Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction
Archipelago Books Difficult Light
Book SynopsisOver twenty years after his son's death, nearly blind and unable to paint, David turns to writing to examine the deep shades of his loss. Despite his acute pain, or perhaps because of it, David observes beauty in the ordinary: in the resemblance of a woman to Egyptian portraits, in the horseshoe crabs that wash up on Coney Island, in the foam gathering behind a ferry propeller; in these moments, Gonzalez reveals the world through a painter's eyes. From one of Colombia's greatest contemporary novelists, Difficult Light is a formally daring meditation on grief, written in candid, arresting prose.Trade Review"Difficult Light is a story of living while waiting for inevitable loss to occur . . . Rosenberg’s translation is . . . notable for the lucid, compassionate tone it strikes in capturing the ordinary moments and conversations that permeate life, whether at its height or at its end." — National Translation Award committee"A quiet and modest novel that struck me with its lovely prose and profound insights. . . Gonzalez focuses on the glimpses of beauty, the shards of light found in the everyday. A thoughtful meditation on art, family and loss; this slim novel reads like an afternoon reverie, hazy, supple, tinged with sadness and joy." — Lithub "A very poetic reverie...This is in some ways a reflection on aging...and in others simply a picturesque and vivid remembrance of the moments that mattered in one person's life. At the bottom of it all is the narrator's unending grief over his son, Jacobo, paralyzed when a junkie driving a pickup truck struck the taxi he was riding in at the time...The book’s narrative style is both modest and subdued, no doubt aided by Rosenberg, who previously translated the author’s last work, The Storm (2018)." — Kirkus Reviews"In González’s genial, reflective tale, a recently widowed Colombian painter composes a narrative of his family’s life in the U.S. and the death of their oldest son . . . laced with moments of beauty and domestic peace . . . González achieves a brilliant triangulation of a man’s attempts at self-expression through two artistic mediums." -- Publishers Weekly"González's last two novels, Difficult Light and The Storm were both hailed as quiet masterpieces at the time of their publication in Colombia... Through all his work you find the peaceful writing that admirably traces the ugliness of the world; the confidence of the narrative voice, seemingly conventional while eschewing the straitjackets of realism... he has a mysterious ability to uplift the commonplace and turn it into unforgettable images through careful observation and sensuous detail." -- Juan Gabriel Vásquez, The Guardian "There’s hard light indeed for 78-year-old artist David, who’s recently widowed, unable to paint owing to failing eyesight, and at home in Colombia, using a magnifying glass and blackberry-sized letters to record grievous events that unfolded when he and his family lived in 1980s Manhattan...González unfolds the story in luminous, reverberant language all the more heart-wrenching for eschewing graphic detail; David’s painterly sensitivity is enough." -- Library Journal "[Tomás González] writes with authority about transient relationships with cities and people, pairing joys with inevitable losses . . . Difficult Light presents the power of creativity over isolation and mortality. It reminds the reader that when the outside world becomes inaccessible, the interior realm still holds traces of all that we’ve lost." -- Rain Taxi Review "A quiet meditation on many of life’s Big Things: grief, love, art . . . González’s narrator unwinds his time- and space-hopping narrative in a voice, carried deftly by Rosenberg, that does not waver in its gentle warmth." — Words Without Borders"Tomás González has once again given voice to a sorrowful sermon. Rending and tender, Difficult Light is a novel of familial sacrifice and agonizing acceptance, an exercise in retracing old wounds amid the gathering abundance of time. An affecting altarpiece, through and through." --Justin, Bookshop.org"Difficult Light by Tomás González is about an old painter rapidly turning blind, mediating on one of the most impactful events in his life, the death of his oldest son Jacobo...counting down the minutes to the scheduled death of this beloved son, which could be called off at any moment, if the son wished to do so, is part of the strange thrill of the book. As the implications for the looming deadline become more clear, the countdown adds a slightly perverted sense of suspense." — Franziska Lamprecht, Full Stop"Tomás González has the potential to become a classic of Latin American literature." -- Elfriede Jelinek, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature "González invokes both Hemingway and Faulkner in his treatment of tortured family dynamics and laces the three-way banter in the boat with a fascinating, near-toxic atmosphere of machismo." -- Publisher's Weekly on The Storm "In Andrea Rosenberg's translation, the author's stylistic traits - short and pointed phrases, poetic descriptions and poetic monologues - shine and linger in the reader's ear...The Storm arrives as a welcome addition to the international recognition of one Colombia's most prolific and poetic writers." - Nicolás Llano, Asymptote Journal "Self-delusion, hallucinations, anger, volatility chafe against the soothing waters and the stars above, and González, one of South America's most acclaimed and pitch-perfect novelists, plunges you into the brutality of man and nature alike." - Kerri Arsenault on The Storm There is humor in the frequent revelation of self-delusions. There is also suspense as the storm - more interpersonal than weather-related - builds and breaks. Fabulist elements, lyrical prose, and a chorus of narrative voices give this slim novel depth and breadth. - Kirkus Reviews on The Storm"Tomás González has once again given voice to a sorrowful sermon. Rending and tender, Difficult Light is a novel of familial sacrifice and agonizing acceptance, an exercise in retracing old wounds amid the gathering abundance of time. An affecting altarpiece through and through." – Justin Walls, Bookshop.org
£999.99
Two Lines Press The Interim
Book Synopsis
£13.29
Random House USA Inc The Singularities
Book SynopsisFrom the revered Booker Prize-winning author comes a playful, multilayered novel of nostalgia, life and death, and quantum theory, which opens with the return of one of his most celebrated characters as he is released from prison. ?A triumphant piece of writing…Prose of such luscious elegance…Exhilarating.? ?The New York Times Book ReviewA man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sports car?also borrowed?onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of the late, world-famous scientist Adam Godley, whose theory of existence threw the universe into chaos. And this mystery man, who has just completed a prison sentence, feels as if time has stopped, or was torn, or was opened in new and strange ways. He must now vie with the idiosyncratic Godley family, with their harried housekeeper who becomes his landlady, with the recently commissioned biographer of Godley Sr., and with a wealthy and beautiful woman from his past who comes bearing an unusual request.With sparkling intelligence and rapier wit, John Banville revisits some of his career?s most memorable figures, in a novel as mischievous as it is brilliantly conceived. The Singularities occupies a singular space and will surely be one of his most admired works.
