Street fiction / urban fiction

Book SynopsisTo save your lifeYou must kill the one you loveCan you do it?Sarah is madly in love with boyfriend Theo, and can’t wait to go on their first weekend away.But by the end of the first night, Theo is dead. And Sarah has killed him. But she swears she had no choice.She was forced to kill Theo because of something that happened a lifetime ago … something buried in her past.Now, Sarah has one week to find the truth of what happened back then and prove her innocence, before she’s turned over to the police.She’s spent years running from the truth – but now the choices of her past might destroy her future.A fast-paced, addictive thriller that fans of Gillian McAllister and Linwood Barclay won’t be able to put down.Readers are loving The Choice:‘So many twists that you are never sure what is going to happen next…thoroughly entertaining and one hell of a rollercoaster ride.’ Reader Review‘A clever, gripping and unexpected read…The ending is mindblowing and well-executed.’ Reader Review‘Amazing story, really captivated me!...Loved every minute of it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘A classic thriller tale with twists and turns that keeps the reader engaged, turning page after page to reach the climax. Deception, murder, greed and revenge fill the pages.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘This tale is creepy and scary in parts. Suspenseful and tense! I couldn’t get enough.’ Reader Review‘Rollercoaster of a suspense, packed with action and unpredictable twists and turns, a well-crafted cast of characters and a vein of deliciously dark humour.’ Reader Review‘Really suspenseful and kept me on my toes throughout most of the book.’ Reader Review‘Wow! What an intense read from page one…I loved the crazy thrilling ride it took me on.’ Reader Review‘Fast paced, hooks you in. Great book that keeps your attention.’ Reader ReviewPraise for P.D. Viner’s breakneck thrillers:‘I loved it! A very fast-paced, action-packed story with lots of suspense to keep you reading straight to the very end!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘Go with the flow and enjoy the rollercoaster ride…A gripping thriller that surprises, at times, by being laugh-out-loud funny.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘So gripping that I couldn’t have put it down even if I had wanted to…full of suspense and mystery, I loved it.’ Reader Review‘This one is certainly worth a read. A fun ride through a very dark night. Recommended.’ Reader Review‘A fun, high-energy read…this thriller offers you a rollercoaster of a ride.’ Reader Review‘Wow… It’s intense, gory and gripping, and I really enjoyed it!’ Reader Review‘I really enjoyed this book, it grabbed me from the very first page.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘A twisty and scary read that I couldn’t put down!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘The suspense starts straight away… it kept me hooked throughout’ Reader Review

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Book Synopsis'A slice of scary, escapist fun' Observer'The twists and turns are never-ending' Daily Mail'An unnervingly plausible and scintillatingly paced thriller' Radio Times'A phenomenal thriller, meticulously plotted and brilliantly realised' Clare Mackintosh, Books of the Year_______________________________If you can hear it, your time is running out.Teacher Kit Chaplin can't understand why some students at his north London school are experiencing an extreme ticking noise in their ears. Perhaps it's just a severe form of tinnitus? But only days later, it spreads to more students - and starts leaving bodies in its wake.Eminent vaccinologist Lilly Slater has never seen anything like this before. She must race against the clock to work out what is happening - and to find a cure.But their investigation throws up more questions than answers until they realise the mystery behind the illness is even bigger than they could have imagined...Will the truth behind this catastrophe become clear before it's too late?_______________________________Readers are loving Tick Tock'Well, BBC Radio presenter Simon Mayo sure can write a darned good thriller!''An excellent conspiracy theory thriller, it's exciting, full of danger... it's riveting and hard to put down''I was utterly gripped and read this in one sitting! I could feel the tension and fear in every page - loved it!''Never has there been a more timely thriller! I was gripped from the first page. I was so immersed, I read it in one night.'Trade ReviewTick Tock is an unnervingly plausible and scintillatingly paced thriller * Radio Times *Thrilling * Shots Magazine *Cracking * Peterborough Telegraph *The characters are well observed, the dialogue effortless and the twists and turns never-ending * Daily Mail *Mayo spools out his many twists and turns skillfully. A slice of scary, escapist fun * Observer *

