect, paradoxically, is one of almost pure emotion -- Damon Galgut * The Nation *One of the few novels I've read which feels like it offers an authentic account of what growing up is like for gay people in western societies . . . Greenwell's novel is at its most affecting when subtly pushing readers to examine their own attitudes and motives . . . By illuminating the dividing lines in our unequal world, Greenwell's novel challenges us to think about privilege, especially our own . . . What Belongs To You presents a challenging and refreshing vision of gay life. It's an original addition to the line of fiction which, from Henry James to Ben Lerner, chronicles the lives of Americans in Europe. Greenwell painstakingly captures desire in all its complex, double-edged intensity . . . Erotic holding, emotional withholding and the question of who holds power in a relationship are all examined in a work which gripped me all the way to its sad and beautiful ending * Independent on Sunday *Garth Greenwell's first novel is gilded with the kind of praise that debut writers might never dare to imagine for themselves . . . none of it is hyperbole. The praise is earned . . . first, Greenwell's abundant gifts: the language, Hanya Yanagihara says on the book sticker, is "as beautiful and vivid as poetry". To speak in such an approximation, though, might sell it short. Little here is metaphoric though no word is spare. Every utterance seems imbued with thought that is deep and beautiful in its clarity -- Arifa Akbar * Independent *He imbues his prose with a bewitching combination of ethereal somnolence, luminosity and brutal rumination. His sentences are carefully balanced . . . This command of form can also be felt in the larger structures of the novel: in the rhythm and tone of its paragraphs, and in the cumulative music of the book as a whole * Times Literary Supplement *[A novel] about the lasting damage that a loveless childhood can inflict . . . The last sequence includes some marvellous vignettes of loving kindness between parents and children, but they are presented as something that only other people can ever have, and the final pages of the book are memorable for their bleak and desperate sadness -- Neil Bartlett * Guardian *Heartfelt . . . [A] touching, desperately sad story. And the character of Mitko, so vivid yet elusive, explains why What Belongs to You is such a promising debut * The Times *Contains both psychological depth and moments of breathtaking drama * Observer *This astonishing debut novel's portrait of compromised lust holds its own against classics like Lolita * Sunday Telegraph *A slender and achingly beautifully novel full of the gloriously messy pain of unrequited and inappropriate love -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Stylist *A truly stunning debut . . . a masterpiece . . . A literary star is born -- Janice Forsyth * BBC Radio Scotland *The American book changing gay literature * Attitude *A slim novel, yes, but a slim masterpiece * Monocle24 *I was blown away by [What Belongs to You] -- Farhana Gani * the Reader’s Digest podcast *Exquisite . . . Risk and desire are the 'coterminous' elements of the book's style as well as its action, terms of engagement Greenwell makes plain from its first page . . . Breathtaking . . . It's hard to tell at times whether the narrator is the innocent abroad or an American abroad among innocents. Greenwell's insight is that the destruction of innocence is a process that never halts -- Christian Lorentzen * New York Magazine *Outstanding in just about every way a novel could be * Los Angeles Times *The strength of this slim book is the vibrant, heartbreaking character Mr Greenwell creates in Mitko: object of the unnamed narrator's desire, fear, obsession and, ultimately, pity. . . Mr Greenwell offers a tender portrait of the longing for connection and acceptance that inhabits us all * The Economist *Although this is a debut novel, expectations have been running high. What Belongs to You grew from a lauded novella called Mitko. And Greenwell's literary criticism in the New Yorker and the Atlantic demonstrates an unusually keen and insightful mind. That promise is fully realized here in the dark magic of these pages . . . This is a novel of aggressive introspection, but Greenwell writes with such candor and psychological precision that the effect is oddly propulsive . . . In the end, a novel like this can't offer any resolution except its perfect articulation of despair that anyone with a heart will hear -- Ron Charles * The Washington Post *Garth Greenwell's What Belongs to You is the Great Gay Novel for our times . . . an astonishing debut * New Republic *Garth Greenwell starts 2016 on a high note with What Belongs to You, a novel that can be called truly great. The narrative follows an American teacher in Bulgaria and his relationship with a young hustler named Mitko, whom he pays for sex. But the interaction doesn't end there as you might expect, and neither does the exploration of desire, which Greenwell orchestrates brilliantly. Plumbing the depths of sexuality and psychology, What Belongs to You is lingering and haunting * ELLE.com *What Belongs To You comes to feel, in the end, like a great enactment of an infatuation, exciting and appalling by turns-a brilliantly observed account of an attempt to make another person entirely yours, to subsume them within your story * Guernica *At just about two hundred pages, What Belongs to You feels at once expansive and instantaneous, and its lyrical use of time is one of its most striking and immersive elements. In any given section, every moment of the book is present. . . the novel recalls works like Rachel Cusk's Outline, Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, and Teju Cole's Open City; and, of course, it descends stylistically from Sebald . . . What Belongs to You is a haunting, gorgeous, and fierce debut, capturing desire in every sentence - holding the space of what we long for and what can never truly be ours * The Rumpus *Garth Greenwell's debut novel What Belongs to You aches with desire and tenderness: an American professor in Bulgaria encounters a male prostitute named Mitko in a public bathroom, beginning a complex sexual relationship between the two that will have enormous ramifications for them both. Lyrical and haunting, What Belongs to You is a rumination on lust, shame, violence, and the ways in which sexual and emotional pain stays with and shapes us * Buzzfeed *Thomas Mann, Henry James and Marcel Proust are Greenwell's strongest forebears, with James Baldwin and Alan Hollinghurst as equally discernible inspirations. . .Garth Greenwell's writing is alive to the foreign and the unknown; he opens our eyes to worlds we had not realized existed alongside our own. Even the landscape of Bulgaria, one of the poorest and least-known countries in Europe, is made vivid and vibrant. . .What Belongs to You make visible all the painful and beautiful facets of human life and human love * New Republic *Reaches, with elegance, with poetry, into what it means to be a human. . .I rarely feel such a connection with a book: I am sure many others will too, after reading this * Bookseller *[What Belongs to You is] the first great novel of 2016 . . . The book is brilliantly structured . . . [and] Greenwell's ability to parse the complex emotional push-and-pull between the two men is incredible, and rivals books like Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life or Ferrante's Neapolitan novels. His images are spot-on . . . And in Mitko, Greenwell has created one of the best characters in recent years. What Belongs to You is a great tragedy, and Greenwell is a great writer. I'll be reading whatever he writes next." -- Gabe Habash * Publishers Weekly (Staff Pick) *This is a project of rare discernment and beauty, and it is not to be missed. A luminous, searing exploration of desire, alienation, and the powerful tattoo of the past * Kirkus *There's a gorgeousness to Greenwell's prose . . . This is a heart-breaking, important piece of work, which emphasises to us all how much our lives are made (and unmade) by how our bodies collide (or don't) with the bodies of others -- Andrew Macmillan * Next Review *Slim, eloquent and emotionally wrenching, this debut novel is a superb evocation of that curious state known as love . . . Greenwell's shimmering novel recounts an age-old story with such toughness and tenderness as to make it seem new: and that is an art in itself * RTÉ Guide *What Belongs To You is a very accomplished novel from an exceptionally skilled writer. It brilliantly deconstructs the expat experience, modern sexual mores, and cross-continental cultural divides, echoing one of Greenwell's go-to novels growing up, James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. Undoubtedly one of the novels of the year, Greenwell is a writer to watch -- Stephen Boylan * GCN *Utterly absorbing . . . powerful . . . For its mastery of tone and its expert drawing together of a number of disparate elements, Greenwell's narrative feat is utterly remarkable and the final ten pages amount to one of the most moving passages this reviewer has ever read in contemporary fiction * RTÉ *Great portrayal of obsession . . . it is in his prose that Greenwell displays his mastery * New Statesman *Masterly début . . . a melancholy but unwavering account of desire and its aetiologies . . . Mitko is one of the the most unforgettable characters in contemporary gay literature . . . Greenwell's rare invocation of desire's inexorable spell propels you right to the end * Australian Book Review *First-rate debut . . . Greenwell's entranced sentences, Sebald-like in their gravity and evocativeness, take us back to the old days * Sydney Morning Herald *What Belongs to You is a rich and sensually detailed exploration of love and obsession. A haunting, beautiful novel -- Rabih Alameddine, author of An Unnecessary WomanWhat Belongs to You is a beautiful, moving, sensual novel. It announces Garth Greenwell as one of America's most exciting young writers -- Jonathan Lee, author of High DiveIn prose that is at once refined and lavish - the quiet dignity and control of Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day coupled with the agonized passion and sexual tension of André Aciman's Call Me by Your Name - Garth Greenwell takes us deep inside a specific Bulgarian subculture to examine the universal: the disparity between the uninhibited lives we desire and the bearable lives we choose. I began reading What Belongs to You in admiration; I ended in tears. An exquisite debut -- Jamie Quatro, author of I Want to Show You MoreGarth Greenwell is a unique, and uniquely welcome, voice in American letters. The consciousness on display in his debut novel is so rich and restless that it seems practically inexhaustible: a consciousness that rises to heights of both passion and intellect - of passion harnessed by intellect. What Belongs to You very much seems to me not only a great novel but the first installment in a great body of work -- Kevin Brockmeier, author of The IlluminationI am in awe of this book. So intimate, so honest, so exquisitely crafted, it broke my heart and left me in tears. It showed me a Bulgaria both familiar and entirely novel, rendered with candor and deep affection, and characters, whose plight and desires at first seemed foreign yet, before long, so dear. Garth Greenwell has written a marvelous book, an important book - one whose impact is as much artistic as it is cultural. What Belongs to You expands not simply the world of letters, but also our collective knowledge of what it means to be human -- Miroslav Penkov, author of East of the WestWhat Belongs To You is a short novel, but Garth Greenwell's sentences are expansive and revelatory and poetic. Greenwell juxtaposes the narrator's experiences in an unprogressive, formerly Communist country still recovering its infrastructure, to the narrator's own childhood, growing up gay and closeted in the oppressive American South . . . a lovely meditation on fear and acceptance, desire and oppression, and the disparity between two cultures * Esquire *Beautifully rendered, quietly obsessive. A Sebaldian account of a gay American in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the bruising experience of his sexuality being revealed to his father when he was younger -- Adam Haslett, author of Imagine Me GoneI was blown away by it . . . beautiful -- Helen Lewis * Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4 *Absolutely astonishing . . . a tour de force . . . remarkable -- Christopher Frayling * Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4 *Beautifully written . . . a galvanising read as Greenwell constantly dissects his own feelings, thoughts and motives, sieving through desire and need with intelligence, insight and candour . . . Greenwell pulls off a mesmeric read . . . a finely wrought and compelling artifact of both beauty and truth. * New Zealand Listener *I devoured it, in a single sitting . . . I was completely spellbound by it . . . What Belongs To You is concentrated brilliance, a short novel that packs an emotive and thought provoking punch. I urge you all to read it * Savidge Reads *The literary sensation . . . a brilliant tale of gay desire and class division that is exquisitely phrased * i *What Belongs To You is an exquisite triptych * Vulture *An astonishing portrait of compromised lust, set in ex-Soviet Sofia, this debut novel holds its own against classics such as Lolita * Telegraph *I sat down to read a chapter of What Belongs to You one afternoon and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting, hunched over my kitchen table until dark. Garth Greenwell's devastatingly beautiful novel about a gay American expat in Bulgaria and his on-again, off-again relationship with a sex worker named Mitko has been one of the year's breakout hits, and for good reason. It's a virtuosic, tender exploration of loneliness and desire, with sentences so breathtaking you'll find yourself returning to them over and over again * NPR *I read this book when it first emerged and I will keep reading it every year of my life. It is a secular desire bible. It is desire alive. -- Lidia Yuknavitch * The Millions *The book I wish I’d written? Garth Greenwell’s What Belongs to You. It does in its few perfect pages everything – absolutely everything – that I aspire to do with words. -- Taiye Selasi * Guardian *Garth Greenwell’s book has the power and infinite beauty of an ancient tragedy: on every page, passion, obsession, and the struggle for freedom collide with the inevitability of fate and the violence of society. At the same time, it’s a radically contemporary novel, which overwhelmed me as much with its language – rhythmic, incantatory, visceral – as with the way it takes the subjects of memory, escape, desire, and melancholy, and makes them new. What Belongs to You is an essential book. -- Édouard LouisA spare, spellbinding account . . . written in gorgeously limpid prose . . . fearless and nerve-racking autobiographical fiction, incandescent with yearning, rage and rejection . . . one of the most heartbreaking accounts of pained desire that I can remember reading . . . worthy of its comparisons to James Baldwin and Alan Hollinghurst as well as Virginia Woolf and WG Sebald -- Johanna Thomas-Corr, Observer