£15.30
Amazon Publishing Keep Your Friends Close
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The Best of Friends comes a fast-paced thriller about how one woman’s murder unravels the tangled web of lies and deceit connecting a group of Hollywood elite. When Kiersten McCann, president of the West Hollywood Moms’ Club, turns up dead in her own pool, it quickly becomes clear this wasn’t an accident. And the party guests—all members of the exclusive club—are now key suspects in her murder. Accusations fly, and three mothers find themselves at the center of the investigation. Whitney, Brooke, and Jade all have heavy secrets to bear…and possible motives for their friend’s murder. But as the police look closer, more secrets, betrayals, and sinister plots are revealed than the women could ever imagine. With everything at stake, deceit threatens to shatter their illusions of the perfect life. West Hollywood will never be the same.Trade Review“Perfect reading for those who wonder: ‘If you couldn’t trust your best friend, could you really trust anyone?’” —Kirkus Reviews Praise for Lucinda Berry Off the Deep End “As usual, Berry tightens the screws smartly in the opening pages and never lets up, and as usual, her ending is more intent on deepening the nightmare than providing a plausible explanation for it. Warning: the title applies as much to the audience as to the characters.” —Kirkus Reviews “As the suspense mounts, the action drives to a harrowing conclusion. Berry delivers the goods.” —Publishers Weekly “A well-done mystery with a plausible yet surprising ending.” —Library Journal Under Her Care “The action never wavers, and the surprises are unending. Berry is writing at the top of her game.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[It’s] a humdinger…Perfect for suspense fans.” —Kirkus Reviews “Lucinda delivers every time. Unputdownable.” —Tarryn Fisher, New York Times bestselling author “Lucinda Berry’s latest, Under Her Care, is her best thriller yet! A dark, riveting read that will keep you up late, racing to the chilling end.” —Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of The Next Wife and Somebody’s Home “Lucinda Berry’s Under Her Care is stunning, diabolical, and gripping, with one of the best and most gasp-worthy twists I have read in a very long time. Fast paced, fabulous, and enthralling, the pages practically turn themselves. Absolutely captivating.” —Lisa Regan, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author “Creepy and chilling, Under Her Care is a tense page-turner that leaves you questioning everything you ever knew about motherhood and the family bond.” —Tara Laskowski, award-winning author of The Mother Next Door The Secrets of Us “Those looking for an emotional roller-coaster ride will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly “Combine Lucinda Berry’s deep understanding of the complexities of the human mind with her immense talent for storytelling and you have The Secrets of Us, an intense psychological thriller that kept my heart racing until the shocking, jaw-dropping conclusion. Bravo!” —T. R. Ragan, New York Times bestselling author “The Secrets of Us is an unputdownable page-turner with two compelling female protagonists that will keep readers on their toes. Fantastic!” —Cate Holahan, USA Today bestselling author of One Little Secret “Lucinda Berry’s The Secrets of Us is a tense psychological thriller that explores the dark corners of the mind and turns a mind can take when it harbors secret guilt. The interplay between sisters Krystal and Nichole and their hidden past is gradually revealed, and in the end, the plot twists keep coming. Right and wrong can be ambivalent, and this story explores all shades of gray, from their dysfunctional family to an old childhood friend to a husband who may or may not be too good to be true. Berry’s background as a clinical psychologist shines in this novel with a character so disturbed they spend time in seclusion lockdown at a psychiatric ward. Don’t miss this one!” —Debbie Herbert, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author “The Secrets of Us is an utterly gripping, raw, and heartbreaking story of two sisters. Berry’s flawlessly placed clues and psychological expertise grab you from the first word, not letting go until the last. Compelling, intricate, and shocking, this inventive thriller cleverly weaves from past to present with stunning precision. I was absolutely enthralled.” —Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 national bestselling author of Woman on the Edge “The past and present collide with explosive consequences in this addictive, twisty thriller from an author at the top of her game. The Secrets of Us grips from the first page and doesn’t let go until the final shocking twist.” —Lisa Gray, bestselling author of Dark Highway The Best of Friends “A mother’s worst nightmare on the page. For those who dare.” —Kirkus Reviews “The Best of Friends gripped me from the stunning opening to the emotional, explosive ending. In this moving novel, Berry creates a beautifully crafted study of secrets and grief among a tight-knit group of friends and of how far a mother will go to discover the truth and protect her children.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and This Is How I Lied “In The Best of Friends, Berry starts with a heart-stopping bang—the dreaded middle-of-the-night phone call—and then delivers a dark and gritty tale that unfolds twist by devastating twist. Intense, terrifying, and at times utterly heartbreaking. Absolutely unputdownable.” —Kimberly Belle, international bestselling author of Dear Wife and Stranger in the Lake The Perfect Child “I am a compulsive reader of literary novels…but there was one book that kept me reading, the sort of novel I can’t put down…The Perfect Child, by Lucinda Berry. It speaks to the fear of every parent: What if your child was a psychopath? This novel takes it a step further. A couple, desperate for a child, has the chance to adopt a beautiful little girl who, they are told, has been abused. They’re told it might take a while for her to learn to behave and trust people. She can be sweet and loving, and in public she is adorable. But in private—well, I won’t give away what happens. But needless to say, it’s chilling.” —Gina Kolata, New York Times “A mesmerizing, unbearably tense thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. This creepy, serpentine tale explores the darkest corners of parenthood and the profoundly unsettling lengths one will go to, to keep a family together—no matter the consequences. Electrifying and atmospheric, this dark gem of a novel is one I couldn’t put down.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author “A deep, dark, and dangerously addictive read. All-absorbing to the very end!” —Minka Kent, Washington Post bestselling author
£13.05
Penguin Books Ltd Good Material
Book SynopsisFunny of course it's funny but also smart, insightful and sincere about heartbreak'' DAVID NICHOLLS, author of ONE DAY''This is the greatest. You''ll cry and laugh. I read it though the night. And I never, ever avoid sleep'' CLAUDIA WINKLEMANI award it 13/10 on my QWJ scale (stands for Queasy With Jealousy that I didn''t write it)' MARIAN KEYES---Every relationship has one beginning.This one has two endings.Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy.And he can''t work out why she stopped.Now he is. . .1. Without a home2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off3. Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn''t lookingSet adrift on the sea of heartbreak at a time when everything he thought he knew about women, and flat-sharing, and his friendships has transformed beyond recognition, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of their broken relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him.Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend''s side of the story.From the bestselling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a sharply funny, beautifully observed and exquisitely relatable story of heartbreak and friendship, and how to survive both.''The most book-based fun I had this year ... It''s the most I''ve laughed while reading about heartbreak since Nick Hornby''s High Fidelity. A complete delight'' The Sunday Times, Critics'' favourite books of the yearSunday Times bestseller, November 2023Trade ReviewIf Dolly’s memoir Everything I Know About Love summed up being twentysomething then this, her second novel, is a tender and funny love letter to our tumultuous 30s * Red *Brilliantly observed … Beautifully written, pacy and excellent on rejection, friendship and letting go. Fabulous * Daily Mail *Laugh-out-loud dialogue on every page ... No-one has a firmer grasp on the themes she explores. Good material, indeed * Sunday Express *Funny, sad and true; a book she has clearly poured her soul into ... Cements her status as a fiction heavyweight * inews, The best new books to read in November 2023 *This is the greatest. You’ll cry and laugh. I read it through the night. And I never, ever avoid sleep * Claudia Winkleman *It's so good. I loved it * Sharon Horgan *Leaves you heartsore but happier. Irresistible * Richard E. Grant *Made me laugh while punching me in the gut. Loved this book * Aisling Bea *Sharply written and acutely observed ... A beautifully nuanced portrayal of modern love that will have you racing to the last page * Heat *Have you ever wondered what a lost love was thinking? In this ingeniously constructed and endlessly amusing novel, Dolly Alderton flips the script on everything we think we know about romantic loss, to bring us an unforgettable character on a deeply relatable downward spiral. Wise and relatable and pee-your-pants funny. I cried by page 5. Dolly Alderton is, quite simply, the bard of modern day love * Lena Dunham *WONDERFUL ... Shot through with Dolly's characteristic emotional intelligence ... Very funny ... Such a pleasure to read. I devoured it ... I award it 13/10 on my QWJ scale (stands for Queasy With Jealousy that I didn't write it) * Marian Keyes *I adored it! I ... Dolly is THE comic writer of our generation. This feels like her most ambitious book yet, and it delivers on every single page. She uses humour so brilliantly to underpin the quiet roar of romantic despair - this book is raw, smart and human. This makes me believe Dolly knows everything there is to know about love. * Daisy Buchanan *Dolly Alderton just gets better and better. Good Material is both heartbreaking and hilarious with an ending that has you holding your breath. With the wit of Nick Hornby and the emotional scalpel of Nora Ephron, Alderton is one of our greats and this is sure to be an absolute classic * Emma Gannon *A relatable, laugh-out-loud story of a thirtysomething failed comedian struggling with a break-up * Sunday Times Style *Good Material combines Alderton’s wit and eye for detail with a beautiful depth of emotion * Woman & Home *Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny – with characters straight