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Book SynopsisFinalist of the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction'Told in a rich array of voices, this gorgeously written debut explores the myriad syncopations of love and desire' Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere'Beautifully and cleverly written...The novel's tender, sensual, enchanting prose entices you into a world of deep longing' Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church LadiesLove is messy. Love can make us feel alive. It can also bring us down. Sometimes we look for it in all the wrong places. This is a novel about longing, desire and dreams; about passion and risk and all the places in between.Maggie is pregnant with Circus Palmer's child. This may be her last chance, but she craves her freedom.Pia is Circus's ex-wife, still in love with the fantasy of the man who conjured jazz tunes for her into the night, but who left many years before.Koko, Circus's daughter, is lost in the maelstrom of teenage years, the confusion of awakening desire and yearning for the father she barely knows.Peach is a barmaid who just wants someone to see the person she is inside.Odessa is on the run from a mistake that can't be undone.And then there's Circus, Circus Palmer, a jazz trumpeter whose moment of glory is fading. Selfish, damaged, scared, perhaps the only person Circus is fooling is himself.Delivered in a lush orchestration of diverse female voices, Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm is a provocative and gripping novel about the desire to be loved, and the need to belong.*****'An exceptional debut...This story is an example of how love, in all of its polyrhythms, can sometimes sound like song, and other times like noise. And this book is an example of how a great story can become a bass drum, kicking and thumping in your belly far after it's over. A modern masterpiece.' Jason Reynolds, author of Look Both Ways'Soulful... Elegant, unexpected and wrenching as the "fierce" sounds that emerge from Circus's trumpet . . . Unforgettable' New York Times Book Review'[An] emerging literary superstar . . . This sensual and sensuous debut is a kaleidoscopic character study, a polyphonic riff on the modern-day Casanova from the perspectives of the myriad women in his wake' Oprah Daily'A sultry and subversive debut. Laura Warrell's prose sparkles, but it's what she's got to say about sex and love and being a woman that will take your breath away. This book is a love song, and Warrell knows how to hold all the right notes.' Rachel Beanland, author of Florence Adler Swims Forever'Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty rhythm,' proclaimed Jelly Roll Morton, and Warrell plays her exceptional first novel with plenty of rhythm and tenderness, delivered in brisk, mordantly gorgeous language' Library Journal'A book about desire and about love, about where these emotions meet and part and sometimes interlace in inescapable ways...a classic in the making.' Brian Castleberry, author of Nine Shiny ObjectsTrade ReviewLaura Warrell makes a striking debut with the musical Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, weaving together women's voices like a jam session . . . Warrell's sentences are sinuous, her characters fully formed, as they perform a dance of seduction and rebuttal, pursuit and withdrawal, yearning and regret. Using an elegant structure with echoes of Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other, she weaves a lushly textured tale of real emotional depth, conjuring a world of voices moving in concert. * TELEGRAPH *Set to be one of 2023's biggest books with plaudits from Celeste Ng and Oprah, this multi-narrative story is all about the power of being a woman, destructive love and hopeful endurance. * STYLIST *Soulful . . . Structured like a jam session, the novel favors a series of riffs over any one melodic theme. Warrell gives a supporting cast of women their own solos, through close-third-person chapters that detail their entanglements with the elusive Circus . . . Elegant, unexpected and wrenching as the "fierce" sounds that emerge from Circus's trumpet . . . Unforgettable. -- Lauren Christensen * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *[An] emerging literary superstar . . . Warrell writes a mean bad boy! This sensual and sensuous debut is a kaleidoscopic character study, a polyphonic riff on the modern-day Casanova from the perspectives of the myriad women in his wake. Both visceral and finely observed, the novel captures social nuance and emotional wreckage with precision and compassion. * OPRAH DAILY, 30 of the Best Fall Fiction Books of 2022 *Told in a rich array of voices, this gorgeously written debut explores the myriad syncopations of love and desire. Laura Warrell writes with an enormous understanding of human nature, a boundless sympathy for life's complications, and a keen eye for life's unexpected joys. * Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere *