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Book SynopsisRejected by fifteenth-century Parisian society, the hideously deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo believes he is safe under the watchful eye of his master, the Archdeacon Claude Frollo. But after Quasimodo saves the beautiful Romani girl Esmeralda from the gallows and brings her to sanctuary in the cathedral, he and Frollo's mutual desire for her puts them increasingly at odds, before compassion and cruelty clash with tragic results.An emotionally stirring story, Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is rightfully considered to be one of the finest novels ever written, and this beautiful edition, featuring an afterword by John Grant, is the perfect way to experience this unforgettable tale.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 SynopsisRECIPIENT OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD Treat yourself to this joyful, big-hearted read from Booker Prize-winning novelist Bernardine Evaristo, part of our Penguin Essentials series which spotlights the very best of our modern classics ''Bernardine Evaristo can take any story from any time and turn it into something vibrating with life'' Ali SmithBarrington Jedidiah Walker is seventy-four and leads a double life. Born and bred in Antigua, he''s lived in Hackney since the sixties. A flamboyant, wise-cracking local character with a dapper taste in retro suits and a fondness for quoting Shakespeare, Barrington is a husband, father and grandfather - but he is also secretly homosexual, lovers with his great childhood friend, Morris.His deeply religious and disappointed wife, Carmel, thinks he sleeps with other women. When their marriage goes into meltdown, Barrington wants to divorce Carmel and live with Morris, but after a lifetime of fear and deception, will he manage to break away?Mr Loverman is a ground-breaking exploration of Britain''s older Caribbean community, which explodes cultural myths and fallacies and shows the extent of what can happen when people fear the consequences of being true to themselves.''Sublime'' Telegraph''Rip-roaring . . . she says things about modern Britain that no one else does'' Guardian''Brilliant'' IndependentTrade ReviewBernardine Evaristo can take any story from any time and turn it into something vibrating with life -- Ali SmithThis riproaring, full-bodied riff on sex, secrecy and family is Bernardine Evaristo's seventh book. If you don't yet know her work, you should - she says things about modern Britain that no one else does * Guardian *Transforms our often narrow perceptions of gay men in England . . . Comical, agonising and, ultimately, moving * Independent *Evaristo has a lot going on in this unusual urban romance, but beneath her careful study of race and sexuality is a beautiful love story. Not many writers could have two old men having sexual intercourse in a bedsit to a soundtrack of Shabba Ranks's Mr Loverman and save it from bad taste, much less make it sublime. But the hero of this book, and his canny creator, make everything taste just fine * Daily Telegraph *An undeniably bold and energetic writer, whose world view is anything but one-dimensional * Sunday Times *Audacious genre-bending, in-yer-face wit and masterly retellings of underwritten corners of history are the hallmarks of Evaristo's wit * New Statesman *Heartbreaking yet witty, this is a story that needed to be told * Observer *I loved this novel. Barrington is flamboyant, complex and in love with his childhood friend Morris. It really makes you think of all the stories, forbidden and forgotten, from the elders who made England their home -- Luan Goldie * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisWATERSTONES BEST FICTION BOOKS OF 2023 PICK WOMAN & HOME NOVEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH iPaper TOP FICTION PICK 'An absolutely charming novel that all bookworms will adore' Red 'A balm for the soul and a glorious love letter to books and reading' iPaper There was only one thing on her mind. 'I must start a bookshop.' Yeongju did everything she was supposed to, go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. Burned out, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster, and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju - they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live. A heart-warming story about finding comfort and acceptance in your life – and the healing power of books. 'Delightful, reflective and heart-warming' Woman's Weekly ‘Profound and healing … a beautiful story at its heart’ Woman & Home 'An incredibly exciting debut novel. At once gentle and invigorating. I devoured it' Sarah Crossan, author of Here is the Beehive Reader Reviews: 'Love love love this book! Cosy, heart warming, wholesome...Will be recommending this to everyone. It makes me smile when I think about it!' 'Such a beautiful book, I adored the story and characters, The writing style was gorgeous. 100% recommend.' 'A love letter to books, bookshops and all who love them' 'Such a warm and cosy read! Was completely here for it...and the appreciation for books was magical' 'A heart-warming cosy read that makes you think about how important it is to be happy, and that we can all find a place to call ‘home’.'Trade ReviewProfound and healing … a beautiful story at its heart * Book of the Month, Woman & Home *An incredibly exciting debut novel. At once gentle and invigorating. I devoured it -- Sarah Crossan, author of Here is the BeehiveThis was a word of mouth Korean sensation when it was first published and now translated into English it isn’t hard to see why. This novel is both a balm for the soul and a glorious love letter to books and reading * Top Fiction Pick, iPaper *A story that embraces its sentimentality * Observer *Quirky… It’s a tale about community and finding comfort in the small things * Monocle *A real love letter to reading... wonderful * Good Housekeeping *Delightful, reflective and heart-warming … we challenge you not to fall in love with it * Woman's Weekly *All readers who love books about books will fall in love with this charming story * Prima *This is a love letter to bookshops and to the people who find solace among their shelves … An absolutely charming novel that all bookworms will adore * Red *Reader Reviews:'Love love love this book! Cosy, heart warming, wholesome...Will be recommending this to everyone. It makes me smile when I think about it!''Such a beautiful book, I adored the story and characters, The writing style was gorgeous. 100% recommend.''A love letter to books, bookshops and all who love them''Such a warm and cosy read! Was completely here for it...and the appreciation for books was magical''A heart-warming cosy read that makes you think about how important it is to be happy, and that we can all find a place to call ‘home’.'

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Book SynopsisThis classic story of Anne of Green Gables follows Anne, a spirited orphan, as she uses her imagination and love of reading to become the heart of her new community.