out of a Richard Curtis film – whipsmart dialogue and relatable millennial themes (Alderton’s forte) mean there’s never a dull moment ... Thought-provoking and wise * The Independent, Best New Books to Read This Autumn *The author of Everything I Know About Love nails the zeitgeist with a witty, relatable and acutely insightful page-turner about the trails and tribulations of the lovelorn * Daily Express *Dolly Alderton is the Adele of writing * Esther Coren, The Spike *Witty, warm and well-observed * Fabulous Magazine *A funny, tender novel about human relationships. By turns, laugh-out-loud, eye-roll relatable, and 'stop you in your tracks' heart-wrench. A thoroughly modern romantic masterpiece. * Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina *Highly relatable for millennials navigating dating in London, and hugely insightful for those generations wanting to understand them. Packed with sharp observations and wisdom. A triumph * Sathnam Sanghera *Alderton entertains with observational quips about thirtysomething life ... There's a Hornby-esque charm to her well-meaning characters and their relatable dramas * The Observer *The bestselling author brings her warmth, emotional intelligence and wry observation to bear on her second novel ... Refreshing * The Bookseller, Editor's Choice *Alderton is perceptive about how men deal (badly) with emotional pain * The Times *Relatable, funny and refreshing * Elle *[A] book to be devoured, adored, underlined, and passed on (but only to the friends you know will give it back) ... [Alderton] proves herself once again as having both a deep understanding of the intricacies of relationships and the ability to articulate it better than the majority of us ever could ...Good Material showcases Alderton’s knack for rich characterisation and zippy dialogue like never before ... Genuinely funny – if only more books made you laugh as much as this * The i *All of Alderton's considerable gifts as a writer are on display here: her wit, her ability to capture exchanges that feel real, and her skilful characterisation ... Alderton's work truly shines when she writes about friendship * Sunday Independent *With distinct notes of Helen Fielding, Richard Curtis and Nick Hornby ... Warm and generous ... A writer very much in control of her material * Guardian *Alderton is excellent at fusing poignant tenderness with wry observations about modern life, and that talent is on full display here. Good Material is a highly enjoyable exploration of the messy, non-binary nature of many break-ups, and how two people can simply make a terrible couple ... If you're on the hunt for a readable romcom to inhale in a few sittings, this is very good material * Stylist *Funny, tender and astute on heartbreak * Mail on Sunday *This is Dolly Alderton's best book yet ... Alderton is a great social chronicler: her observations here about thirty-something friendship and the differences (or not) between millennials and Gen Z feel particularly true. But most crucially, this is a tender, bittersweet portrait of the addictive fug of longterm monogamy – and the crushing pain when it ends * The i – All I want for Christmas: Which books should you buy for your loved ones this year? *Brilliantly observed ... addictive * Daily Mail *Comical yet warming * Psychologies *A brilliantly observed portrait of a break-up, which examines how miserable it is to become obsessed with the unknown reasons a relationship has ended. Andy can’t understand why Jen no longer wants to be with him. The more he thinks about it the madder he feels but he can’t stop. Addictive * Daily Mail – Christmas Books: Best way to survive Christmas? Read a really good book! *I’ve already bought several copies of Dolly Alderton’s Good Material for the men and women in my life, and I will continue the rampage through the festive season. It’s the perfect blend of easy to read, funny and extremely astute * The Observer – Books of the year 2023 *Failing stand-up comedian Andy is devastated when his girlfriend Jen breaks up with him out of the blue. Alderton explores the trials and tribulations of finding yourself unexpectedly single in your mid-30s in a novel as witty as it is perceptive * Daily Express – Stocking fillers: What were the must read novels of 2023? *The most book-based fun I had this year ... It’s the most I’ve laughed while reading about heartbreak since Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. A complete delight * The Sunday Times – My favourite read of the year, Charlotte Ivers *
£17.09
Coffee House Press Nefando
Book Synopsis
£15.26
Amazon Publishing The Wedding Party: A Thriller
Book SynopsisFor a bride-to-be and her fiancé, secrets and lies make this a killer celebration in this psychological suspense. Carrie and Oliver. A couple completely in love and the hosts of a wedding to remember at Colorado’s legendary Stanley Hotel. This is Carrie’s fairy tale come true. Her fiancé, Oliver, is Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome; successful; and utterly devoted to her. Now family and friends have gathered to celebrate. It’s sure to be a wild night as the drinks flow freely and the fun begins. But the morning after is murder. FBI agent Andi Castle was just supposed to be a plus-one. This should have been a calming weekend getaway from what she does best: catch killers. Instead, Andi’s on the hunt again. The hotel is on lockdown. Secrets are being unearthed. And no one is above Andi’s suspicions. But which secrets are worth killing for? Andi’s forced to find the answers fast…before someone else dies.Trade ReviewPraise for L. R. Jones The Wedding Party “A tense and twisty whodunit featuring a joint bachelor/bachelorette party, an FBI agent, a murder, and a hotel on lockdown. The Wedding Party is highly engrossing and wickedly fun! Jones delivers an entertaining thriller that readers will surely devour.” —Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author “Riveting and pulse-pounding from the very first page. Impossible to put down.” —Lucinda Berry, bestselling author of Keep Your Friends Close “An instantly compelling mystery that's IMPOSSIBLE to put down!” —Shalini Boland, USA Today bestselling author “The Wedding Party by Lisa Renee Jones is a roller coaster of a read! A story about love, deception and the ways we are formed by family, this fast-paced, twisty novel is one you don’t want to miss! Jones has established a complex and layered world for the clever, daring and, at times, unconventional Agent Andrea Castle so here’s hoping there will be more books in the series.” —Danielle Girard, USA Today bestselling author “L.R. Jones masterfully ramps up the suspense in a game of secrets where everyone's a suspect.” —L.T. Ryan, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestselling author “Suspense at its best! When a wedding reception ends in murder, FBI agent Andi Castle uses her profiling skills to sort through a web of secrets and lies in a nail-biting race to find the killer. Jones expertly ratchets up the tension with one twist after another until the shocking truth is finally revealed. Part locked-room mystery, part procedural thriller, and part domestic suspense, this story has it all.” —Isabella Maldonado, Wall Street Journal bestselling author You Look Beautiful Tonight “In this devilishly twisty standalone…Jones reveals her characters’ secrets and motives slowly, expertly ratcheting up the pace before an explosive conclusion. This white-knuckler is not to be missed.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
£8.54
Penguin Putnam Inc Lapvona
Book Synopsis
£11.70
Atlantic Books Nervous System
Book Synopsis'Nervous System is fast, uncompromising and shimmering with intelligence' Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater'Meruane is one of the one or two greats in the new generation of Chilean writers who promise to have it all' Roberto BolañoA young woman struggles to finish her PhD on stars and galaxies. Instead, she obsessively tracks the experience of her own body, listening to its functions and rhythms, finally locating in its patterns the beginning of illness and instability. As she discovers the precarity of her self, she begins to turn her attention to the distant orbits of her family members, each moving away from the familial system and each so different in their experiences, but somehow made similar in their shared history of illness and trauma, both political and personal...Trade ReviewMeruane is a deliberate and immensely gifted writer... Nervous System burns in the mind long after one has read it. * New York Times *Lina Meruane's language ultimately works best when it surprises... It is one of Nervous System's reminders of life's staggering happenstance. * TLS *Nervous System is fast, uncompromising and shimmering with intelligence * Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater *Nervous System's dreamy lull belies the slow-motion horror of its plot... I still feel blurrily half-drowned in Meruane's eerie, swirling poetics. * Sarah Manguso, author of 300 Arguments *This is an absolutely fantastic novel. From black holes to mass graves, undiagnosable diseases and (perhaps most terrifying of all) a PhD that hasn't been written, Nervous System is frank, brave, and unsparing. The precision of Meruane's sentences will cut through you like a scalpel. * Julianne Pachico, author of The Anthill *
£8.54
Random House USA Inc The Glass Hotel A novel
Book SynopsisINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility, an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events—the exposure of a massive criminal enterprise and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea.“The perfect novel ... Freshly mysterious.” —The Washington PostVincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star lodging on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. On the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, a hooded figure scrawls a message on the lobby's glass wall: Why don’t you swallow broken glass. High above Manhattan, a greater crime is committed: Alkaitis's billion-dollar business is really nothing more than a game of smoke and mirrors. When his scheme collapses, it obliterates countless fortunes and devastates lives. Vincent, who had been posing
£12.71
£11.52
Penguin Books Ltd Incident at Vichy Penguin Modern Classics
Book SynopsisIn Vichy France, 1942, a group of men sit outside an office, waiting to be interviewed. The reason they have been pulled off the street and taken there is obvious enough. They are, for the most part, Jews. But how serious an offence this is, and how they are to suffer for it, is not clear, and they hope for the best. But as rumours pass between them of trains full of people locked from the outside and furnaces in Poland, and although they reassure themselves that nothing so monstrous could be true, their panic rises.Arthur Miller''s claustrophobic play of how the inconceivable becomes allowed to pass, Incident at Vichy is one of the most indispensable, moving pieces of art about the Holocaust.