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Book SynopsisFrom the highly acclaimed author of Bad Day in Blackrock – inspiration for the 2012 award-winning film What Richard Did, directed by Lenny Abrahamson... ​Shortlisted for the 2021 An Post Irish Book Awards Eason Novel of the Year...A darkly funny, gripping and profoundly moving novel about a life spinning out of control, a life live without the bedrock of familial love, and the corruption of material wealth that tears at the soul.‘It was my father’s arrest that brought me here, although you could certainly say that I took the scenic route.’ Here is rehab, where Ben – the only son of a rich South Dublin banker – is piecing together the shattered remains of his life. Abruptly cut off, at the age of 27, from a life of heedless privilege, Ben flounders through a world of drugs and dead-end jobs, his self-esteem at rock bottom. Even his once-adoring girlfriend, Clio, is at the end of her tether. Then Ben runs into an old school friend who wants to cut him in on a scam: a shady property deal in the Balkans. The deal will make Ben rich and, at one fell swoop, will deliver him from all his troubles: his addictions, his father’s very public disgrace, and his own self-loathing and regret. Problems solved. But something is amiss. For one thing, the Serbian partners don’t exactly look like fools. (In fact they look like gangsters.) And, for another, Ben is being followed everywhere he goes. Someone is being taken for a ride. But who?Praise for White City:'I can't recommend it enough. It's often hilariously funny but it's also a sharp and smart dissection of contemporary materialism' John Boyne, author of The Heart's Invisible Furies 'An immensely enjoyable and tautly written account of a young man from an affluent family whose life of privilege is turned upside down' Sunday Times 'Spiky, blackly funny novel that offers an incisive study on class, entitlement and masculinity' Independent 'Capacious and comic, luxuriantly written, with an intricate plot and heightened characterisation… both riotous rant and thoughtful coming-of-age tale' Dublin Review of Books 'Outstanding second novel... A brilliantly entertaining novel that is profound in the most unexpected ways. Power is that rarity, a genuinely funny novelist... Yet all the more remarkable is Power's handling of tone: this novel moves effortlessly between humour and sincerity; it is steeped in empathy and raw anger' Literary Review ‘White City is likely to be the most solid, well-rounded novel to come out of Ireland this year… At once a pacy page-turner with a nerve-frazzling plot and a realistic and haunting tale of our interconnected world… White City is an all-round superb book that will stay with you long after the inevitable binge read’ Irish Independent 'White City synthesises familiar forms into a whole: the rogue’s confession, the young man finding his way, the post-Celtic Tiger satire on puffed-up, self-perpetuating bullshit businesses… Power shows his own capacity for comic timing and pithy aperçus' Guardian ' An extremely funny book… Kevin Power shows his chops as a proper heavyweight novelist. Unequivocally one of the most purely enjoyable books, in the classic-novel sense… a zinger on every page' Peter Murphy, Arena (RTE Radio 1) '[A] sprawling social satire of the sort we seldom see in Irish fiction… a tremendously zesty and zeitgeisty piece of writing' Sunday Times (Ireland) ‘[T]his dark caper evolves to ask searching moral questions… with its 11th-hour twist, this ambitious, attention-grabbing novel seems ripe for cinematic adaptation’ Daily Mail ‘Kevin Power’s Bad Day in Blackrock (2008) was one of the most memorable Irish novels of the new century… White City has passages of striking lyrical subtlety and the different storylines are managed with great dexterity. Much has changed in Ireland since Bad Day in Blackrock was published, but as Power’s adept and absorbing new novel reminds us, much has not. White City demands to be read’ Irish Times ‘A fast-paced and wickedly funny novel. Hugely entertaining. White City grabbed me from the opening pages and didn't let go’ Danielle McLaughlin, author of The Art of Falling 'Wild and beautiful, a whole addictive and breathlessly compelling world squeezed between these covers... A magnificent novel from a writer who is soaring to the most spectacular heights' Billy O'Callaghan, author of Life Sentences 'White City is a dark, hilarious and emotionally profound study of the toxic effects of greed and entitlement. Also, a story brilliantly and movingly told. Couldn’t stop reading it. Will read it again' Ed O'Loughlin, author of Not Untrue and Not Unkind '[A] biting page-turner… Power’s writing is both strong and savage' John Walshe, The Business Post''Funny, and gorgeously written, and just relentlessly entertaining' Mark O'Connell, author of Notes from an Apocalypse'This is part thriller but mostly a look at what it means to grow up... This novel is pleasing on so many levels, both intellectually & emotionally... You'll laugh, you'll cry... Read it, read it, read