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Book SynopsisThe gripping psychological thriller from the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author of After Anna, Seven Days and The Choice.Imitation is the most terrifying form of flatteryWhich Sarah Havenant is you?When an old friend gets in touch, Sarah Havenant discovers that there are two Facebook profiles in her name. One is hers. The other, she has never seen.But everything in it is accurate. Photos of her friends, her husband, her kids. Photos from the day before. Photos of her new kitchen. Photos taken inside her house.And this is just the beginning. Because whoever has set up the second profile has been waiting for Sarah to find it. And now that she has, her life will no longer be her ownWhat readers are saying about CopycatTense and compelling, it'll have you hooked throughout!'I was gripped right from the very beginning''You will not be able to put this book down!!''Among the best three thrillers I have ever read'A very special thriller, one that I will not forget in a long time'A rollercTrade Review‘I devoured COPYCAT in 24 hours and could barely put it down. A thoroughly entertaining, gripping read’ Cass Green, bestselling author of The Woman Next Door ‘I was totally hooked from the first page – there's no way once you begin this novel, that you'll be able to put it down. The short chapters reeled me in, giving the right amount of suspense and tension. It was a cleverly plotted, compelling read, where I kept saying 'just one more chapter' – until I'd devoured the entire novel! COPYCAT is the very definition of a page-turner – it was a fast-paced, thrilling race to the end. Loved it.’ Sam Carrington, bestselling author of Saving Sophie ‘COPYCAT is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read this year’ Rachel’s Random Reads ‘If I could only choose one word to describe this book, it would be WOW’ Novel Kicks ‘Very creepy indeed’ I Read Novels ‘Life is a frightening place in the world of COPYCAT’ For Winter Nights ‘Will have your pulse racing and your nerves frayed’ If In Doubt Read ‘Fabulous stuff!’ Northern Crime ‘Keeps you guessing with lots of twists and turns until the very last page’ Reading, Willing & Able ‘A brilliant, tense read’ Grab This Book ‘Hugely addictive, tense and chilling right from the first page, this is a fast-paced, edge-of-your seat reading from beginning to end’ Cosy Books ‘A highly recommended read for lovers of thrillers and mystery readers alike’ Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom ‘To say that this novel is creepy is to underestimate the term, 'creepy'’ Jaffa Reads Too ‘I honestly loved every page of COPYCAT’ Girl Vs Books ‘I really enjoyed this thriller and would definitely say it’s one to look out for’ Bookbum Praise for Alex Lake: ‘You’ll find it hard to fall asleep when the lights go out’ Evening Standard ‘A nail-biting psychological thriller … maintains high suspense to the very end’ Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThis was no accidentHaunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter.I know your name's not really Jane Hughes . . .Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She's happier than she's ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist.Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women.Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won't stop until they've destroyed Jane and everything she lovesTrade ReviewPraise for The Lie: ‘Haunting and heart-stoppingly creepy, The Lie is a gripping roller coaster of suspense.’SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘5/5 stars – Spine-chilling!’WOMAN MAGAZINE ‘An excellent psychological thriller’Heat Magazine ‘Packed with twists and turns, this brilliantly tense thriller will get your blood pumping.’Claire Frost, Fabulous Magazine ‘Fast-paced, tense and atmospheric, a guaranteed bestseller’Mark Edwards ''A gripping page-turner full of intrigue and suspense."Lucy Clarke ‘Creepy, horrifying and twisty. C L Taylor is extremely good at writing stories in which you have no idea which characters you can trust, and the result is intriguing and scary and extremely gripping.’Julie Cohen, 2014 Richard and Judy Summer Book Club Pick ‘The Lie is absolutely brilliant – The Beach, only darker, more thrilling and more tense. It's the story of a twisted, distorted friendship. It's a compelling, addictive and wonderfully written tale. Can't recommend it enough.’Louise Douglas ‘A gripping and disturbing psychological thriller: every bit as good as The Accident.’Clare Mackintosh ‘Black Narcissus for the Facebook generation; a clever exploration of how petty jealousies and misunderstandings can unravel even the tightest of friendships. Claustrophobic, tense and thrilling, a thrill-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing.’Elizabeth Haynes ‘My heart was racing after I finished CL Taylor's brilliant new book The Lie. Dark, creepy and full of twists. I loved it.’Rowan Coleman ‘C L Taylor is fast becoming the queen of psychological suspense. Read this: you won't be disappointed.’Victoria Fox ‘A plot both brilliant and chilling; characters both appealing and dark and a terrifying climax to which you will race with your heart hammering in your chest. Masterful storytelling; a brilliant read.’Lucy Robinson C L Taylor produces dark and intriguing page-turners, with strong characters and great pace.Paul Finch

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Book SynopsisPowerful and visionary, Keri Hulme has written the great New Zealand novel of our times.Trade Review'In this novel, New Zealand's people, its heritage and landscape are conjured up with uncanny poetry and perceptiveness' Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisBy the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in LiteratureThe elegance and control of Gurnah''s writing, and his understanding of how quietly and slowly and repeatedly a heart can break, make this a deeply rewarding novel' Kamila Shamsie, Guardian ________________________For seven-year-old Salim, the pillars upholding his small universe his indifferent father, his adored uncle, his treasured books, the daily routines of government school and Koran lessons seem unshakeable.But it is the 1970s, and the winds of change are blowing through Zanzibar: suddenly Salim's father is gone, and the island convulses with violence and corruption the wake of a revolution. It will only be years later, making his way through an alien and hostile London, that Salim will begin to understand the shame and exploitation festering at the heart of his family's history. ________________________Riveting The measured elegance of Gurnah'sTrade Review[A] captivating storyteller, with a voice both lyrical and mordant, and an oeuvre haunted by memory and loss. His intricate novels of arrival and departure … reveal, with flashes of acerbic humour, the lingering ties that bind continents, and how competing versions of history collide * Guardian *Gurnah is a master storyteller -- Aminatta Forna * Financial Times *Gurnah writes with wonderful insight about family relationships and he folds in the layers of history with elegance and warmth * The Times *Exile has given Gurnah a perspective on the “balance between things” that is astonishing, superb * Observer *Gurnah etches with biting incisiveness the experiences of immigrants exposed to contempt, hostility or patronising indifference on their arrival in Britain * Spectator *Gurnah writes with quiet humour and great affection about pre-revolutionary Zanzibar and its people … Gurnah writes beautifully, with the satisfying assurance of someone who knows how to achieve his effects without undue fuss but with absolute precision * Daily Telegraph *Gurnah evokes his world in poetic prose which is pure and lucid * Guardian *His prose is elegant and evocative * Mail on Sunday *Gurnah has laid powerful imaginative claim to the eastern seaboard of Africa * Independent *Gravel Heart is one of the beautiful novels that lingers in the mind long after reading. Gurnah writes about the clash of worlds with such pathos and elegance. -- Amanda ForemanGlittering...Each work is different from the last, yet they build into a powerfully evocative oeuvre that keeps coming back to the same questions, in spare, graceful prose, about the ties that bind and the ties that fray -- Judith Woods * Daily Telegraph *Entertainingly intertwines migration and a tale of family drama ... Gurnah has rightly been praised for his masterful storytelling ... An emotive tale about betrayal, families and the East African diaspora -- Theresa Munoz * Sunday Herald *A colourful tale of lie in a Zanzibar village, where passions and politics reshape a family ... Expect echoes of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure -- Jeffery Burke * Mail on Sunday *Throughout, the elegance and control of Gurnah’s writing, and his understanding of how quietly and slowly and repeatedly a heart can break, make this a deeply rewarding novel * Guardian *The measured elegance of Gurnah’s prose renders his protagonist in a manner almost uncannily real … Gurnah’s portrayal of student immigrant life in Britain is pleasingly deliberate and precise, and also riveting … Even the minor characters in this novel have richly imagined histories that inflect their smallest interactions – one of the loveliest pleasures of this book, and a choice that makes its world exceptionally full * New York Times *A poignant, understated and frequently moving novel * Herald *

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Book Synopsis'Will burrow under your skin and live forever in your darkest dreams' BustJoyce Carol Oates assembles a spectacular cast to explore, subvert and reinvent one of horror's most visceral of subgenres. Focusing on distortions of the human body, the fifteen short stories of A Darker Shade will delight, disgust and shock you.From the metaphysical horror of a snail trapped in body of a young office worker, to a women cursed to dance endlessly, her body ravaged and torn, these are stories that confront the inextricable link between physical and mental terror.Featuring brand-new stories by: Margaret Atwood, Raven Leilani, Lisa Tuttle, Tananarive Due, Joyce Carol Oates, Megan Abbott, Aimee Bender, Cassandra Khaw, Lisa Lim, Elizabeth Hand, Valerie Martin, Sheila Kohler, Joanna Margaret and Aimee LaBrie, and Yumi Dineen Shiroma.Trade ReviewA bold collection of horror stories that flies in the face of both gender and genre conventions * Kirkus Reviews *Will burrow under your skin and live forever in your darkest dreams * Bust *A provocative and incisive collection . . . Prepare yourself for some truly unsettling stories * CrimeReads *For this chilling anthology, Oates brings together 15 stories exploring body horror through women's experiences . . . the thematic probe into bodily autonomy makes this a must-read for fans of feminist horror * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA sense of belonging - being liked, understood, accepted for who we are - is vital for our mental health. Whether it is fitting in at school, struggling to connect with colleagues in a new job, or just feeling out of place in our own family, we all, at various stages in our lives, find ourselves questioning our identity. For Dr Holan Liang, one of the UK's foremost psychiatrists, this crisis of identity cuts right to the heart of the modern epidemic of anxiety and depression. In this ground-breaking book, she draws on her own experience as an immigrant to the UK, and on 20 years of caring for patients suffering from a range of mental health conditions, from depression and anxiety to ADHD and anorexia, to explore a radical new perspective on mental health.Warm, wise and full of humanity, A Sense of Belonging will help you to: understand the causes of loneliness, reprioritise the people and things that matter, stop people-pleasing, and learn how to accept yourself in order to find genuine connection.