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Colour of Milk
Book SynopsisNell Leyshon's first novel, Black Dirt, was long-listed for the Orange Prize, and shortlisted for the Commonwealth prize. Her plays include Comfort me with Apples, which won an Evening Standard Award, and Bedlam, which was the first play written by a woman for Shakespeare's Globe. She writes for BBC Radio 3 and 4, and won the Richard Imison Award for her first radio play. Nell was born in Glastonbury and lives in Dorset.Trade ReviewShocking and haunting. Read it, in one sitting * Spectator *Charming, Brontë-esque, compelling, special and hard to forget. I loved it * Marian Keyes *A small tour de force - a wonderfully convincing voice, and a devastating story told with great skill * Penelope Lively *Starts deceptively quietly, describing a life of rural hardships and limited prospects, but bit by bit, letter by letter, it reveals a world of potential that is shattered by human fallibility * Daily Telegraph *Astounding . . . one of the most compelling narrators I've ever encountered * Stylist *It is once in a blue moon that an author creates a voice quite as alive and as startling as Mary's. Leyshon deserves to be showered with awards * Sunday Express *Brilliant, devastating and unforgettable * Easy Living *Spare and beautifully crafted, compelling. Like a love letter to the power of words * Marie Claire *An astounding read. Like the best bits of Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles . . . Mary is one of the most compelling narrators I've ever encountered . . . packs a powerful punch . . . a very British gem * Stylist *I loved it. Charming, Brontë-esque, compelling, special and hard to forget. I loved Mary's voice - so inspiring and likeable. Such a hopeful book * Marian Keyes *Haunting, distinctive voices. Mary's spare simple words paint brilliant pictures in the reader's mind. Leyshon's imaginative powers are considerable * Independent *Leyshon is a master of domestic suspense . . . Slender but compelling, the charm is to be found as much in its spare, evocative style as in the moving candour of its narrator * Observer *
£11.67
Amazon Publishing The Secrets of Us
Book SynopsisDangerously addictive, The Secrets of Us is a pulse-pounding exploration of a disturbed psyche and the bond between two sisters desperate to escape a troubled past. Foster sisters Krystal and Nichole have always been there for each other, so when Nichole is committed to a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband, Krystal drops everything to defend her. Scarred by a hard upbringing, Nichole and Krystal managed to construct comfortable lives for themselves. Krystal became a respected lawyer, and Nichole was happily married to an architect—until Nichole starts raving that her husband isn’t her husband, believing that he’s an imposter. Driven by fierce loyalty, Krystal starts asking questions, but she’s not sure she can bear the answers. Her investigation leads to the sisters’ dark shared past…to a horrible tragedy and a well-guarded lie that cemented their sisterly bond. But that lie can’t kill the truth—the battered, gasping, clawing truth that’s coming for them both. Now Krystal and Nichole must both fight for the lives they’ve built before they’re consumed by the one they left behind.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR LUCINDA BERRY THE SECRETS OF US “Those looking for an emotional roller-coaster ride will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly “Combine Lucinda Berry’s deep understanding of the complexities of the human mind with her immense talent for storytelling and you have The Secrets of Us, an intense psychological thriller that kept my heart racing until the shocking, jaw-dropping conclusion. Bravo!” —T.R. Ragan, New York Times bestselling author “The Secrets of Us is an unputdownable page turner with two compelling female protagonists that will keep readers on their toes. Fantastic!” —Cate Holahan, USA Today bestselling author of One Little Secret “Lucinda Berry’s The Secrets of Us is a tense, psychological thriller that explores the dark corners and turns a mind can take when it harbors secret guilt. The interplay between sisters Krystal and Nichole and their hidden past is gradually revealed and in the end, the plot twists keep coming. Right and wrong can be ambivalent and this story explores all shades of gray, from their dysfunctional family, to an old childhood friend, and to a husband that may or may not be too good to be true. Berry’s background as a clinical psychologist shines in this novel with a character so disturbed they spend time in seclusion lockdown at a psychiatric ward. Don’t miss this one!” —Debbie Herbert, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author “The Secrets of Us is an utterly gripping, raw, and heartbreaking story of two sisters. Berry’s flawlessly placed clues and psychological expertise grab you from the first word, not letting go until the last. Compelling, intricate, and shocking, this inventive thriller cleverly weaves from past to present with stunning precision. I was absolutely enthralled.” —Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 national bestselling author of Woman on the Edge “The past and present collide with explosive consequences in this addictive, twisty thriller from an author at the top of her game. The Secrets of Us grips from the first page and doesn’t let go until the final shocking twist.” —Lisa Gray, bestselling author of Dark Highway THE BEST OF FRIENDS “A mother’s worst nightmare on the page. For those who dare.” —Kirkus Reviews “The Best of Friends gripped me from the stunning opening to the emotional, explosive ending. In this moving novel, Berry creates a beautifully crafted study of secrets and grief among a tight-knit group of friends and of how far a mother will go to discover the truth and protect her children.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and This Is How I Lied “In The Best of Friends, Berry starts with a heart-stopping bang—the dreaded middle-of-the-night phone call—and then delivers a dark and gritty tale that unfolds twist by devastating twist. Intense, terrifying, and at times utterly heartbreaking. Absolutely unputdownable.” —Kimberly Belle, international bestselling author of Dear Wife and Stranger in the Lake THE PERFECT CHILD “I am a compulsive reader of literary novels—but this has been a terrible year for fiction that is actually readable and not experimental. I have been so disappointed when well-known writers came out with books that, to me, were just duds. But there was one book that kept me reading, the sort of novel I can’t put down…The Perfect Child, by Lucinda Berry. It speaks to the fear of every parent: What if your child is a psychopath? This novel takes it a step further. A couple, desperate for a child, has the chance to adopt a beautiful little girl who, they are told, has been abused. They’re told it might take a while for her to learn to behave and trust people. She can be sweet and loving, and in public she is adorable. But in private—well, I won’t give away what happens. But needless to say, it’s chilling.” —Gina Kolata, New York Times “A mesmerizing, unbearably tense thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. This creepy, serpentine tale explores the darkest corners of parenthood and the profoundly unsettling lengths one will go to to keep a family together—no matter the consequences. Electrifying and atmospheric, this dark gem of a novel is one I couldn’t put down.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author “A deep, dark, and dangerously addictive read. All absorbing to the very end!” —Minka Kent, Washington Post bestselling author
£8.54
Wicked Run Press Orphans of Bliss: Tales of Addiction Horror
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Little, Brown Book Group Towards Another Summer
Book Synopsis'A deeply rewarding and beautiful novel' HILARY MANTEL, GUARDIAN ' Towards Another Summer is a joy to read' MAGGIE O'FARRELL'Frame has been compared with Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf' TELEGRAPHLife in England seems transitory for Grace Cleave as the pull of her native New Zealand grows stronger. She begins to feel increasingly like a migratory bird. Grace longs to find her own place in the world, if only she can decide where that is. But first she must learn to feel comfortable in her own skin, feathers and all. Towards Another Summer is a meditation on the themes of exile and return, homesickness and not knowing where home really is. It is suffused with beauty and tenderness and shot through with self-deprecating humour and frailty.Written in 1963, Janet Frame considered this novel too personal to be published in her lifetime.'In this deeply personal novel of exile and loneliness, Janet Frame proves the master of nostalgia, beauty and loss. Frame is, and will remain, divine' ALICE SEBOLD'Exceptional . . . comic, melancholy and piercingly observant' SUNDAY TELEGRAPHTrade ReviewThe idea of a new novel by Janet Frame is in itself a delight and Towards Another Summer is a joy to read, with all the poise, inventiveness and clarity of her other workNo literary curiosity but a deeply rewarding and beautiful novel * Guardian *Frame has been compared with Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf. I am more often reminded of Jean Rhys, similarly distanced from her homeland in the West Indies, with an artistic viewpoint that may seem skewed by its own sensitivity, but is, in fact, courageously clear-sighted * Telegraph *Like every writer worth remembering, Frame exploits-or creates on the page, to be absolutely puristic about it-her peculiar sensibility, her private window into the universal * New York Times Book Review *Maybe Frame took pleasure in the thought of a novel appearing after her death, one that touched so closely on her essential nature, and reminded the world of her remarkable artistry * Daily Telegraph *A piercing, poetic revelation * Observer *In this deeply personal novel of exile and loneliness, Janet Frame proves the master of nostalgia, beauty, and loss. Frame is, and will remain, divine
£16.40
Bellevue Literary Press Moss