it' Claire Hennessy, author, editor & publisher at Banshee Press 'The kind of novel that makes writers jealous and readers cancel all their plans to finish it. As a commentary on the classless contemporary upper class, it's cutting and hilarious; as a portrait of the artist as a young man waylaid by his membership in that class, it's profound, unpretentious, unapologetically intelligent, and, again, really hilarious' Lauren Oyler, author of Fake Accounts'White City is brilliant on the high-octane vacuity of Ireland’s rentier class. Power’s trademark shimmering prose counterpoints a driving narrative... Brilliant' Eoin McNamee, author of Resurrection Man and The Blue TangoTrade Review'White City is a dark, hilarious and emotionally profound study of the toxic effects of greed and entitlement. Also, a story brilliantly and movingly told. Couldn’t stop reading it. Will read it again' -- Ed O'Loughlin, author of Not Untrue and Not Unkind'This is part thriller but mostly a look at what it means to grow up... full of ridiculously beautiful, polished, & often scathing sentences. This novel is pleasing on so many levels, both intellectually & emotionally... You'll laugh, you'll cry... Read it, read it, read it' -- Claire Hennessy, author, editor & publisher at Banshee Press‘A fast-paced and wickedly funny novel. Hugely entertaining. White City grabbed me from the opening pages and didn't let go’ -- Danielle McLaughlin, author of The Art of Falling'With the brilliant Bad Day in Blackrock back in 2008, Kevin Power more than earned his standing as one of our most prodigious talents. It's been a while, and anticipation for new work has been high, but White City – wild and beautiful, a whole addictive and breathlessly compelling world squeezed between these covers – has been worth every minute of the wait. A magnificent novel from a writer who is soaring to the most spectacular heights' -- Billy O'Callaghan, author of Life Sentences'Outstanding second novel... A brilliantly entertaining novel that is profound in the most unexpected ways. Power is that rarity, a genuinely funny novelist... Yet all the more remarkable is Power's handling of tone: this novel moves effortlessly between humour and sincerity; it is steeped in empathy and raw anger' * Literary Review *'Worth the wait... Narrative twists and turns keep the reader turning the page, but Power is also a master of striking imagery, with which he threads his text' * Irish Independent *'The kind of novel that makes writers jealous and readers cancel all their plans to finish it. As a commentary on the classless contemporary upper class, it's cutting and hilarious; as a portrait of the artist as a young man waylaid by his membership in that class, it's profound, unpretentious, unapologetically intelligent, and, again, really hilarious' -- Lauren Oyler, author of Fake Accounts'White City is brilliant on the high-octane vacuity of Ireland’s rentier class. Power’s trademark shimmering prose counterpoints a driving narrative... Brilliant' -- Eoin McNamee, author of Resurrection Man and The Blue Tango'I can't recommend it enough. It's often hilariously funny but it's also a sharp and smart dissection of contemporary materialism' -- John Boyne, author of The Heart's Invisible Furies'An immensely enjoyable and tautly written account of a young man from an affluent family whose life of privilege is turned upside down' * Sunday Times *'Spiky, blackly funny novel that offers an incisive study on class, entitlement and masculinity' * Independent *'Capacious and comic, luxuriantly written, with an intricate plot and heightened characterisation… both riotous rant and thoughtful coming-of-age tale' * Dublin Review of Books *'Funny, and gorgeously written, and just relentlessly entertaining' -- Mark O'Connell, author of Notes from an Apocalypse'[A] sprawling social satire of the sort we seldom see in Irish fiction… a tremendously zesty and zeitgeisty piece of writing. There are so many good lines I stopped highlighting them, always a good sign' -- Bert Wright * The Sunday Times (Ireland) *'[A] biting page-turner… Power’s writing is both strong and savage' -- John Walshe * The Business Post *'White City synthesises familiar forms into a whole: the rogue’s confession, the young man finding his way, the post-Celtic Tiger satire on puffed-up, self-perpetuating bullshit businesses… Power shows his own capacity for comic timing and pithy aperçus' -- John Self * The Guardian *'As if Martin Amis in his more wickedly funny moments had decided that Monkstown Central was the Year Zero of his fiction […] there’s a powerful social conscience at work here […] An extremely funny book […] Kevin Power shows his chops as a proper heavyweight novelist. Unequivocally one of the most purely enjoyable books, in the classic-novel sense […] a zinger on every page' -- Peter Murphy * Arena (RTE Radio 1) *‘Kevin Power’s Bad Day in Blackrock (2008) was one of the most memorable Irish novels of the new century… White City has passages of