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Book SynopsisPages for You is story of the beginning, blossoming and falling apart of a delirious love affair, by Sylvia Brownrigg.‘A love letter written for a lost lover . . . mesmerizing’ – Helen Dunmore, The TimesWhen Flannery Jansen arrives at university, she is totally unprepared for an encounter that will rock her existence. But when she comes across Anne Arden in a local diner, Flannery falls dramatically and desperately in love.Flannery is quickly embarrassed in the face of the older woman’s poise and sophistication, and under the gaze of those impossible green eyes, but slowly their paths intertwine, and soon Flannery becomes Anne’s eager student in life and love.Trade ReviewA love letter written for a lost lover . . . mesmerizing -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *Candid, fresh and vivid * Sunday Telegraph *Bathed in a joyful, cloistered mood of sensual celebration * New York Times *Exuberant and wistful * TLS *Language is the real object of infatuation here . . . words are as seductive as bodies * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisBy the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in LiteratureLONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE''One scarcely dares breathe while reading it for fear of breaking the enchantment'' The TimesGurnah is a master storyteller'' Financial TimesOn a late November afternoon Saleh Omar arrives at Gatwick Airport from Zanzibar, a far away island in the Indian Ocean. With him he has a small bag in which lies his most precious possession - a mahogany box containing incense. He used to own a furniture shop, have a house and be a husband and father. Now he is an asylum seeker from paradise; silence his only protection. Meanwhile Latif Mahmud, someone intimately connected with Saleh''s past, lives quietly alone in his London flat. When Saleh and Latif meet in an English seaside town, a story is unravelled. It is a story of love and betrayal, seduction and possession, and of a people desperately trying to find stability amidst the maelstrom of their times.Trade ReviewRarely in a lifetime can you open a book and find that reading it encapsulates the enchanting qualities of a love affair ... one scarcely dares breathe while reading it for fear of breaking the enchantment * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe breakthrough book from the highly acclaimed author of By the SeaTrade ReviewRich in detail and filled with acute observations, this novel movingly examines the absences eating away at the core of all of its characters * Sunday Telegraph *As beautifully written and pleasurable as anything I've read ... Gurnah's portrait is the work of a maestro * Guardian *This is an impressive and deeply serious book, a careful and often heartfelt exploration of the way memory inevitably consoles and disappoints us * Sunday Times *An absorbing novel about abandonment and loss ... Gurnah writes beautifully, with the satisfying assurance of someone who knows how to achieve his effects without undue fuss but with absolute precision * Daily Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis**A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BIG JUBILEE READ PICK**''A milestone in the campaign for racial equality'' GuardianIn 1945, Rick Braithwaite, a smart, highly educated ex-RAF pilot, looks for a job in British engineering. He is deeply shocked to realise that, as a black man from British Guiana, no one will employ him because of the colour of his skin. In desperation he turns to teaching, taking a job in a tough East End school, and left to govern a class of unruly teenagers. With no experience or guidance, Braithwaite attempts to instil discipline, confound prejudice and ultimately, to teach.''Moving and inspiring'' New York TimesWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CARYL PHILLIPSTrade ReviewA book that the reader devours quickly, ponders slowly, and forgets not at all-Moving and inspiring * New York Times *E.R. Braithwaite's postwar novel about a black teacher fighting to win the respect of white pupils in a school in the East End of London is a milestone in the campaign for racial equality * Guardian *It is the noblest, most moving, least sentimental account of life in a modern school and of a teacher's struggles with his pupils and with himself that I have come across -- Michael Croft * Observer *

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Book SynopsisPRE-ORDER ONE IN A MILLION, THE SPICY NEW ROMCOM FROM BEVERLEY KENDALL, OUT SPRING 2025. A sexy, whip-smart, enemies to lovers romcom that’s fresh and topical, tackling racism and tokenism as experienced by a young Black woman in the cutthroat world of Publicity. 'A funny, satisfying read full of sparkling banter and thoughtful social commentary' Shauna Robinson, author of Must Love Books 'The most delicious blend of a *very* heated novel, the dynamics of an age old and rock-solid friendship, the complexities that come with being a Black woman in any workspace and a romance that could melt any heart. Token had me rapt from the very first page with it’s humour and intelligence - I absolutely adored it'  Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us 'Brimming with angst, banter, and a fiery chemistry' Taj McCoy, author of ZorTrade Review'Token was EVERYTHING and more - the most delicious blend of a *very* heated novel, the dynamics of an age old and rock-solid friendship, the complexities that come with being a Black woman in any workspace and a romance that could melt any heart. But it’s also so much more, with Beverley asking us to reckon with the moral abyss that is being in the public eye and how difficult it can be in both sides of the coin. This book had me rapt from the very first page with it’s humour and intelligence - I absolutely adored it' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of The Three Of Us 'Beverley Kendall masterfully delivers the ABCs of a delectable second chance romance between Kendall and Nate - it’s brimming with angst, banter, and a fiery chemistry. The added dimension of the workplace dramas will strike a chord and keep you guessing' Taj McCoy, author of Zora Books Her Happy Ever After 'A funny, satisfying read full of sparkling banter and thoughtful social commentary. I loved watching Kennedy take the corporate world by storm - and follow her heart along the way' Shauna Robinson, author of Must Love Books'Fresh, sexy and funny' heat Reader Reviews ‘I loved it. The characters were amazing’ ‘Token will definitely make a good book club recommendation, as there is a lot to discuss’ ‘A joy to read. I was totally captivated by the story and the relationship between Kennedy and Nate’ ‘I just couldn’t stop turning the pages’ ‘Completely engrossing’ ‘Token is fantastic, I adored the fake dating trope, but was completely there for Kennedy and Nate, their chemistry was palpable and the spicy scenes were very hot’ 'A fun, sexy romance read with some great female characters and an underlying commentary on some of societies issues of racism and misogyny. The chemistry between Kennedy and her ex was undeniable' 'Tackles some tricky issues whilst still maintaining its appeal as a fun, romantic read. If you like your romances spicy, this is for you. The characters are appealing and engaging, and it has everything you could want from an intelligent romance' 'A sexy and smart novel! The banter between Kennedy and Nate is mesmerising! Issues of racism and sexism are focused on but ultimately the romance took over and I loved it' 'I gulped Token down in just a couple of sittings, I couldn’t read it fast enough! It’s fresh, feisty, and wow, it’s hot! I loved the way the story is told, it’s funny, straight-talking and original. I couldn’t get enough and truly loved it' 'I was hooked from the very first page and just knew that I was going to love the strong and sassy main character, Kennedy. Token is a fresh, modern and powerful novel that completely captivated me from start to finish' 'A really interesting, thought provoking and enjoyable read. It’s part romance, part looking at issues in modern life, specifically around race and gender' 'What a fresh, engaging and brilliant read. I loved Token - a narrative with sharp wit, incisive social comment and an underlying sexiness that makes it a fabulous read... intelligent, entertaining and, for me, quite brilliant' 'I love a romance, and I love it even better if the story has depth. Token delivers on this, and more. Well-paced, beautifully-plotted, written with humour, passion and strength, this story works as a romance and as a social commentary on the world' 'Token is HOT... packed full of chemistry! A great, fun and entertaining read' 'Well written, a mix of romance, current issues, a smattering of spicy sex and a serious look at the behaviours of those who often have the most power. A fascinating and fun look at the world of business in New York' 'Super sharp, I loved that Token couldn’t be pigeonholed - yes there’s a hot romance, but there’s also a focus on diversity... Kennedy is an absolute QUEEN!' 'A clever combination, combining a spicy second chance romance with an underlying exploration of the serious topic of DE&I in the workplace. Perfectly balanced, it makes for a fun and addictive read with a thought-provoking message'

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Book SynopsisIt is 1998, the year America is plunged into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president, and in a small New England town a distinguished classics professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues allege that he is a racist. The charge is unfounded, but the truth about Silk would astonish even his most virulent accuser.Trade ReviewThe Human Stain pulses with the strengths that make Roth a prime contender for the status of the most impressive novelist now writing in and about America * Sunday Times *An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand' * Sunday Telegraph *One of his very best... There are passages of such sustained brilliance here that I found myself going over them again and again in gaping disbelief. An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand * Sunday Telegraph *A novel so furious in its telling, with a plot so intricate in its construction that it is infused with a kind of diabolic joy. A masterpiece * Mail on Sunday *[A] tender, shocking and incendiary story on the failure of the American dream refracted through the prism of race -- Arifa Akbar * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'Sparkling... funny, it is also cutting, a nearly forensic study of family conflict... both compulsively readable and thought-provoking.' New York TimesThe Oppenheimer triplets have been reared with every advantage: wealth, education, and the determined attention of at least one of their parents. But they have been desperate to escape each other ever since they were born.Now, on the verge of their departure for college and so close to their long-coveted freedom, the triplets are forced to contend with an unexpected complication: a fourth Oppenheimer sibling has just been born. What has possessed their parents to make such an unfathomable decision? The triplets can't begin to imagine the the power this little latecomer is about to exert - nor just how destructive she'll be to their plans . . .'Korelitz draws us in again, this time with her ease, grace and wit, in a satisfying novel that spans generations, lives, and fates.' Meg WTrade Review'Remarkable.' - Stephen King, on The Plot'It keeps you guessing and wondering, and also keeps you thinking. ' - TheNew York Times Book Review, on The Plot