Book SynopsisAn aging botanist withdraws to the seclusion of his family’s vacation home in the German countryside. In his final days, he realizes that his life’s work of scientific classification has led him astray from the hidden secrets of the natural world. As his body slows and his mind expands, he recalls his family’s escape from budding fascism in Germany, his father’s need to prune and control, and his tender moments with first loves. But as his disintegration into moss begins, his fascination with botany culminates in a profound understanding of life’s meaning and his own mortality.Visionary and poetic, Moss explores our fundamental human desires for both transcendence and connection and serves as a testament to our tenuous and intimate relationship with nature.Klaus Modick is an award-winning author and translator who has published over a dozen novels as well as short stories, essays, and poetry. His translations into German include work by William Goldman, William Gaddis, and Victor LaValle, and he has taught at Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, and several other universities in the United States, Japan, and Germany. Moss, Modick’s debut novel, is his first book to be published in English. He lives in Oldenburg, Germany.Trade ReviewBig Other Book Award FinalistReading Group Choices “Editors’ Pick” selectionArts Fuse “Recommended Books of the Year” selectionWords Without Borders “Watchlist” selection“[Moss] opens with the death of a renowned botanist, whose . . . hypnotic reflections and biographical recollections disavow the ‘botanist’s penetrating gaze’—its ‘classifications without real knowledge’—to arrive at a rejuvenating, anarchic conception of the natural world.” —Millions“A powerful exercise in eco-fiction. . . . Modick’s writing, at its best, presents the ‘mossifcation’ of the mind, combining clinical observation with philosophical lyricism.” —Arts Fuse“[Moss] taps into a host of humanitarian and ecological concerns, even as it reminds the reader of the complex web of connections humans dwell within.” —Words Without Borders“A masterful examination of internal conflict, gratifying for readers inspired by ecofiction and literary theory. . . . Inner explorations transform into a Weltanschauung of epiphany and new understanding of love, death, and the natural world.” —Booklist“A graceful, thought-provoking portrait of memory and mortality.” —Publishers Weekly“Thoughtful and thought-provoking.” —Midwest Book Review
£999.99
Double 9 Books The moon and sixpence
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Unbound Surviving Me
Book SynopsisTom has decided he doesn't want to live. Adam wishes he had a choice.Tom's lost his job and now he's been labelled 'spermless'. He doesn't exactly feel like a modern man, although his double life helps. Yet when his secret identity threatens to unravel, he starts to lose the plot and comes perilously close to the edge.All the while Adam has his own duplicity, albeit for very different reasons, reasons which will blow the family's future out of the water.If they can't be honest with themselves, and everyone else, then things are going to get a whole lot more complicated.
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Lucky New from the author of Darling the most
Book SynopsisI devoured it.' Erin KellyAn exhilarating voice' Adele ParksUnbelievably tense and twisty.' Laura MarshallLuckyRachel EdwardsThe more she wins, the more she losesAbsorbing, unsettling, unflinching. I've been thinking about it for days and I'll be recommending it to everyone.' Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little LiesSomeone is watching Etta. Footsteps in the night, the security light coming on at strange hours is it all just her curtain-twitching neighbours, who seem to monitor her every move? Or is her little online problem making her paranoid?Because Etta needs to win big. She joined a gambling website to get a bit of cash, hoping to convince her boyfriend Ola that they can afford to get married. And she was so good at it until she wasn't. Luckily, she's made a friend who hit the jackpot and if she plays her cards right, he could lend her the money to win everything back. Easy. So why does she feel so afraid?Trade Review‘Betrayal, blackmail, a marriage on hold…all the ingredients of a page-turning thriller, in a post-Brexit world of debt and insecurity.’ Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch ‘Terrifying. Enough to make the reader break out in a cold sweat.’ Guardian ‘A fresh, exhilarating voice’ Adele Parks ‘Unbelievably tense and twisty’ Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request ‘This deep dive into gambling addiction packs a huge emotional punch. I devoured it’ Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said ‘A brilliant portrayal of one woman’s descent into the world of online gambling – I felt every spin of the wheel; the highs of adrenaline followed by stomach churning nausea’ Nikki Smith, author of All In Her Head ‘Tense beyond belief but impossible to put down. Dark, absorbing and brilliantly terrifying’ Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City ‘Love, chance and betrayal all take a seat at the table in Rachel Edward’s compelling novel, Lucky. Delivered in Rachel’s exciting and original style is a winning storyline, crafted with excellence, packed with suspense and walk-off-the-page characters you’ll think about long after turning the last page’ Olivia Kiernan, author of Play Dead for Me ‘Timely, absorbing, unsettling and unflinching, with a dark, knowing wit. I’ve been thinking about it for days and I’ll be recommending it to everyone’ Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers Night Wherever We Go A heartbreaking and
Book SynopsisTrade Review‘A haunting evocation of the routine brutalities of slavery that is also a powerful celebration of friendship, community, resilience and rebellion. A hugely impressive debut’ SARAH WATERS ‘A haunting, moving story’SUNDAY TIMES ‘A powerful and inspired achievement… gives voice to the enslaved women of this nation’s past who have, for far too long, had their voices gone unheard in the annals of history. She does them justice and then some. This one is not to be missed’ NATHAN HARRIS, author of The Sweetness of Water ‘Extraordinary: a beautiful book about harrowing things, beautiful because of its understanding of humanity, its astonishing language, and the plain brilliance of its author. I'm not sure I've recovered from the experience of reading it, or ever will, or ever should’ ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN ‘A tale of epic survival, a song of collective resilience, an intimate exploration of love, friendship and sisterhood in the face of harrowing cruelty and injustice. In lyrical and precise prose, Peyton evokes an indelible portrait of each woman's complicated desires, hopes and fears. And in spite of the characters' difficult lives, this is a book about joy and transcendence as much as it is about trauma and loss. The complex and varied voices of the women that inhabit Night Wherever We Go make it a haunting, powerful and utterly unforgettable read’ RACHEL HENG, author of Suicide Club ‘Night Wherever We Go has the potential to change how Blacknesses, Texas and the nation are written about forever’ KIESE LAYMON, author of Long Division
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Vacation House
Book Synopsis
£15.19
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Directions to Myself
Book Synopsis''An absolute stunner: frank, funny, self-aware, constantly surprising ... One of the most insightful representations I've read of what it feels like to be alive these days'' GEORGE SAUNDERS________________________A memoir of finding where you are - so you know where you're goingOne day Heidi Julavits sees her son silhouetted by the sun and notices he is at the threshold of what she calls the end times of childhood.' Who is my son becoming, she asks herself and what qualifies me to be his guide? The next four years feel like uncharted waters. Rape allegations rock the university campus where Julavits teaches, unleashing questions of justice and accountability, education and prevention. Julavits begins to wonder how to prepare her son to be the best possible citizen of the world he's about to enter. And what she must learn about herself to responsibly steer him. Using the past and present as points of orientation, Directions to Myself examines the minutiae oTrade ReviewJulavits’s work keeps growing in scope and ambition, asking the biggest questions about love and fear and how best to make life meaningful, and answering with an inspiring level of courage, humour, and stylistic bravado -- GEORGE SAUNDERSSweet, serene, loving, and delightfully macabre * NEW YORKER *An achingly rendered experience of parenthood * WASHINGTON POST *The product of an awe-inspiring mind ... The writing is a miracle of precision and spirit, and Heidi Julavits is as darkly funny as John Cheever -- RACHEL KUSHNER, author of The Mars RoomJulavits writes with sparkling insight and stunning clarity * BUSTLE, The Most Anticipated Books Of Spring & Summer 2023 *It's a beautiful book, funny, sad, full of acute feeling and astute observations. It seemed to me to be, more than anything, about the colossal significance of seemingly small moments, and the tremendous ripple effects of humdrum decisions -- SARA BAUME, author of Seven SteeplesIn this self-aware book, issues of politics and gender thread together with the daily ins and outs of family life * TIME, 25 New Books You Need to Read This Summer *Inside these pages is a sanctuary of unwordable grief, exactly because of their proximity to our purpose and joy, our mothering, our try, our children. We have tried our best. Now, to the world they go. Please meet them where we mothers are. This book is the purest expression of this hope I have read – the immense particular incarnate. It’s also wicked funny, as the greatest heartbreaks must be for their ebb -- DEDE GARDNER, two-time Oscar winning producer of 12 Years a Slave and MoonlightHonest, blazing, and generous, Directions to Myself manages to be an essay about everything by focusing intently on the basic human need of giving care to other people. Something as simple as the fact that we teach our friends, children, and partners how to be in the world through the way that we care for them feels totally new in Julavits’s elegant and energetic voice. Truly astounding -- CATHERINE LACEY, author of Biography of XA touching meditation on time, motherhood, and memory ... Affecting reflections on life’s transitions * KIRKUS *Praise for Heidi Julavits: Witty, sly, critical, inventive and adventurous … Her prose, like E. B. White’s, is especially liquid, and her sentences are unimpeachable * New York Times *Scathingly funny ... An engaging portrait of a woman's sense of identity, which continually shape-shifts with time * Los Angeles Times *An absolute tour de force -- George SaundersMesmerising -- Amy TanWith astounding intelligence and unceasing acuity, Heidi Julavits fulfills the great promise of her talents, and jumps to the forefront of her generation. This could be the smartest and most challenging book I’ve read by anyone our age, and beyond that, it’s just plain hard to put down -- Dave EggersA fascinating quasi-memoir ... The humor and the pathos of the book arise from [the] mismatch between the urgency of a decision in the moment and the awareness that always runs beneath it: that time will eventually make most things not matter * Washington Post *Playful, intimate and deeply insightful … Julavits is someone you truly want to know * Chicago Tribune *Like E. B. White or David Foster Wallace before her, Julavits might be ashamed of her little vanities and obsessions … but that doesn’t prevent her from laying them bare without sugar-coating a thing … There’s not a single uninteresting anecdote or scrap of flabby prose throughout * Barnes and Noble *An incisive and penetrating thinker, as exacting as she is forgiving in her observations about the self and the world * Electric Literature *