striking lyrical subtlety and the different storylines are managed with great dexterity. Much has changed in Ireland since Bad Day in Blackrock was published, but as Power’s adept and absorbing new novel reminds us, much has not. White City demands to be read’ -- Michael Cronin * Irish Times *‘White City is likely to be the most solid, well-rounded novel to come out of Ireland this year… At once a pacy page-turner with a nerve-frazzling plot and a realistic and haunting tale of our interconnected world… White City is an all-round superb book that will stay with you long after the inevitable binge read’ -- Estelle Birdy * Irish Independent *‘[T]his dark caper evolves to ask searching moral questions… with its 11th-hour twist, this ambitious, attention-grabbing novel seems ripe for cinematic adaptation’ -- Stephanie Cross * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisFelix walks the same way to work through Southampton every morning, and the same way home again in the evenings. His life up to this point feels like one day repeated over and over; a speck of silt caught in the city's muddied waters. Sometimes it is all he can do to sit and watch while the urban sprawl races indifferently around him. But when the city stares back at him, one evening after work, everything changes.He doesn't see the statue's head move, but he feels its eyes on him, studying him from its lofty perch in East Park. From then on he continues to glimpse it, or something like it, encroaching with every visitation. With it come memories, spilling through the streets, crawling through the dark, haunting his night-time flat, until he isn't quite sure what is real anymore and what is imagined, in this hard, grey place where the gulls watch him sleep...Trade Review“...a unique story and I appreciated that, along with the beautiful writing. Very thought provoking novel.” - Ana Carter, Reviewer, Canada“Featherbones ... is beautifully written, with almost lyrical prose. It’s the kind of book that sets the mood early and it can be a bit overwhelming in its greyness. Stay with it and you will be rewarded by a well plotted story that twists and wanders so many places. If you like Magical Realism with a touch of Psychological Suspense, this book will delight you. I think it would make an interesting book discussion selection.” - Janet Kinsella, Tacoma Public Library, USA"Featherbones is an ethereal love song to a city by the sea. Thomas Brown's beautiful novel depicts a liminal world of statues, drownings and winged creatures. It's also a real page turner. I love this book."- Rebecca Smith, author of The Bluebird Cafe"This is an exquisitely written novel; deft, poised, and with a writer's ear for the rhythms of the world around us.Featherbones does the always-difficult job of making the strange familiar, while asking us to attend again to the things we think we know." - William May, author and lecturer"I loved the use of language, I loved the story and above all I loved the constant sensation that I was walking on the top of the dividing wall between reality and dream and imagination and past and present and future. I want to live on that wall for the rest of my life." Bookrazy blog"What to call this experience? Magical realism doesn't quite fit right. Magical-psychological-philosophical-realism. Maybe. This is a book that will be unlike any other that you have read. "There are some very well crafted passages in this book, and some amazing uses of language. It is really the beautiful language, in my opinion, that makes this a book worth the time to read and share with others. I liked the characters ... the way the story developed and the way the reader is never quite sure if what is happening is actual reality or just the imaginings of a confused mind. "If you enjoy reading books that make you think, and make you wonder at the author's ability to turn every day ordinary into something else, something a bit more extraordinary, then I recommend this book to you." - Ionia Martin, Readful things blog“In Southampton, England, a grey, rain-filled place, the story of Felix, and Michael’s set. Repeating patterns, like grey days, the same walk through the city every morning and evening, and the sight of birds, characterize the book. What if birds were human, or humans became birds? Remember the classic on Icarus and his father Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth?“It’s exactly this fate and circumstance that Thomas Brown as author throws his readers in while reading Featherbones. There seems no way out of this storyline. Dream and reality converge. It’s difficult to stay concentrated. Is the reference to the Titanic a clue? Will one of the main characters commit suicide, or turn into a bird at full moon? “...I’m impressed by the psychologically laden plot and the way a small world becomes even smaller throughout Featherbones.” - Henk-Jan van der Klis, Reviewer, Netherlands"'Featherbones' is the second of Thomas Brown's novels that I have read and I think that I enjoyed this more than "Lynnwood", which I loved. Having made this statement, however, the book is going to be hard to review without telling readers too much about the plot. "Felix, the main character, is a young graduate, living his rather mundane life in Southampton. The highlight of his week is his Friday night drinking binge with his workmate and long-time friend, Michael. All seems fairly commonplace, until an event acts as a trigger for Felix to fall, swoop, descend into unreality. "The novel looks back to Felix's traumatic childhood - so many events that could lead to an uncertain future for Felix's mental health. Looking into the past, we meet Felix's father, his teacher, his very best friend, Harriet and a man who was supposed to be helping Felix overcome his disturbed childhood. "What I love about this novel is that it works on several levels and is open to different interpretations. For me, it is about guilt, repression, sexuality and the need for each of us to know ourselves. It is about acceptance, love and trust. "Thomas Brown writes such beautiful prose; 'Featherbones' is worth reading for this alone. However there is much more to appreciate - a fine, thought-provoking novel." - Angela Thomas, Reviewer, UK

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Book SynopsisA Dickensian tale of two young boys from opposite sides of the track who form a bond of brotherhood and friendship as they survive the streets of Lagos. Temilola is a kind-hearted boy from the upper echelons of Nigerian society who wakes up alone in the middle of Lagos and discovers that he has lost his memory. He soon finds that this is the least of his problems, as he must now attempt to survive the dangerous streets of Lagos. Vipaar, who has been making a living as a hawker of random necessities on the streets of Lagos, finds Temilola and, after a violent first encounter, reluctantly takes him under his wing. They form a strong bond as they strive to make a meagre living selling mobile phone chargers to passing motorists on the dangerous highways of Lagos. The boys navigate the ruthless underbelly of Lagos and learn just how far they will go to protect themselves and each other. When tragedy strikes, their bond is broken and they are forced to separate from each other. Will the two friends find each other again after they both face increasing brutality, pain and sorrow? Or will their destinies have diverged enough to tear them apart forever?

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Book SynopsisA BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2022 FOR BBC, i-D MAGAZINE, AND FOYLES An unsparing story of modern-day Britain, told with brilliant flashes of humour and humanity. In a condemned tower block in Glasgow, the final occupant, a young man uplifted by angels and plagued by demons, searches for life in the voids: vacant flats that will never be lived in again. Out in the world, he stumbles into the city, moving from one surreal situation to the next, encountering others on the margins of society, embracing friendship and camaraderie wherever it is offered, grappling with who he is and what shape his future might take.Trade Review‘Luminous … a writer capable of revealing the humanity in everyone … In an era when contemporary fiction is leaning ever more towards identity and relatability, it’s gratifying to know there’s still a place for a literary ride as wild as this.’ -- Benjamin Myers * The Guardian *‘Reading The Voids is a sensory experience. There is never a word too much, it never lingers. There is tragedy but no melodrama. O’Connor’s lightness of touch, the pace, economy, characters … are all perfect, all harmonious, poetic, but unadorned, even in the blackest of moments. Part of me is still in that high rise or watching the sunlight through the fire exit door at The Satellite. It is beautiful and perfect. I want to say this is a book God would like.’ -- Paul Buchanan, The Blue Nile‘A novel about a young man in Glasgow whose life is spiralling downwards, told in almost hallucinogenic prose. I catch glimpses of Alexander Trocchi and William Burroughs in it, but it retains its own unique quality.’ -- Ian Rankin * The Guardian *‘A sensory portrait of the city, set in a dizzyingly surreal Glasgow.’ -- Katie Goh * i-D Magazine *‘A startling debut … Benders are integral to the Scottish literary tradition, but O’Connor sets the bar high in a series of absurd, visionary, uproarious episodes … A triumph of the grotesque … Comedy at its most existential.’ -- John Burnside * TLS *‘At times disturbing, and at others hilarious, there are characters that appear for a page that have haunted me ever since. A wild ride that journeys through the underbelly of our society.’ -- Paul McVeigh, author of The Good Son‘There are echoes of J.G. Ballard in the setting, and of Don DeLillo in the prose. But The Voids is distinctively and brilliantly Ryan O’Connor’s own, rich with precise observations, full of haunting images, and replete with deft vignettes of character, place, and context. This is a novel that confidently generates its own unnerving atmospheres. Extraordinary work.’ -- Kevin Power, author of Bad Day in Blackrock‘The Voids is a wild, magical, and magnetically mad picaresque … it had me bellowing with laughter on one page and needing to weep on the next. I tore through it, and it through me. A brilliant debut.’ -- Niall Griffiths, author of Sheepshagger and Broken Ghost‘It is rare to discover a book that is simultaneously beautiful and devastating, where characters are frightening to behold but also worthy of compassion.’ -- Simon Van Booy, author of Night Came with Many Stars‘In the space of a few pages, I was there, right in the world of The Voids, in its chaos and sadness, its life and humour. Melodrama and sentimentality have no place in Ryan O’Connor’s writing. Instead he gives us warmth and bleakness, humanity and beauty. The “voids” might be empty but this novel is brimming with feeling and perception.’ -- Wendy Erskine, author of Sweet Home‘Poignant, poetic, and compassionate, The Voids is a tender tale of alienation, and the need to escape and, paradoxically, to belong.’ -- Lisa Harding, author of Bright Burning Things‘Finely written … O’Connor creates a world ex nihilo, showcasing the lives of the forgotten.' * The Irish Times *‘Ryan O’Connor succeeds in conjuring beautiful imagery out of a desperate situation. A whirlwind tour of Glasgow, in the wake of a protagonist plagued by addiction and failure is lifted by the narrative’s breakneck pace, and frequent moments of real humour. Reminiscent of James Kelman’s work, The Voids should be on everyone’s reading list this year.’ -- Polly Markham, Golden Hare Books‘A moving and thoroughly enjoyable tale of life in the liminal spaces. A masterly debut.’ -- Denise Mina, author of Conviction‘One to watch!’ * The Bookseller *‘An engulfing read.’ -- Heather McDaid * The Skinny *'This distinctive debut leaves you wanting to read more from O’Connor.’ -- Anthony Cummins * The Daily Mail *‘Ryan O’Connor’s debut novel The Voids has him earmarked as the new “overnight sensation” of the literary world … Critics and fellow authors have been going mad for The Voids.’ -- James Trimble * Falkirk Herald *'An unflinching yet poetic portrait of addiction, this bleak tale is leavened by glimmers of hope and humour.’ -- Dan Shaw * Happy Mag *‘Remarkable … perhaps the most intriguing Scottish debut for a decade.’ -- Stuart Kelly * The Scotsman *‘Beautiful, and both explicit and allusive, The Voids is a brave and moving work.’ -- Penelope Cottier * The Canberra Times *‘I recently visited Glasgow, the city where I grew up, and was reminded (in the miraculous sunshine) of the atmospheric scope of the Necropolis in the east end of the city ... The Voids by Ryan O’Connor makes an ideal accompaniment to your visit.’ -- Peter Scalpello * Galley Beggar Press *‘One of Scotland’s most talented new authors.’ * Falkirk Herald *‘Scottish author O’Connor delivers a searing and passionate debut from the voice of an angsty young Glaswegian who squats in a mostly abandoned high rise he calls “the voids.” … Readers will be lifted by his protagonist’s commitment to finding beauty in the darkness.’ -- Publishers Weekly, starred review‘Not only the best debut of the year, but my book of the year.’ * SNACK Magazine *‘When all the lists are totted up at the end of the year, it would be a little disappointing if Ryan O’Connor’s remarkable debut hadn’t scored a respectably high placing among the best Scottish novels of 2022. Already, O’Connor has found a voice: one which is convincingly authentic, and yet mercurial enough to chart both the transcendent highs and soul-destroying lows of alcoholism.’ -- Alastair Mabbott * The Herald *‘Compelling and well-written … The episodic darkness can be unrelenting at times, but what redeems the material is not only O’Connor’s effortless prose but also his hope for humanity rooted in his surprising optimism.’ -- June Sawyers * Booklist *‘Ryan O'Connor's superb debut treads familiar territory within Scottish fiction, such as Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting and Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, it is lyrical and poetic, humorous and heartbreaking, unnerving and disorientating … Simply brilliant, and highly recommended.’ -- Jeremy Delgado‘The prose in Scottish newcomer Ryan O’Connor’s The Voids soars higher than the condemned Glasgow skyscraper in which his solitary protagonist lives, transcending the grungy, grinding plot with brutal lyricism.’ -- Michael Winkler, Australian Book Review's Books of the Year 2022‘A debut that puts your brain to work! The reading experience was akin to electroconvulsive therapy, exciting my grey matter like never before.’ -- James Goodall * Yorkshire Times *