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Book Synopsis'A sharply written story with messy, deeply moving characters' Taylor Jenkins Reid 'I was captivated by the writing from page one... Powerful' Lizzie Damilola Blackburn 'The story of Kemi, Muna and Brittany-Rae – Black women hoping to start anew in a society that does not see them – is a story for these times' Chika Unigwe 'A sexy, surprising, searing debut about love, loss, desire, and the many dimensions of Black womanhood. Timely and terrific!' Deesha Philyaw Three very different women are desperate for their lives to change. Though strangers, they are drawn to the same place: Stockholm, a city famed for its egalitarianism. But beneath the city's glittering surface lurk challenges old and new. Challenges that threaten to tear them down once and for all...Trade ReviewA sharply written story with messy, deeply moving characters, raising brutal questions and steering clear of easy answers. A book that will stick with you long after you've turned the last page -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the SixThese characters will pull at your heartstrings. L?lá writes with a contemporary flair, highlighting the layered subtleties of the Black woman's plight -- Nicole Dennis-Benn, bestselling author of novels Here Comes the Sun and PatsyA sexy, surprising, searing debut about love, loss, desire, and the many dimensions of Black womanhood. Timely and terrific! -- Deesha Philyaw, award-winning author of The Secret Life of Church LadiesThis is a very different and unpredictable portrayal of Black women's search for love and self, and it's pure magic -- Kim Golden, author of Maybe BabyAt once enjoyable and disturbing as it explores the painful price millions of women around the world pay for walking around with black skin -- Imbolo Mbue, New York Times bestselling author of Behold the DreamersCaptivating. Åkerström describes what it is to be an ambitious black woman in today's world. The story of Kemi, Muna and Brittany-Rae – black women hoping to start anew in a society that does not see them – is a story for these times, and their fate is a stark reminder that the seaweed isn't always greener in somebody else's lake -- Chika Unigwe, author of On Black Sisters' StreetA striking debut... As entertaining as it is revealing, Åkerström's novel has readers hoping that each of these women is able to break free from toxic expectations and achieve her every dream and ambition. Along the way, Åkerström also delivers poignant commentary on Swedish culture and the price Black women pay by virtue of the color of their skin. A guaranteed favorite for fans of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah' * Booklist *Take three Black women in search of a better life. Add love and desire to a mix of family expectations and what it's like to have no family whatsoever. Akinmade Akerstrom's voice is fresh and insightful as she tells a compelling story of what it means to be a Black woman in a globalised world. From a rich, cushioned elite to a determined refugee, she takes us from the US and London to Sweden. This ambitious novel is beautifully realised. Akinmade Akerstrom is definitely a writer to watch! -- Yaba Badoe, author of A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars and WolflightLolá Ákínmádé Åkerström’s debut novel is as much a liberating battle cry as it is a searing, multifaceted examination of the hearts and minds of Black women navigating white-dominated spaces... Rather than shying away from or oversimplifying difficult and complex topics, Åkerström has effectively packaged themes of racism, immigration, fetishism and otherness into an engrossing story that will enlighten its readers, regardless of their nationality or race' * BookPage *A beautiful novel [...] that highlights what it's really like to be a Black woman today... Contemporary and vivid, this story will captivate and educate' * Good Morning America *A rich narrative, weaving together each woman's perspective to unpack nuances around foreignness and belonging. Through lively prose and spirited dialogue, Åkerström shows that for all the protagonists' differences, being a Black woman in a white-dominated society will inevitably lead them to the same fate * Vulture *An engaging novel that presents the nuanced experiences of Black women from all walks of life. The author takes on misogynoir masterfully in this book that's never quite what you think it is * Essence *I loved In Every Mirror She's Black so much. I was captivated by the writing from page one, and the characters kept me turning. I was heavily invested in Brittany, Kemi, and particularly, Muna, whom I had become protective of. Although it had sad notes, I appreciated how Lola didn't shy away from exploring heavy themes, as it made the book even more powerful -- Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka Where Is Your Husband?Incisive, thought-provoking and un-put-down-able... Riveting, moving and stirring (with punch-packing endings you won't see coming), In Every Mirror She's Black is a magnificent must-read' * LoveReading *Each must find their way in a society depicted as more concerned with hygge than humanity in this hectic and ultimately extremely sad story * The Gloss Magazine *The book provides a pointed look at how Black women must navigate the world around them * Independent *An immersive novel about three Black women building new lives in Sweden and how racism manifests in an already-insular society * Red Magazine *A thought-provoking read * Prima Magazine *Stunning thought-provoking contemporary fiction from Akinmade Åkerström shines a deeply nuanced light on the Black woman experience in the Nordics * Bella Naija *In search of escape these three women find themselves in Stockholm – but instead of a fresh new start, they find the same problems just wear a different name * Closer *As their lives intersect, this smart, unflinching novel reveals facets of how it is to be a Black woman living and working in a white-dominated society * Heat *There are powerful, important themes underpinning the narrative, but what really shines through is the distinctness of the different characters and the depiction of real lives and emotions * South Wiltshire Living *Åkerström writes all too convincingly about racism, fetishism, identity and loneliness, giving additional depth and texture to this vivid, involving novel * Daily Mail *Åkerström sustains an undercurrent of darkness, a pulse of anxiety, so you as the reader never quite know where you will be from page to page * Bad Form *Drawing comparisons to Queenie and Americanah, it promises to be one of the most discussed novels of 2021 * Stylist *

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Book SynopsisWidely accepted as Henry James' great masterpiece, The Portrait of a Lady is a poignant and intense exploration of freedom and identity. This edition is introduced by Costa Award-winning author Colm Tóibín.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. Intelligent, beautiful and vivacious, Isabel Archer fascinates and intimidates the elite society of Albany, New York. Fiercely protective of her independence, she travels to England with her aunt to escape a persistent suitor but, upon inheriting a considerable fortune, falls into the sway of the devious Mrs Merle who whisks her off to Italy. There she is seduced by the narcissistic Gilbert Osmond, an art collector who will stop at nothing to possess her, and whose connection to Mrs Merle is shrouded in mystery.

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Book SynopsisDark clouds are looming on the horizon of the vampire world as Dillon returns to VAMPS in DARK HORIZONS, the sizzling sequel to Fresh Blood, available to pre-order now.'Fast-paced and enthralling' Sun 'A slick new series of romance and intrigue' Observer 'Everything you want from a vampire novel' United by Pop IN DARKNESS WE SHINE    Welcome to VAMPS, an elite academy in the Swiss Alps for the children of the wealthiest and most powerful vampire families. Dillon is an outsider, a dhampir – half vampire, half human – sent to VAMPS to learn to nurture his vampire side. Thrown in at the deep end, he must embrace his fangs if he is to survive. But blood never lies and there is something special in Dillon’s veins that the others do not have. And as his power grows, so does the&Trade Review'Fast-paced and enthralling' Sun 'A slick new series of romance and intrigue' Observer 'Everything you want from a vampire novel' United by Pop 'A refreshing take . . . This school-set coming-of-age tale will appeal to teens who can't get enough vampires' Booklist '[A] sexy, dark academia-tinged debut… Fans of non-horror vampire stories and Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six should put this on their radar' Publishers Weekly 'Arend creates an exciting world of civilized vampires that hold power and weight even inside the human hierarchy. It’s an alluring and fast-paced read for fans of The Atlas Six, A Deadly Education and True Blood' Library Journal

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Book Synopsis** AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVELIST AND BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR 2023 ** ** SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2023: DEBUT FICTION ** ‘A voice unlike any other’ OBSERVER ‘I fell in love immediately’ MAX PORTER ‘A writer of imagination and flair’ ECONOMIST ‘Smart, subversive, funny, heartbreaking’ KAMILA SHAMSIE ‘Buoro's writing deserves to inspire a generation of superheroes’ THE TIMES Fifteen-year-old Andrew Aziza lives in Kontagora, Nigeria, where his days are spent about town with his droogs, Slim and Morocca, grappling with his fantasies about white girls – especially blondes – and wondering who his father is. When he’s not in church, at school or attempting to form ‘Africa’s first superheroes’, he obsesses over mathematical theorems, ideas of black power and HXVX: the Curse of Africa. Sure enough, the reluctantly nicknamed ‘Andy Africa’ soon falls hopelessly and inappropriately in love with the first white girl he lays eyes on, Eileen. But at the church party held to celebrate her arrival, multiple crises loom. An unfamiliar man claims, despite his mother’s denials, to be Andy’s father, and the gathering of an anti-Christian mob is headed for the church – both set to shake the foundations of everything Andy knows and loves. The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa announces a dazzling, distinctive, new literary voice. Profound, exhilarating and highly original, this tragicomic novel is a stunning exploration of the contemporary African ‘condition’, the relentless infiltration of Western culture and, most of all, the ordinary but impossible challenges of coming of age in a turbulent world.Trade ReviewThis is extraordinary, driven by a gloriously eccentric central character. It is utterly compelling, not shy about posing difficult questions for the reader * 2023 Nero Book Prize Judges *The pleasure here is as much in the journey as the destination, with sex, terrorism and, er, catechisms in the mix. Buoro has energy to burn -- IndependentCraft and verve abound in this tragicomic coming-of-age debut fuelled by the lapel-grabbing voice of its 15-year-old narrator, Andy . . . Both sweet and sour, it offers a family story, a thwarted romance and a story of friendship * Daily Mail *A smart and incisive coming-of-age tragicomedy * i *The vivid immediacy of Buoro’s prose is transporting, his similes as alive as the scenes he paints . . . [Buoro's] writing deserves to inspire a generation of superheroes * The Times *This ticks all the boxes of a literary blockbuster . . . Buoro commits to representing diversity within Blackness, the way Toni Morrison does . . . You wouldn’t be wrong to read the book as satire of a certain kind of Black aspiration, or as an allegory of Africa and the western imperialist project. Or you could read it as itself, without abstracting its particularities: the story of a boy doing his best under the assault of powerful western influences and illusions * Guardian *An assured debut . . . [Buoro] brings Andy’s world to life with such immediacy * Independent *Buoro is a writer of imagination and flair . . . His sentences are mad, boisterous, incantatory – and, in a continent where rhythm is as common as praying, quite singular. The prose on any page could only be his. And Andy Africa is an unforgettable character … Contemporary African literature is rich in coming-of-age stories. For its sheer energy, The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa is among the best * Economist *An exhilarating, tragicomic novel that questions what it means to come of age in Nigeria today . . . A voice unlike any other * Observer *Beautiful, intelligent and heart-wrenching -- NoViolet Bulawayo, author of GLORY and WE NEED NEW NAMESA barnstorming, heartbreaking debut . . . Tackling the perils of carving out a unique identity in a world of carnage and confusion, in the shadow of colonialism, this assured, engaging book, will make you fall in love with teenager Andy Aziza, and will undoubtedly make a star of Stephen Buoro * Harper's Bazaar, Highlights for 2023 *This novel exudes a wonderfully vivid sense of place and leads the reader inside the head of its teenage hero . . . It’s a narrative of depth that also manages to be instantly engaging -- Ian RankinI fell in love with this novel immediately. [It has] hilarious energy, a satirical but also wildly ambitious philosophical framework … It’s eccentric, profound, timely, specific but it also has global concerns and a really, really brilliant central character -- Max PorterFascinating; unashamedly, brilliantly intelligent. It grapples with ideas around maths, Afrofuturism, biblical myth . . . profound philosophical stuff, but fundamentally it’s a really playful, pleasurable book about young boy who’s falling madly in love, and has a difficult, intense, loving relationship with his mother -- Sarah PerryStephen Buoro’s wonderful The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa is filled with lovable, memorable characters. You’ll meet a young man pining over a fantasy; his fierce mother who tries to shield him as best she can; a friend who confides; and others who just want happiness. This novel is at once funny and heartbreaking. Most importantly, it’s honest -- De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of DECENT PEOPLE and IN THE WEST MILLSA blazing debut – smart, subversive, funny, heartbreaking. I’m already impatient for Buoro’s next book -- Kamila ShamsieHilarious and heartbreaking and full of surprises, Stephen Buoro’s debut novel puts us inside the head of the titular teenager, a charming, nervous Nigerian kid who is curious about the world but convinced that he lives on a cursed continent. It’s a fun and harrowing place to be * The Philadelphia Inquirer *