£17.09
Scribner Book Company The Candy House
Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE of the TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR by THE NEW YORK TIMES * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * SLATE* THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER * Also named one of the BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by Vanity Fair, Time, NPR, The Guardian, Oprah Daily, Self, Vogue, The New Yorker, BBC, Vulture, and many more! OLIVIA WILDE to direct A24''s TV adaptation of THE CANDY HOUSE and A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD! From one of the most celebrated writers of our time comes an “inventive, effervescent” (Oprah Daily) novel about the memory and quest for authenticity and human connection.The Candy House opens with the staggeringly brilliant Bix Bouton, whose company, Mandala, is so successful that he is “one of those tech demi-gods with whom we’re all on a first name basis.” Bix is forty, with four kids, restless, and desperate for a new
£22.40
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC History's Angel
Book SynopsisA darkly funny, sharply observed, and deeply moving novel about the surprises and struggles of life in contemporary Delhi _____________________ 'A beautiful novel exploring tensions in modern India' OBSERVER 'Confirms Anjum Hasan as one of the most important writers of our time' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE Alif is a middle-aged, mild-mannered history teacher, living in contemporary Delhi, at a time in India’s history when Muslims are seen either as hapless victims or live threats. Though his life's passion is the history he teaches, it's the present that presses down on him: his wife is set on a bigger house and a better car while trying to ace her MBA exams; his teenage son wants to quit school to get rich; his supercilious colleagues are suspicious of a Muslim teaching India's history; and his old friend Ganesh has just reconnected with a childhood sweetheart with whom Alif was always rather enamored himself. And then the unthinkable happens. While Alif is leading a school field trip, a student goads him, and in a fit of anger, Alif twists his ear. His job suddenly on the line, Alif finds his life rapidly descending into chaos. Meanwhile, his home city, too, darkens under the spreading shadow of violence. In this darkly funny, sharply observed, and shockingly moving novel, Anjum Hasan deftly and delicately explores the life of Muslims in India and the force and consequence of remembering your people’s history in an increasingly indifferent milieu. 'Hasan's eye is sharp and her aim is unerring. This is a work of sublime elegance' SHRUTI SWAMY, author of The Archer 'Told in a subdued, sad, ironical tenor, it is compassionate without being sentimental' GEETANJALI SHREE, author of the International Booker Prize-winning Tomb of Sand 'Extremely timely … History's Angel helps us view the erasures of the past through a living lens with sensitivity and nuance' DAISY ROCKWELL Trade ReviewA wonderful Delhi novel for our times, a Shahr-e-Ashob of the new India. History's Angel is eloquent, brave, elegaic and ultimately, heartbreaking. This remarkable novel reminded me of both of Ahmed Ali's Twilight in Delhi and Anita Desai's In Custody, and confirms Anjum Hasan as one of our finest and most important writers -- WILLIAM DALRYMPLEPoignant ... An unsettling, piercingly intimate portrait of the rough birth of Modi’s new India * FINANCIAL TIMES *A beautiful novel exploring tensions in modern India ... timely and elegiac * OBSERVER *Hasan grants this hero such a complete inner life - and surrounds him with such finely drawn characters - that the very air he breathes seems dense with thoughts and longings * WALL STREET JOURNAL *An extraordinary tale of an ordinary Muslim ... Hasan is cannily observant, a sophisticated writer with a wry and subtle sense of humour, with which she highlights the ridiculousness and futility of seemingly ordinary milieus, while never detracting from the increasing alienation of a community * TRIBUNE INDIA *Poignant and thought-provoking…deftly highlights the power of ideas * NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS *One of the finest contemporary Indian fiction writers… [A] sparkling new novel * independent.co.uk *An engrossing read * THE PATRIOT *An important book … the characters are compelling, the setting accurate and the sentences shine * HINDUSTAN TIMES *This absorbing novel trespasses, from sentence to sentence, the boundaries that usually demarcate the grandeur of the historical from the tedium, humour, and disappointments of ordinary human life. Domesticity, everyday routine, and our historical pasts and futures are conjoined here tantalisingly, with impressive skill, and with real tenderness -- AMIT CHAUDHURIA shimmering, intelligent rage roils under a cool surface in History's Angel, which manages at once to be "made so insistantly, so noisily, of now" and inhabit layers of history. Hasan's eye is sharp and her aim is unerring. This is a work of sublime elegance -- SHRUTI SWAMYA seething seismic tale about the disturbing times the Muslims of India are living through, in ever growing dread of worse to come. Told in a subdued, sad, ironical tenor, it is compassionate without being sentimental. The novel asserts humanity and hope in the face of widening fissures through its main protagonist who, drawing sustenance from a deep historical perspective, refuses to play the victim and negotiates the situation empathetically -- GEETANJALI SHREE, author of the International Booker Prize-winning Tomb of SandErudite and languid … Hasan’s layering of history and personal drama accrues a subtle but undeniable power * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Extremely timely … History's Angel helps us view the erasures of the past through a living lens. With sensitivity and nuance, Anjum Hasan draws us into the world of Alif, a Muslim history teacher in contemporary Delhi -- DAISY ROCKWELLThoughtful, erudite, balancing the country’s contradictions like a Parisian waiter with an overcrowded tray ... Does for Delhi what Joyce did for Dublin * STRONG WORDS *
£18.99
Workman Publishing Descent: A Novel
Book Synopsis“Read this astonishing novel . . . The magic of his prose equals the horror of Johnston’s story.” —The Washington Post The Rocky Mountains have cast their spell over the Courtlands, who are taking a family vacation before their daughter leaves for college. But when Caitlin and her younger brother, Sean, go out for an early morning run and only Sean returns, the mountains become as terrifying as they are majestic. Written with a precision that captures every emotion, every moment of fear, as each member of the family searches for answers, Descent races like an avalanche toward its heart-pounding conclusion. “A compelling thriller that is both creepy and literary . . . Descent is not just a mystery. It is an emotional story of evil, fear, acceptance and irony.”—The Denver Post “What makes the novel unforgettable is its sense of character, its deliberate, unadorned prose and Johnston’s unflinching exploration of human endurance, physical and psychological.” —Miami Herald “A super-charged, addictive read.” —The Missourian “An original and psychologically deep thriller.” —Outside magazine “Outstanding . . . The days when you had to choose between a great story and a great piece of writing? Gone.” —Esquire “[A] dazzling debut . . . Exquisitely crafted.” —The Dallas Morning News “Incredibly powerful, richly atmospheric.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “[An] engulfing thriller-cum-western.” —The New York Times Book Review “Brilliant . . . As gripping as any Everest expedition.” —Peter Heller, author of The Dog Stars
£12.34
Soho Press The Land
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£19.31
Cormorant Books Lost Dogs
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£9.49
Cormorant Books Some Unfinished Business
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£9.49
Cormorant Books Double Karma
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£9.49
Anvil Press Publishers Inc The Loop
Book SynopsisWinner of the 41st International 3-Day Novel Writing Contest Alan is unsure if he is dead or dreaming, he only knows that he is stuck in a loop. He finds himself being forced to walk along a straight path through an unending pine forest where any deviation from the path causes him to black out and begin again. Dipping in and out of an endless purgatorial walk, Alan relives key moments in his life where he missed the opportunity to learn, escape, and change: The death of his mother, an abusive relationship with his father, and the opportunity to connect with his only real friend, a neighbour he never speaks to named Edgar. The Loop chronicles the life of an alcoholic who is unable to escape his past to explore the ways in which abuse can shape someone into their abuser and the ways trauma can transfer from one generation to the next. How much of who we are is who we are? How much of it is someone else? What if this has all happened before?