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Book SynopsisRapids Yan Harris is VERY EXCITED. Well, of course she is. It’s summer, she’s got over her depression and she’s in London for a week with her BFF Chelsea. After seventeen years in a sleepy village where everybody just knows them as The Chinese One and The Brainy One… life is calling. It’s a pretty cool prospect… if Chel can stop worrying about discourse in the Nordhelm fandom long enough to enjoy it. Chelsea’s worried about Yan, too, to Yan’s annoyance. Barely sleeping, barely eating, getting increasingly gobby, having an – ahem – close encounter in a toilet, giving a Tory MP a good kick in the shins, and running around kind of literally screaming… well, it’s all just good summer fun, isn’t it? Isn’t it? In the desperate battle of Yan vs. bipolar disorder, does the poor disease really stand a chance? Written by an author who lives with bipolar herself, this is a hilarious yet edge-of-your-seat ride, with friendship at its heart. Perfect for fans of Holly Bourne and Alice Oseman. “This book nails it—not just the vertiginous flights of bipolar, but also the pure joy of youth.” – Marya Hornbacher, author of Wasted and Madness: a Bipolar Life “Cleverly written, fast-paced and engaging. I rattled through it, desperate to know what happened.” – Nicola Morgan, author of Blame My Brain “You don't want to miss this story, it will hit you like a tidal wave.” – Lucas Maxwell, UK School Librarian of the Year 2017 “It’s impossible not to fall in love with Yan.” – Tabitha Suzuma, author of Forbidden and A Note of Madness “Authentic, dazzling and a vivid demonstration of why neurodivergent "own voices" are so important.” - Eric Lindstrom, author of Not if I See You First and A Tragic Kind of Wonderful “Witty, inventive and incredibly immersive. Yan is a brilliant, heart-breaking character.” - Elen Caldecott, author of The Short Knife

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisYoshida was just rejected by his crush of 5 years. On the way home from drowning hissorrows, he runs into a girl crouching in the middle of the road, and she offers him adeal—let her crash at his place and he can do whatever he wants with her. When herefuses, she asks to stay for free. This is the story of Yoshida, a 26-year-old officeworker, and Sayu, a runaway high school girl, and their unconventional life together.

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Book SynopsisAt an all-time low after being rejected by his crush, office worker Yoshida reluctantlyagrees to take in Saya, a runaway high school girl he met on the street. Now, as theyare finally settling into their unusual living situation, Saya has a request—she wants tostart a part time job! Saya has always held back from voicing what she wants, andYoshida is overjoyed at her progress. Meanwhile, Yoshida's one-sided crush invites himto dinner, just the two of them...and now she wants to come over?!

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Book SynopsisFinalist for the Gotham Book Prize, the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award, and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence * Longlisted for the Story Prize Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Chicago Review of Books, LitHub, and Electric Lit “A standout achievement…American speech is an underused commodity in contemporary fiction and it’s a joy to find such a vital example of it here.” —The Wall Street Journal From a superb new literary talent, a rich, lyrical collection of stories about a tight-knit cast of characters grappling with their own personal challenges while the forces of gentrification threaten to upend life as they know it.At Banneker Terrace, everybody knows everybody, or at least knows of them. Longtime tenants’ lives are entangled together in the ups and downs of the day-to-day, for better or for worse. The neighbors in the unit next door are friends or family, childhood rivals or enterprising business partners. In other words, Harlem is home. But the rent is due, and the clock of gentrification—never far from anyone’s mind—is ticking louder now than ever. In eight interconnected stories, Sidik Fofana conjures a residential community under pressure. There is Swan, in apartment 6B, whose excitement about his friend’s release from prison jeopardizes the life he’s been trying to lead. Mimi, in apartment 14D, hustles to raise the child she had with Swan, waitressing at Roscoe’s and doing hair on the side. And Quanneisha B. Miles, in apartment 21J, is a former gymnast with a good education who wishes she could leave Banneker for good, but can’t seem to escape the building’s gravitational pull. We root for the tight-knit cast of characters as they weave in and out of one another’s narratives, working to escape their pasts and blaze new paths forward for themselves and the people they love. All the while we brace, as they do, for the challenges of a rapidly shifting future. Stories from the Tenants Downstairs brilliantly captures the joy and pain of the human experience in this “singular accomplishment from a writer to watch” (Library Journal, starred review).

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