Part two of February’s paperback preview is something of a mixed bag, albeit an interesting one, beginning with. David Annand’s Peterdown which tells the story of a town through two people on opposing sides of a plan to redevelop it. Ellie is an architect determined to save a modernist estate shortlisted as a property to be demolished while her partner is a passionate football fan, equally determined to save his team’s stadium. ‘Peterdown brings England’s beleaguered streetscape to life and finds lurking here a playful and storied counterculture: mad monks and machine breakers, avant-gardists and non-conformists’ promises the blurb whetting my appetite nicely.
Ali Benjamin’s satirical The Smash-Up sees Ethan having trouble settling into small town life after years of working in the city. Then his business partner is caught in the spotlight with accusations about his behaviour while at home his wife is preoccupied with #MeToo politics and his daughter refuses to sleep. ‘With magnetic energy and doses of comic wit, Benjamin creates a world of social media, algorithms, extreme polarization, the collapsing of identity into tweet-sized spaces, and the spectre of violence that can be found even in the quietest places’ say the publishers. Not entirely sure about this one which might fall flat on its face. We’ll see.
Mothers and daughters feature in Gabriela Garcia’s Of Women and Salt which follows five generations of Cuban women linked by blood, secrets and a book. It begins in the 19th century with Maria, the only woman employed in a cigar factory whose workers are given daily readings from Victor Hugo’s novels, something I first came across in Valeria Luiselli’s The Story of My Teeth, and ends in 2016 with Carmen in Miami, horrified at her daughter’s plans to visit her grandmother in Cuba where a secret links all five generations. ‘A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their truth despite those who wish to silence them’ say the publishers which doesn’t sound entirely my cup of tea but the Cuban theme is appealing.
Emily Layden’s All Girls is set in a girls’ boarding school in rural Connecticut. Staffed by feminist intellectuals, Atwater
prides itself on its progressive thinking which makes it all the more shocking when allegations of sexual misconduct are made against a teacher, exacerbated by the school’s administration’s dismal failure to deal with the crisis. ‘The story that emerges is a richly detailed, impeccably layered, and emotionally nuanced depiction of what it means to come of age in a female body today’ says the blurb promisingly. Shame about that cover, though.
I was delighted to spot a new Patrick McGrath in the publishing schedules, having enjoyed many of his previous novels, not least The Wardrobe Mistress. The blurb for his latest novel begins well ‘An old man is sleeping fitfully. It’s too hot. The air is thick with Spanish Jasmine floating in from his overgrown garden. And he’s not sure whether he’ll be woken by General Franco sitting on the end of his bed’. Set in 1975, Last Days in Cleaver Square sees a Spanish Civil War veteran close to death, haunted by Franco’s spectre thanks to a terrible act of betrayal committed during the war. When his daughter, with whom he lives, tells him she’s engaged he realises he can no longer avoid the past. Eager to read this one.
That’s it for February, a short month but lots to explore. A click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis for any that snag your attention and if you’d like to catch up with part one it’s here. New fiction is here and here.Â
I thought I’d avoided temptation for once Susan, but I should have known better with your posts! The McGrath is so tempting. I seem to remember Fiction Fan read it and enjoyed it too.
That’s right! I’d forgotten about that. So sorry, but you know I’m not really…
So much so it won my award for Best Literary Fiction of 2021! A good time to give in to temptation… 😀
Interesting, I have a long NetGalley list for February but none of your books are on it. There are, of course, so many books, though, aren’t there!
There certainly are, and that is interesting! Perhaps it’s because these are paperbacks rather than new fiction.
I find some NetGalley books come out in paperback when they’re on NG, too, esp lighter novels. But good to have lots of different books to look forward to.
Absolutely!
Ooh, glad to spot the new Patrick McGrath as I enjoyed The Wardrobe Mistress too.
Me, too. A nicely chilling slice of gothic. Fingers crossed for this one.
I have a copy of The Smash-Up, so eventually I’ll let you know about it with a review! Alas, I couldn’t make it through Of Women and Salt.
I did wonder about Of Women and Salt. I’ll look out for your review of The Smash-up.
All Girls sounds promising though I agree with you about that cover. Not sure about Peterdown, it depends on how well she avoids caricature
I like Peterdown’s premise but it could backfire if the disagreement’s too polarised. That cover’s grim, isn’t it.
Maybe this is unfair to the designer who could have been given a very specific brief, but it looks like a first rough idea not a finished work
It does convey little or nothing and isn’t even aesthetically pleasing.
Another interesting selection, all of which have somehow passed me by until now. Last Days of Cleaver Square sounds really good, haunting and full of secrets.
I think that’s the one that appeals to me most, too. He’s an excellent writer.
I’m looking forward to Of Women and Salt, but I enjoy a good boarding school story too (that cover doesn’t really appeal to me either thought). As usual, they all sound good though.
Sometimes it’s a matter of taste but sometimes publishers just don’t seem to get it right with covers and it’s so important.
I remember being tempted by Peterdown a while ago, presumably when it came out in hardback, but it fell off my radar so thanks for the reminder! And you’re in for a treat with the McGrath. 🙂
That’s great to hear, and fingers crossed for Peterdown.