£13.29
Atlantic Books Trenton Makes
Book Synopsis"A novel of bewitching ingenuity" New York Times"Electrifying" Lit HubAbe Kunstler wants his share of the American Dream, which for him is a factory job, a wife and a family. Getting these things will be harder for Abe than it is for other people, however, because his life is a lie - an invention forged in the heat of a terrible crime. Haunted by his past, terrified of exposure, and searching obsessively for redemption, Abe moves from one ruthless act to the next, tricking an alcoholic young taxi-dancer into becoming first his wife, then the mother of a child she believes is his. When the life they have built is threatened, he becomes desperate, until even Abe himself isn't sure how far he'll go to keep his secret.SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZETrade ReviewThis is storytelling on steroids... Trenton Makes is as thrilling as it is disturbing -- author of THE LAST STATION * Jay Parini *Gritty, dense and intense... a thought-provoking read * Daily Mail *Trenton Makes boasts the force of real freshness... It's a novel of bewitching ingenuity, one whose darkling, melodic mind conceives a world of ruin and awe.... It is worthy of not only New Jersey but of that excessive fluorescence called art. * New York Times *Powerfully lyrical, attuned to the emotional cadences of his characters' worlds * TLS *The honed-steel sentences on display here - vivid and sharp and scarily persuasive - are all the more harrowing for the vulnerability they manage to convey. Abe Kunstler is a singular protagonist, and Trenton Makes is a passionate and original first novel. * Garth Risk Hallberg, author of CITY ON FIRE *This is a peculiar, gripping book, and Koelb's is a distinctive voice. Has Kunstler chosen the form his body must take, or has the society he was born into chosen it for him? Masculinity and femininity are both prisons here; and social progress - so-called - comes at a price. Trenton Makes is a fascinating interrogation of the industrial American dream. * Financial Times *A stunning debut. Utterly brilliant. * Philipp Meyer author of THE SON and AMERICAN RUST *Tadzio Koelb's imagining of his unforgettable protagonist is as tough as it is compassionate; his prose seduces not just because it is stunning, but because it is uncompromising in its pursuit of one character's mutilated truth. * Belinda McKeon, author of TENDER *Electrifying. * LitHub *A transgressive, barbed-wire sharp debut. * O, The Oprah Magazine *Lyrical, brutal, unorthodox, and brilliantly unsettling. * Robert Marshall, author of A SEPARATE REALITY *A novel cut from the same startling bolt of literary cloth used by writers like Djuna Barnes, William Faulkner or James Baldwin. * Laird Hunt, author of NEVERHOME *
£18.19
Atlantic Books All Along the Echo: ‘One of the best novels of
Book Synopsis'A cyclone of a novel' GuardianAn absolute marvel' Max Porter, bestselling author of Lanny'Dancing and dodging, surprising and poignant' Lisa McInerney, bestselling author of The Rules of RevelationFIRST VOICE: Why are we listening? SECOND VOICE: I dunno, I mean, what else is there to do? Tony Cooney, a local-radio DJ, spends his days on air, talking to the listeners of Cork. They call in to tell him about overturned sewage trucks and nuisance graffiti artists, each story a small testimony to the bustle of life that goes on in the county. Off air, however, Tony is beginning to feel unsettled. His long marriage is strained, his teenage daughter is struggling with her mental health, and then out of the blue an old girlfriend gets in touch and suggests he come to visit. Lou Fitzpatrick, Tony's young radio-show producer, is having her own off-air problems. She wants children, but her girlfriend has other ideas; they've lost their beloved cat and her father's drinking is way past problematic. Which is why both Tony and Lou are relieved to leave Cork and drive across Ireland as part of a radio publicity stunt organized by a local car dealership. Their aim is to give away the Mazda 2 that they're driving, the catch being that it must go to one of the many emigrants who have recently returned home to escape a wave of escalating terror attacks in London. But as they navigate dual-carriageways and Travelodges, giving airtime and narrative to the great cacophony of voices calling into the show, the car competition transforms into a surreal quest: Tony to find his first love, Lou to find answers to impossible questions, and all the while two mysterious voices listen in, making their own estimations... A mighty tale of radios, road trips and of the noisy static of life, All Along the Echo asks us whether our lives ever add up to more than the stories we tell ourselves. Funny, warm and in the wilding spirit of George Saunders or Samuel Beckett, Danny Denton's novel is a bravura capturing of modern Ireland, one that shows us the possibilities of fiction, the nature of love and death, and what it is for each of us to be only the briefest signal in life's splendid broadcastttzchidhcmxc [static].Trade ReviewOne of the best novels of 2022 so far... Brilliant... A beautiful cacophony * The Telegraph *A cyclone of a novel... Best of all, amid the imaginative pyrotechnics, there are moments of real tenderness * Guardian *Denton has done something magical here, maybe even a little metaphysical... Wonderful * Irish Times *One of my favourite contemporary writers. One of my favourite writers full stop. Danny Denton's work always blasts my mind and heart wide open, he's an absolute marvel * Max Porter, author of Lanny *A boisterous chorus, brimming with humanity. All Along the Echo feels like a living thing, dancing and dodging, surprising and poignant. * Lisa McInerney, author of The Rules of Revelation *An unruly, provocative and stunning novel. Lovers of literature and radio: this is for you * Cillian Murphy *Wild, full-hearted, high-concept with real emotional heft * Nicole Flattery, author of Show Them a Good Time *All Along the Echo has the energy of a rebounding pinball. Danny Denton takes you on a voice-switching, shape-shifting adventure * Rebecca Watson, author of little scratch *Grabs the reader by both shoulders and spins... Intensely exhilarating, moving, and often hilarious, this book is a wonder * Doireann Ní Ghríofa, author of A Ghost in the Throat *Glowing with warmth yet resolute of focus across its fascinatingly fractured form, All Along the Echo is a declaration of love and frailty in a glitchy age of crossed wires and cross purposes * Gavin Corbett, author of Green Glowing Skull *Danny Denon has written a beast of a novel, stretching both hands around the absurd, strange, awful beauty of modern Irish life and hugging it close to him, all of it * Cathy Sweeney, author of Modern Times *All Along the Echo is a very funny book with a sincerely bleak underbelly; a gritty, socially-engaged book with an antic exuberance that is so rare in contemporary writing. It's gorgeous and life-affirming. * Niamh Campbell, author of We Were Young *
£14.99
Atlantic Books 7 ½
Book SynopsisA man arrives at a house on the coast to write a book. Separated from his lover and family and friends, he finds the solitude he craves in the pyrotechnic beauty of nature, just as the world he has shut out is experiencing a cataclysmic shift. The preoccupations that have galvanised him and his work fall away and he becomes lost in memory and beauty. He begins to tell us a story ... A retired porn star who is made an offer he can't refuse for the sake of his family and future. So he returns to the world he fled years before, all too aware of the danger of opening the door to past temptations and long-buried desires. Can he resist the oblivion and bliss they promise? A breathtakingly audacious novel by the acclaimed author of The Slap and Damascus about finding joy and beauty in a raging and punitive world, about the refractions of memory and time and, most subversive of all, the mystery of art and its creation.Trade ReviewA genuinely brave counter-cultural novel... It's terrific, like everything he writes. * Johann Hari, author of STOLEN FOCUS *Rejecting the rage of contemporary politics for a tender celebration of sensuality, nature, memory and love, 7½ makesa defiant claim: that even now, as the world burns, beauty is worth our attention. In this thrilling mashup of autobiography, homage, film and fiction, Tsiolkas presents a rebellious paean to joy and artistic freedom. I've admired the risk and power of all his novels, but this might be riskiest of all-so personal, so delicate and true-and I love it. * Charlotte Wood, Stella Prize-winning author of The Weekend *
£16.99
Fairlight Books The Piano Room