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Book Synopsis**The bold, brilliant and buzzy new novel from Dawn O''Porter HONEYBEE is available to buy now***THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER and Richard & Judy book club pick*______________________________________________________________WHAT IF THE LIFE YOU'RE LIVING ISN'T THE ONE YOU WANT?Mia has made all the right choices. She's married, she has the nice house, the good career. But life isn't about fitting into a box. And there's another woman inside her who's just clawing to get out PRAISE FOR CAT LADY:Even speaking as a dog man, I thought Cat Lady was an absolute joy to read' Matt HaigMy book of the year' Reader review ?????A reminder to live your life your way. Cat or no cat' Fearne CottonReally gets the reader to think about what matters in life Unputdownable and completely wonderful!' Reader review ?????Witty, thought-provoking and hilarious, Cat Lady is a triumph' The Unmumsy MumDawn O'Porter challenges the stereotypes of the typical cat lady' with this beautiful and emotional read' Reader review?????An ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together' Emma GannonI absolutely adored this book!' Reader review?????Funny, heart-wrenching and full of warmth' Sarah MorganA beautifully written book that I''d recommend to anyone' Reader review?????A lovely onion of a book, layered with humour and emotion' Daisy HaggardA joyous, touching, funny, sharp story I cannot praise it enough. Purr-fection' Milly JohnsonDawn O'Porter''s book ''Cat Lady'' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 24-10-2022.Trade Review‘A reminder to live your life your way. Cat or no cat’ FEARNE COTTON ‘I love the way Dawn writes. Even speaking as a dog man, I thought Cat Lady was an absolute joy to read. It is warm, funny and challenges a few stereotypes along the way. I also now want a cat’ MATT HAIG ‘A perfect mix of moving, funny and a little bit bonkers, in Dawn's signature style. A love letter to pets everywhere, an ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together’ EMMA GANNON ‘I cried with laughter as much as sorrow . . . this engrossing and entertaining novel is the cat's whiskers’ SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh so hard. Witty, thought-provoking and hilarious, Cat Lady is a triumph’ THE UNMUMSY MUM ‘Beautifully written, heart-breaking and hilarious, often counter-intuitive and always thought-provoking’ DAILY MAIL ‘Funny, heart-wrenching and full of warmth. I adored this book’ SARAH MORGAN ‘A witty, tender novel’ I PAPER ‘Quirky, funny and unexpected’ ADELE PARKS ‘At last a kickass novel for us cat ladies. We are legion – and this book is FABULOUS. Purr-fection. I adored it’ MILLY JOHNSON ‘Cat lovers will rejoice in this tale of a woman who simply cannot, and maybe doesn’t want to, be tamed’ HEAT

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Book Synopsis'Stimulating, elengant, distinctive and thought-provoking' Sunday TimesFrom the internationally bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Interpreter of Maladies comes an exquisitely crafted work of fiction. Jhumpa Lahiri sets her gaze on the eternally beautiful city of Rome, illuminating the frailties of the human condition and dissecting lives lived on the margins.A man recalls a summer party that awakens an alternative version of himself. A couple haunted by a tragic loss return to seek consolation. An outsider family is pushed out of the block in which they hoped to settle. A set of steps in a Roman neighbourhood connects the daily lives of the city’s myriad inhabitants. This is an evocative fresco of Rome, the most alluring character of all: contradictory, in constant transformation and a home to those who know they can’t fully belong but choose it anyway.Rich with Lahiri’s signature gifts, Roman StorTrade ReviewLahiri [works] over her themes with a precise and controlling intellect . . . These stories are stimulating, elengant, distinctive and thought-provoking * Sunday Times *A writer of formidable powers and great depth of feeling * The Observer *One of the most interesting American writers at work today * The Sunday Times *Lahiri steps back from the action, gets out of the way, so the people and things in her stories can exist the way real things do: richly, ambiguously, without explanation. * Time *A writer of uncommon elegance and poise * The New York Times *Lahiri has a talent for capturing the everyday * Spectator *Jhumpa Lahiri is intelligent, astute, informed and genuine * The Irish Times *Jhumpa Lahiri is an elegant stylist, effortlessly placing the perfect words in the perfect order time and again so we’re transported seamlessly into another place * Vanity Fair *Jhumpa Lahiri's writing is wonderful in the literal sense: on every page there is something to take your breath away * Sainsbury's Magazine *Lahiri has an extraordinary voice -- Salman RushdieJhumpa Lahiri is the kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person you see and say “Read this!” She’s a dazzling storyteller with a distinctive voice, an eye for nuance, an ear for irony. She is one of the finest short story writers I’ve read. -- Amy TanAn urgent and affecting portrait of Rome in nine stories . . . * Guardian *Full of humanity and its joys and disappointments, tiny incidents resonate through time and relationships. The city feels like another character, slipping in and out of focus just as the fleeting lives of the characters do too. * The Independent *

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Book Synopsis* AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * ‘A spectacular achievement’ ANTHONY DOERR ‘Extravagantly beautiful’ DAILY MAIL ‘One of the greatest writers of all time’ JACQUELINE WOODSON ‘Extraordinary’ GUARDIAN ‘The best book I’ve read in years’ LOUISE KENNEDY ----------------------- The first weapon I ever held was my mother's hand. On a slave plantation in the Carolinas, Annis has survived in the light of her mother’s resilience, comforted by stories of her African warrior grandmother. Everything she knows, she learned from her mother – how to fight, how to be strong, how to grow up in a world shrouded in darkness. When she is sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, Annis must venture onward through the rich but unforgiving landscapes of the American South alone: from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans, and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation. Searching for relief in memories of her mother, she opens herself to a world beyond her own, teeming with spirits of earth, water, history and myth. A reimagining of American slavery as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching, Let Us Descend offers a magnificent portrait of the strength of the human spirit and its ability to emerge from darkness into light. This is a story of beauty, love, rebirth and reclamation – a masterwork for the ages. Praise for Sing, Unburied, Sing ‘A must’ Margaret Atwood ‘One of the most important writers in America today’ Ann Patchett ‘Ward is a lyrical, visceral storyteller’ Daily Mail ‘A searing, urgent read’ Celeste Ng ‘Plays out like a grand epic … Staggering’ Marlon JamesTrade ReviewI have read all of Jesmyn Ward’s books and have been a fan of her writing for years. Let Us Descend is a vital work for our culture and I’m so excited to have her newest offering as part of our Book Club -- Oprah WinfreyAn extraordinary novel ... As in all of Ward’s novels, the writing is both lyrical and sharply controlled * Guardian *A poetic book about slavery … Ward’s writing is like a spirit that flits and flies ... While also going deep into the rich inner world that sustains [Annis] * Financial Times, Critic's Pick: Best Books of 2023 *This harrowing, extravagantly beautiful novel at times seems to hover halfway between the real world and the spirit one. A sublime work * Daily Mail *Elegiac ... Let Us Descend is recounted with a lyrical economy * Times Literary Supplement *Ward’s specificity about the horrors of that journey – the beatings, the rapes, the near drownings, the actual drownings – is brutal. But there is also beauty: she has a poet’s ear and her repetition of phrases and conjunctions is hypnotic ... Just as Toni Morrison and Colson Whitehead used black spiritual traditions in their writing, so does Ward ... This skein of hope is what keeps one reading’ * Spectator *Jesmyn Ward is one of the greatest writers of all time. And Let Us Descend, once again, proves it -- Jacqueline Woodson, author of RED AT THE BONEExquisite, harrowing, elemental, transcendent and ultimately hopeful. The best book I’ve read in years. What a writer Jesmyn Ward is! -- Louise Kennedy, author of TRESPASSESWard resurrects an enslaved girl out of the lost folds of the antebellum South, twists magic through every raindrop, mushroom and stalk of sugarcane, and drops you into the middle of her harrowing, unendurable, magnificent song. This is a gripping, mythic, bone-pulverizing descent into the grim darkness of American slavery – and yet somehow this novel simultaneously leaves you in awe of the human capacity to not only endure, but to ascend back to the light. A spectacular achievement -- Anthony Doerr, author of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEEA stunning achievement. Will grip you from the first word to the last -- Nathan Harris, author of THE SWEETNESS OF WATERThis harrowing, extravagantly beautiful novel at times seems to hover halfway between the real world and the spirit one. A sublime work * Daily Mail *A visceral chronicle of one young woman’s bondage ... This is a sensual book * Economist *A lush and harrowing journey through the American antebellum South ... Beautifully alive and luminous * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisReturn to the sensational standout TikTok series, The Royals, in this third instalment, Twisted Palace. From mortal enemies to unexpected allies, two teenagers try to protect everything that matters most.Ella Harper has met every challenge that life has thrown her way. She''s tough, resilient, and willing to do whatever it takes to defend the people she loves, but the challenge of a long-lost father and a boyfriend whose life is on the line might be too much for even Ella to overcome.Reed Royal has a quick temper and even faster fists. But his tendency to meet every obstacle with violence has finally caught up with him. If he wants to save himself and the girl he loves, he''ll need to rise above his tortured past and tarnished reputation.No one believes Ella can survive the Royals. Everyone is sure Reed will destroy them all.They may be right.With everything and everyone conspiring to keep them apart, Ella and R

