May’s second batch of new titles begins with Linda Grant’s A Stranger City which seems to use the discovery of a body in the Thames to explore the nature of community in London, or the lack of it, through a policeman, a nurse and a documentary-maker. ‘The wonderful Linda Grant weaves a tale around ideas of home; how London can be a place of exile or expulsion, how home can be a physical place or an idea. How all our lives intersect and how coincidence or the randomness of birth place can decide how we live and with whom’ according to the publishers which sounds promising. I’ve not always got on with Grant’s fiction but enjoyed her last two novels: Upstairs at the Party and The Dark Circle.
I’m not entirely sure about Mary Loudon’s My House is Falling Down which sees a marriage under strain when Lucy falls in love with Angus. Lucy is determined not to deceive her husband but is shocked by his reaction to her affair. ‘Infused with her trademark precision, clarity and dark humour, Mary Loudon’s searing, highly-charged novel My House is Falling Down is a fearless exploration of what infidelity means when no one is lying, and how brutal honesty may yet prove the biggest taboo in our relationships’ say the publishers which suggests an original take on the somewhat hackneyed theme of middle-aged infidelity.
Nell Freudenberger’s Lost and Wanted could also go either way which seems to be becoming a theme for this post. A physics professor is determined to get to the bottom of why she’s received a phone call from a friend when she knows he died two days ago. ‘Helen is drawn into the orbit of Charlie’s world, slotting in the missing pieces of her friend’s past. And, as she delves into the web of their shared history, Helen finds herself entangled in the forgotten threads of her own life’ according to the blurb which leaves me a little mystified but I enjoyed Freudenberger’s The Newlyweds enough to give it a try.
At first glance, Joanne Ramos’ The Farm is some way outside my usual literary territory but it comes garlanded with praise from all and sundry including Sophie Mackintosh and Gary Shteyngart. A young Filipina immigrant hopes to improve her life and her child’s, taking a job at Golden Oaks a luxury fertility clinic run by an ambitious business woman who’s spotted a gap in the market. Described by the publishers as ‘a brilliant, darkly funny novel that explores the role of luck and merit, class, ambition and sacrifice, The Farm is an unforgettable story about how we live and who truly holds power’ which reminds me a little of David Bergen’s Stranger. It’s the dark humour and class theme that attracts me to this one.
I suspect there’ll be some dark humour in Paulo Maurensig’s A Devil Comes to Town set in a Swiss village where everyone’s a writer so absorbed in their work they’ve failed to notice the inauspicious signs, all but the new parish priest that is. When the devil turns up in a flash car claiming to be a publisher, the village’s harmony is shattered as literary rivalries are let loose. ‘Maurensig gives us a refined and engaging literary parable on narcissism, vainglory, and our inextinguishable thirst for stories’ say the publishers of a novel which could well be a great deal of fun.
I’m rounding off this second instalment of new titles with Being Various: New Irish Short Stories put together by guest editor Lucy Caldwell. It’s the sixth volume in a series from Faber, apparently – I’ve clearly got a lot of catching up to do. Following In the footsteps of Kevin Barry, Deirdre Madden and Joseph O’Connor, Caldwell has assembled a stellar list of contributors which includes Eimear McBride, Lisa McInerney, Stuart Neville, Sally Rooney, Kit de Waal and Belinda McKeon. I’m sure there will be more than a few gems with writers of their calibre involved, and that’s a fabulous jacket.
That’s it for May. A click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis if you’d like to know more, and if you want to catch up with the first part of May’s preview it’s here. Paperbacks soon…
My House is Falling Down sounds really interesting!
It does, although I’m a little cautious since noticing that someone whose opinion I trust on Twitter declared it a DNF. Still worth investigating, though
I started the new Grant and then had to leave it for more pressing (time wise) reads, given that it wasn’t due for publication immediately. I was enjoying it though and am looking forward to going back to it.
Pleased to hear that! It has a very attractive premise.
A Stranger City sounds a bit like Capital, with maybe a touch of Aminatta Forna’s Happiness. London does seem to attract this sort of fictional treatment – all the obscure connectivity that the city fosters.
I’m hoping it will be a little less soapy than Capital which I enjoyed but had been hoping for something a bit more challenging. Made for good TV, though.
I liked the premise of The Farm, but would have liked the class and race issues to be more at the forefront… and the denouement was quite a disappointment.
Ah, it sounds as if it’s not one to put at the head of my list then. Thanks, Marina.
I’ve got the Grant too, but won’t have time to pick it up for a while. I’ve struggled to get into some of her earlier books, but am hopeful for this one.
I’ve had the same problems although I loved The Clothes on Their Backs and enjoyed her last two. Fingers crossed.
Hmm… not sure any of these sound unmissable, but A Stranger City and A Devil Comes to Town appeal most. And the Irish short stories, but I seem to have too many unread short story collections hanging around at the moment – including a different Irish one!
As you can see A Stranger City is top of my list. A Devil Comes to Town sounds to me as if it will either be funny and cheering (and don’t we all need that!) or just plain odd.
I have been intrigued by Farm too. I am waiting for the new Linda Grant. I loved The Dark circle
Slightly put off The Farm by Marina’s comment but I share your hopes for A Stranger City.That scene on the veranda in The Dark Circle where snow is falling on TB patients as they lie outside in their beds will stay with me for some time
Some interesting titles, I’ll be watching the reviews to see if I’m tempted by any of these. Thank you for bringing all these to our attention as you so diligently do.
You’re welcome, Claire. Such enjoyable posts to write!
I’ve wondered about The Farm as well… Perhaps it’s my one ‘slightly dystopian’ read of the year?
A genre I tend to avoid given what’s going on in the world.
I am intrigued by The Farm, for sure. I can’t wait to hear more about it!
I’m a little put off by Marina’s verdict but we’ll see.
I’ve never read anything by Linda Grant, but this new one sounds intriguing. Like Elle, I couldn’t help but think of John Lanchester’s Capital, particularly given the London community setting. Will you read it, so you think? I’d be interested to hear how you find it.
I am planning to read it, Jacqui. It’s an appealing idea, isn’t it.