Book SynopsisSandor Esterhazy is descended from a long line of talented pianists, but has no desire to play. So, one snowy afternoon, he promises his soul to the devil in exchange for a life of his own choosing. Afterwards, he laughs it off as a joke, but that night the devil arrives dragging someone - or something - with him.Trade Review'Like a beautiful melody played on the very edge of hearing, The Piano Room demands your attention while remaining elusive. Utterly captivating' —Lynda Clark, author of 'Dreaming in Quantum and Other Stories'; 'A dark and beautifully written tale, seeped in music, yearning and breathless intrigue' —Edward Vass, author of 'Milton in Purgatory'
£8.54
Secant Publishing The Life and Deaths of Blanche Nero
Book SynopsisAt fifteen Blanche Nero watches the electrocution of her Italian immigrant father, punishment for the inexplicable brutal murder of his recently acquired friend Old Man Flaherty. She resolves to do something with her life that values humanity over justice, mercy over sacrifice. But she is forever haunted by the mystery of her father. She is also drawn irresistibly to the bigger human mysteries of violence and death. After a gruelling but successful academic career at some of the nation's finest university hospitals, Blanche is almost sixty. Her long career as a trauma surgeon at Charity Hospital in New Orleans has been abruptly ended by Hurricane Katrina. She takes a year sabbatical from the medical school and leases a small flat in Venice, seeking an understanding of her father in the place where he lived his formative years--and of herself by reliving and recording her own remarkable life. On a cold morning in Piazza San Marco, Blanche meets Count Lorenzo Ludovici (Ludo), an aging, elegant, and charming Venetian who is dying of AIDS. Blanche is drawn to him and is uncharacteristically self-revealing. As he introduces her to his beautiful city as their relationship develops and is health deteriorates Blanche becomes ever more fond of the count. As she relives her past by writing down what she remembers, she sees the girl she was and the woman she became with new eyes; the mystery of her father's death; her distant mother; her sometimes misguided adolescent efforts to grow up. And then discovering the thrill of medicine, especially the sensual trill of trauma surgery and losing herself in in that career, immersed in violence. She recalls her attempts at relationships, especially with Jesse Pinto, the one man whom she has ever loved, and how she ended that. She remembers her love affair with the Big Easy and Charity Hospital (the Big Free) that came suddenly to a violent end. Through a series of painful and revealing conversations, Blanche and Ludo discover that each of them has private knowledge of interlocking pieces of their history. Blanche feels sadness of a depth that she has not felt before, but also a strange sense of freedom. Perhaps, at last, she is ready to begin her life.
£22.09
HarperCollins Publishers Inc NOS4A2
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£17.67
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Catastrophe
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£15.99
HarperCollins Blonde 20th Anniversary Edition
Book Synopsis
£999.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc We Had to Remove This Post
Book SynopsisWHAT IS “NORMAL”?WHAT IS “RIGHT”?AND WHO GETS TO DECIDE?To be a content moderator is to see humanity at its worst—but Kayleigh needs money. So she takes a job working for a social media platform whose name she isn’t allowed to mention. Her task: review offensive videos and pictures, rants and conspiracy theories, and decide which need to be removed. It’s grueling work. Kayleigh and her colleagues spend all day watching horrors and hate on their screens, evaluating them with the platform’s ever-changing moderating guidelines. Yet Kayleigh is good at her job, and she finds in her colleagues a group of friends—even a new girlfriend—and for the first time in her life, her future seems bright.But soon the job seems to change them all, shifting their worlds in alarming ways. How long before the moderators’ own senses of right and wrong begin to b
£14.39
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Boy Parts
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£16.14
Vintage Publishing Eustace
Book SynopsisPoor Eustace is not very well. Convalescing in bed, his world is confined to the four walls of his grand and gloomy room. His days are spent in wild imaginings, punctuated by the occasional visit from his mother and a legion of Aunties, who fuss and smother Eustace.But then his wicked uncle arrives in a cloud of pipe smoke, accompanied by a swelling cast of prostitutes, hoodlums, drunkards and assorted hangers-on. Suddenly Eustace finds himself transformed from invalid to the star of a glittering and decadent social scene, serving drinks and holding court from his enormous bed. That is, until his Uncle''s past begins to catch up with him...Eustace is blackly comic, surreal and exquisitely rendered. It marks the debut of a brilliant new graphic novelist.Trade ReviewA strong debut with a compelling style... One of the particular joys reading comics offers is the chance of synchronicity between artistic style and thematic elements, and Harris offers that in abundance. -- Alex Hern * New Statesman *Surreal and enjoyable. -- James Smart * Guardian *Shades of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey twine tantalisingly about Eustace, the blackly comic debut by Londoner S. J. Harris. Harris’ angular stylistics and feathered pencil work is outstanding. -- Larushka Ivan-Zadeh * Metro *There’s a sniff of the great Robert Aickman in the mix of brittle comedy with murky sexual threat, and the whole thing is beautifully conceived and illustrated. Disturbingly confident, too, in its refusal to quite make sense. -- Tim Martin * Daily Telegraph *The darkness in Eustace creeps up on you unexpectedly. * The Skinny *
£14.24
Random House USA Inc The Sense of an Ending
Book SynopsisBOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
£14.45
Back Bay Books Acts of Desperation
Book Synopsis
£16.14
Random House USA Inc The Whispering Room A Jane Hawk Novel 2
Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Jane Hawk—fiction’s most relentless, resourceful, stunning new heroine—continues her battle against a murderous conspiracy in the riveting sequel to The Silent Corner. “No time to delay. Do what you were born to do. Fame will be yours when you do this.” These are the words that ring in the mind of mild-mannered, beloved schoolteacher Cora Gundersun—just before she takes her own life, and many others’, in a shocking act of carnage. When the disturbing contents of her secret journal are discovered, it seems certain that she must have been insane. But Jane Hawk knows better. In the wake of her husband’s inexplicable suicide—and the equally mysterious deaths of scores of other exemplary individuals—Jane picks up the trail of a secret cabal of powerful players who think themselves above the law and beyond punishment. But the ruthless people
£9.49
Random House USA Inc Dept of Speculation Vintage Contemporaries
Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Weather comes a slim, stunning portrait of a marriage--a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all.ONE OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR - THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWA Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Vogue.com, Electric Literature, BuzzfeedIn the beginning, it was easy to imagine their future. They were young and giddy, sure of themselves and of their love for each other. “Dept. of Speculation” was their code name for all the thrilling uncertainties that lay ahead. Then they got married, had a child and navigated the familiar calamities of family life—a colicky baby, a faltering relationship, stalled ambitions. When their marriage reaches a sudden breaking point, the w
£14.45
Lulu.com Jackson Stafford and the Pandora Project 1 2
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£40.84
Farrar, Straus and Giroux This Thing Between Us
Book SynopsisA surreal excursion into heartache and horror narrated by a man undone by grief . . . Along with allusions to Rod Serling and The Exorcist, there are shades of H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombie literature and, at least once, A Hitchhiker?s Guide to the Galaxy . . . You don''t want to read this book right before bed. ?Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review?This intense cosmic horror with a touch of Mexican American folklore is incredibly creepy and moving.? ?Margaret Kingsbury, BuzzFeedIt was Vera?s idea to buy the Itza. The ?world?s most advanced smart speaker!? didn?t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house?who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago?s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife?s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape?not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness and the oppressive intimacy of technology, This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent.
£15.30