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author ofFish Soup, a wickedly self-aware novel of family, memory, and possibility just this side of the uncanny.A tolerable, ordinary life: an adequate, if boring, freelance job; reliably irritating video calls with your sister; half-hearted plans for the future (a writing residency, a child); and, in the middle of your half-furnished apartment, an enormous crate. Unopened, delivered days ago, and getting in the way.InThe Delivery , what’s inside is your estranged mother, and her arrival brings to a head the tentative motions you’ve made to examine the past and the subtle fissures in the life you’ve built. Semi-ordinary happenings take on an otherworldly cast when you look at them sideways, but nothing is stranger, in this place far from home, than the tenuous bonds of family that hold us together, or don’t.Trade Review"This multi-centred novel contains everything: death, life and all the stuff in between." —The Guardian"A sharp and perceptive novel." —Irish Times"The microscopic precision with which García Robayo delves into the human soul is striking." —El País"An unsettling novel about uncertainty, memories and fears, solitude, family relationships and hopes for the future." —Diario Popular"Robayo masterfully constructs a story of family ghosts and memories that put into question what it means to leave behind a country, family and friends for a new place." —Morning Star"Once again, a Colombian literary star has blended absurdism, realism and great linguistic skill to create a novel that may be neatly packaged but proves to contain multitudes." —Lunate"Completely engrossing. García Robayo’s best yet. " —Sounds & Colours"Inside the music of Robayo’s prose, one encounters an argument about the vigor of personal history, its relentless capacity to emboss the present." —The Believer"By throwing her characters off their typical paths, García Robayo continues to show readers that she is one of the brightest voices in Latin American literature." —On the Seawall"The Delivery reveals the fissures, gaps, and spaces of incomprehension that can exist between speakers of the same language." —Full Stop"This chamber piece, which chronicles the narrator’s various procrastinations, succeeds thanks to its voice, its pacing, and its glaring omissions." —Necessary Fiction"Questions about motherhood, belonging, and exile hang over this quietly unsettling work." —Southwest Review"García Robayo has written a novel that, avoiding any complacency, situates us in the interstices of identity." —El Mundo"If for this narrator having a child is like ‘resisting extinction’ (…), novels like The Delivery fulfil a similar injunction to permanence: not to pass through the world without leaving anything behind." —El País"An intimate, mature work that confirms Margarita García Robayo as one of the most promising Latin American writers today." —La Razón"The Colombian writer makes the daily routine of her protagonist seem like a disturbing sequence of events." —Expansión"A brilliant and exhaustive relationship with language that draws on a search for origins." —El Tiempo"Thoughts that achieve a sparking lucidity that contrasts with the bewilderment experienced by the main character." —La Nación"You can’t put it down until you find out what happens at the end." —Pagina/12"The Delivery is one of those novels that mark a before and an after, just as happens to its main character when she manages to open the crate sent by her sister." —Pagina/12"A book of contained intensity, full of glimpses more than certainties, which confirms the author as one of the leading voices of Latin American fiction." —El Siglo de Torreón**********Praise for Margarita García RobayoBiblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana Prize (Finalist)"García Robayo writes with caustic insight, brittle humour and a fair whack of cynicism (...) Holiday Heart is brilliant." —The Guardian"Understated, lyrical, and delivers its insights by means of acute observation. (5 stars)" —The Arts Desk"Cunningly well achieved." —Irish Times"Holiday Heart is a poignant and searing story of love ending." —Gutter Magazine"Coombe’s translation brilliantly captures the bite in García Robayo’s humour." —iNews"One of Colombia’s greatest living writers." —The Monthly Booking"Brilliantly dramatises the disjunction between an idealized picture of life like sitting on a sunny beach and the reality of that life like getting sand caught in your teeth." —Lonesome ReaderBest Fiction Books of 2017 —New York Times (Español)"Darkly funny throughout, this examination of two lives will stay with you long after you read the final words and lay the book down." —Lunate"Every sentence in the book seems to be written with a scalpel infused with acid. " —Morning Star"Acute, provocative, concise and raw." —Translating Women"An incredibly insightful portrayal of a disintegrating marriage...provides a sharp-eyed view of estrangement and personal identity." —Book Riot"Frightening, alluring, and inescapable." —Books and Bao**********Casa de las Américas Prize (Winner)Society of Authors Valle-Inclán Prize (Shortlist)"García Robayo’s prose bristles with restrained energy and a wry humour which captures the disaffection of her characters." —The Times Literary Supplement"[Fish Soup] is a gorgeous, blackly humorous look into the lives of Colombians struggling to find their place in society, both at home and abroad." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"A remarkable genre-bending effort." —The Guardian"The tackiness of the Caribbean coast and its discontents are marvellously rendered." —The Times Literary Supplement"If you’re a fan of Ottessa Moshfegh or Melissa Broder, then this is for you." —The Guardian"An evocative collection that conveys the potency of desire in even the most ordinary lives." —Kirkus"García Robayo is building one of the most solid and interesting oeuvres in Latin American literature."" —Juan Cárdenas , author of ORNAMENTAL"Her stories combine the atmosphere of Desperate Housewives, Hemingway’s iceberg theory and a memorable, bittersweet ending."" —Jorge Carrión , author of BOOKSHOPS"Margarita shows sharp insight into contemporary life. Her voice speaks with surreptitious irony and sophisticated psychological perception. She is the creator of an exceptional poetics of displacement."" —Juan Villoro , author of THE WITNESS"There are very few writers who can challenge expectations the way Margarita García Robayo does. Margarita is simply one of the best of the new generation that respects, yet no longer identifies with, the Latin American Boom."" —Mariana Enríquez , author of THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE"This is a text written from within the belly of the beast. (…) One of the most essential books of the year." —Asymptote"García Robayo’s prose is concise and startling, her voice versatile and capable of packing a serious punch." —LA Review of Books"One of the most potent figures of contemporary Latin American literature." —ABC Cultural"Full of everyday details that reveal the most vulnerable aspects of feminine subjectivity." —La Nación**********

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Book SynopsisTravis is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. Apparently, he now also writes books. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog. He is the author of Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust.Trade ReviewWhat I love about Travis Baldree is that set against an epic world of adventure, he writes about the small victories that make life worthwhile. Bookshops & Bonedust does this and it is glorious -- Ben Aaronovitch, author of Rivers of LondonIt's the rare prequel that beautifully adds depth, power, and love to the lore. This is a book for those who were once young and pulled between fighting the world with all they had . . . or curling up in a dusty bookshop with a good story -- J. R. Dawson, author of First Bright ThingWell, damn, he’s done it again. Bookshops & Bonedust is hilarious, heartwarming, and wholesome as heck. If you loved the first you’ll almost certainly love this perfectly executed prequel even more, as the stakes are higher and the scones are hotter still! -- Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the WyldAs enchanting a prequel as one could ever desire, Bookshops & Bonedust brings the same humor and heart as its predecessor, and has cemented Travis Baldree as an auto-read author for me. Books, baked goods, and necromancy - what more could you possibly want in a story? -- Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's HeartBookshops & Bonedust is the perfect follow up to Legends & Lattes; it's a pleasure to meet a Younger Viv and watch her grow slowly, stubbornly, into the orc we love so much. Some bittersweetness is inevitable, but Baldree reminds us that the past - even our mistakes - is the fertile soil where we plant the seeds of a beautiful future -- C. L. Clark, author of The UnbrokenMagical and full of heart, Bookshops & Bonedust is every bit as enchanting as its predecessor. Spending more time with Viv was a joy -- Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular WitchesBookshops & Bonedust will resonate with anyone who has ever conflated their worth with their productivity, who has ever worried about being left behind if they take a moment to breathe, who has ever allowed a book to save them from a bad day. Beautifully humane, it is a loving reminder that the best parts of life are what happens between the big moments -- Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothhing But Blackened TeethBookshops & Bonedust is a fabulist's love song to indie booksellers, but much more besides. As with Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree gives us a deeply satisfying fantasy without gore, wonder without dread, and joy for its own sake -- Christopher Buehlman, author of The Blacktongue Thief

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Book SynopsisAn Irish Times Book of the Year An electrifying descent from loneliness and grief into obsessive, all-consuming love, by an Italian literary star. ‘When Xu bites me, when she has me in her teeth, naked and bad on top of me, everything is good.’ In a skyscraper apartment overlooking Shanghai’s blue-tinged, pulsating nightlife and filled with rotting food, two women swallow little yellow pills that will make all things dangerous feel safe. They’re both running from a turbulent past. In abandoned factories and dilapidated slaughterhouses, Xu pushes Ruben to extremes of pleasure and pain that she has never experienced before, to a place where language breaks down and passion becomes consumption. Blue Hunger asks how we create our identities and how we escape them; it is a fever-dream of a novel, visionary and uncanny, that demolishes all taboos and wisely explores, in a wildly imaginative language, the twisted peaks of loss and desire.Trade Review‘I thoroughly recommend Blue Hunger by Italian novelist Viola Di Grado, translated by Jamie Richards. Di Grado’s prose is clean, efficient, and devastating as she explores queer love, displacement, and grief against the backdrop of Shanghai.’ -- Martin Doyle * The Irish Times *‘To read Blue Hunger is to enter a dreamlike state, guided by irresistible, evocative writing, immaculate details, and vivid emotions dripping with desire. Viola Di Grado offers us a brilliant, highly immersive story about the need to consume and be consumed, love, messiness, and the power of language. Blue Hunger is a wholly compelling piece of art, and Viola Di Grado is a genius.’ -- Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins‘Viola Di Grado is, most importantly, a powerful and original writer; the fact that she also writes, movingly and with complexity, about members of the LGBT population, renders her work all the more singular.’ -- Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours‘Blue Hunger is a devastating study of the ways in which grief renders everything, even the self, foreign. A gorgeous grotesquerie of lust and despair backdropped by the writhing rhythms of Shanghai.’ -- Rachel Yoder, author of Nightbitch‘Di Grado is a real writer, so everything under the spell of her words is vibrant and evocative. Blue Hunger, a prose poem and a fearless descent into language and the realm of meanings, is about our experience in the acidic lights of the contemporary world.’ -- FIlippo La Porta * La Repubblica *‘Sticky, neon, and electric, Blue Hunger drips with desire, danger, and hunger in myriad forms.’ -- Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater‘Blue Hunger’s is a disorientating world made strange by grief — a world where words have lost their meaning, and identity fragments. In luminous and startling prose, Viola Di Grado lays bare the risk inherent in human relationships, the capacity we have to inflict and enjoy pain as well as pleasure, and the disassembling power of grief. Bold and addictive, this is a carnal, sensual, drug-and-sex-infused trip of a novel. -- Imogen Crimp, author of A Very Nice Girl‘Blue Hunger is a most vibrant novel about lust: beautifully written and full of sensuous images, Viola Di Grado’s book is a powerful literary journey into food and sex and the city. In depicting the constant foreignness of falling in love, Di Grado reveals herself as a true master of style.’ -- Claudia Durastanti, author of Strangers I Know and Cleopatra Goes to Prison’Haunting … An erotic and disturbing depiction of the effects of grief.’ * Kirkus Reviews *’Readers will be fascinated by the novel’s scenery, psychological acuity … Queerness, grief, isolation, dependence, and love merge in this novel of geographically-based healing and descent.’ * Booklist *‘Blue Hunger is a breezy yet dizzying fever-dream of a read. The narrator’s voice is deceptively quiet. The book feels like it has a flame lighting it from underneath. It moves with a steady, compact agility, like a ship gesturing towards a mid-sea battle … The final scene is a spectacular feat, managing to be both unexpected, and exquisitely tender.’ -- Jessie Tu * The Sydney Morning Herald *‘The language of Blue Hunger has a tour de force energy … Di Grado’s prose is exhilaratingly dynamic, made up of fragmented paragraphs that look and sound like prose poetry and that use poetic language in surprising and edgy ways. The translator, Jamie Richards, has done an excellent job in keeping up … Although Blue Hunger reads as an exercise in style, there is also substance here, particularly when it comes to the self-destructiveness so often bound up with what we call love.’ -- Maria Takolander * The Saturday Paper *‘A sensuous and biting account … It’s worth indulging in this visceral story.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Italian author Viola Di Grado simulates the fever dreamlike state of an all-consuming love.’ * RUSSH *‘It’s lush, dreamlike, and once started, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.’ -- Terri Schlichenmeyer * Los Angeles Blade *‘[T]his short but electrifying book captures the life of a young Italian woman in Shanghai as she finds herself captivated by a beautiful, enigmatic woman named Xu … Blue Hunger goes on to explore identity in a writhing blend of lust and pain … Her strength as a writer lies in the layers of metaphors that weave into a narrative fabric thick with intertwined meaning … [A] dizzying, intricate study of grief, displacement, obsession and desire under the glittering veneer of Shanghai.’ -- Fruzsina Gál * Aniko Press *‘Translated by Jamie Richards, the writing is simply gorgeous, luring the reader in even as the plot takes some decidedly visceral turns … It’s a fever-dream of a novel, a breathless, erotic, and often uncomfortable examination of what grief, loneliness, and a desperate search for answers can do … its combination of rich, evocative writing, and oft unsettling content makes it near impossible to look away from the page.’ -- Jodie Sloan * The AU Review *Praise for Hollow Heart: ‘A danse macabre for the millenials … In Hollow Heart, Di Grado elegantly and playfully thematises the emptiness of unquestioned vessels of meaning (which is to say, words) with the story of a girl who has taken her own life before she has even really lived it.’ * LA Review of Books *Praise for Hollow Heart: ‘The writing is pristine. Each sentence lures us further into the flies and blood-filled spirals of Di Grado’s dreamworld and, most importantly, we are willing to follow her.’ * The Independent *Praise for 70% Acrylic 30% Wool: ‘Viola Di Grado’s charming prose romps through chthonic worlds of nibbling insects, ammoniac seepage, and shattering depression, using language that is both glib and scrumptious.’ * Music & Literature *Praise for 70% Acrylic 30% Wool: ‘[Di Grado’s] black comedy, pungent metaphors, and controlled ambiguity announce the arrival of a considerable talent.’ * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisEmmy is her own worst enemy. So why does she fancy someone who looks like her? Overthinker and recent drama school graduate Emmy Clooney (no relation) will do anything to be successful, despite the lack of roles for queer actors. But in the audition room for what should be her big break, Emmy collides with rising star, Mae Jones. Mae is the same casting type as Emmy (‘Short-haired Lesbian’), so they’ll always be fighting for the same parts. Unfortunately, Mae is also very talented, very charismatic, and very hot... She’s Emmy’s type in every way. When their opposite personalities clash, Emmy and Mae begin a fierce competition to be the best gay in showbiz. But if they’re cast in the same play, will they find a way to act nicely – or take their rivalry to the next stage? ‘Extremely fun’ - Kate Davies 'The world needs more queer frivolity and more genuinely funny books like this' - Bethany RutterTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR MY OWN WORST ENEMY: ‘I adored this novel about love and belonging and fancying your sexy pirate co-star... Whip smart, wickedly funny and so much fun’ Laura Kay ‘Witty and heartfelt, with lashings of chemistry and dialogue that shines’ Lex Croucher ‘The world needs more queer frivolity. Lily Lindon has such a light, witty touch and such an acute understanding of love and relationships’ Bethany Rutter ‘Life-affirming and joyful, with a hilarious and loveable heroine’ Hannah Dolby ‘I loved, loved, loved it... Lily Lindon’s warmth and irrepressible sense of humour shines through on each page’ Emma Hughes ‘A clever reworking of the conventions of the rom com... It’s cupcake cute and really quite joyous’ Matt Cain ‘Tender, uplifting and laugh-out-loud funny’ Taylor Cole ‘Expect horny romps and big feelings as Emmy and Mae fight it out’ Lizzie Huxley-Jones 'EXTREMELY FUN - if anyone is in need of a funny, charming queer rom com set in the world of acting (yes please) with TWO BUTCH LESBIANS as the romantic leads (YES PLEASE), this is the book for you.' Kate Davies

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Book SynopsisThe American psyche is channelled into the gripping story of one man. This is the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Philip Roth at his very best. It is 1998, the year America is plunged into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president. In a small New England town a distinguished professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues allege that he is a racist. The charge is unfounded, the persecution needless, but the truth about Silk would astonish even his most virulent accuser. Coleman Silk has a secret that he has kept for fifty years. This is the conclusion to Roth’s brilliant trilogy of post-war America – a story of seismic shifts in American history and a personal search for renewal and regeneration.'An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewThe Human Stain pulses with the strengths that make Roth a prime contender for the status of the most impressive novelist now writing in and about America * Sunday Times *One of his very best... There are passages of such sustained brilliance here that I found myself going over them again and again in gaping disbelief. An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand * Sunday Telegraph *A novel so furious in its telling, with a plot so intricate in its construction that it is infused with a kind of diabolic joy. A masterpiece * Mail on Sunday *[A] tender, shocking and incendiary story on the failure of the American dream refracted through the prism of race -- Arifa Akbar * Guardian *One of the most beautiful books I've ever read * Red *

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Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewA beautiful and engrossing work * Independent on Sunday *Richly accomplished... Dazzling * Sunday Times *Excellent... Meticulously researched and vividly imagined, both gripping and thoughtful * Sunday Telegraph *From the first paragraphs we know ourselves to be in the hands of a major novelist... A compelling narrative, beautifully controlled... This novel is Barnes at his best -- P D James * The Times *As ever, Barnes serves up a master-class in character observation, lavishing attention on the minutiae of personality, the subtle and conflicting impulses that drive men and women. Barnes seems equipped to write with humour and elegance about anything he turns his attention to * Financial Times *

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