July see the summer reading season in full swing for publishers with lots of novels aimed at entertaining readers by the pool. Unusually for me, I’m beginning with one that fits that bill well.
Liza Klaussmann’s This is Gonna End in Tears is set in the summer of 1984 when a few chickens come home to roost for childhood friends Olly, Miller and Ash. The premise is an attractive one: three people intimate with each other years ago are thrust together at a moment of crisis for them all when Olly, who has betrayed both Ash and Miller in one way or another, comes home to look after his Aunt Tassie who brought him up. Klaussmann knows how to spin a story, weaving a nice thread of humour through her novel. An enjoyable enough summer read, the kind to pack in your suitcase if you’re planning to slip your brain into neutral. Review shortly…
Swedish writer Johanna Hedman’s The Trio sounds a little similar. It follows three young people – Thora, August and Hugo – each from very different backgrounds, who come together over two idyllic summers in Stockholm. Years later, Hugo is visited by August and Thora’s daughter who has questions to ask. ‘Modern yet timeless, poignant and euphoric, The Trio is a novel about the path not taken, the people we might have become, and the relationships which shape and haunt us long after they come to a close’ say the publishers. I find that revisiting the past structure hard to resist.
Susannah Dickey’s Common Decency picks up some of the themes she explored in her first novel, Tennis Lessons, through the story of Lily, who has sealed herself off after the death of her beloved mother, and Siobhán, locked into an affair with a married man, who lives above her in the same apartment block. Dickey alternates her narrative between Lily and Siobhán as she explores the very different emotional dysfunction of these two women with a wry wit. There’s always a niggling worry about second novels but, if anything, I enjoyed Common Decency more than Dickey’s excellent debut. Review soon…
Set in New York, Carlene Bauer’s Girls They Write Songs About is about female friendship which makes it instantly appealing for me. Two young women, both very different, both freshly graduated, move to New York in the ‘90s. Working on the same music magazine, Rose and Charlotte become friends, a friendship that will see them through marriage, motherhood, divorce, success and failure until they fall out of step with each other, all of which sounds right up my street.
As does Elaine Hsieh-Chou’s Disorientation which follows twenty-nine-year-old Ingrid, who turns her life upside down when she stumbles on a note in the archives written by the poet who is the subject of her PhD dissertation. Rather than a fast track to completion, her attempts to interpret the note unleash a chaos that spreads like wildfire. ‘An uproarious and bighearted satire – alive with sharp edges, immense warmth, and a cast of unforgettable characters – that asks: who gets to tell our stories? And how does the story change when we finally tell it ourselves?’ according to the publishers. I can’t resist a campus satire.
It’s only three years since Jill Dawson’s The Language of Birds but it feels much longer to me – Covid time, again, I suspect. As
she often does with her fiction Dawson has based The Bewtiching on historical events, this time rewinding several centuries from the Lord Lucan affair of her last novel to the sixteenth century Warboys witches through the story of Alice Samuels, accused of witchcraft by her employer’s children. ‘Exploring a neglected episode of English history to powerful effect, The Bewitching vividly conveys the brutal tribalism that can erupt in a closed society and how victims can be made to believe in their own wickedness’ say the publishers. I’ve enjoyed almost everything I’ve read by Dawson, and that’s a brilliant jacket.
That’s it for the first part of July’s preview. As ever, a click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis should you want to know more. Part two soon…
They all sounds interesting but the two that are really calling out to me are Disorientation (sounds my kind of book) and The Bewitching
Why oh why do I never check for typos before pressing post (sigh)
I’m forever making typos in comments, and I had to read yours several times before I spotted it!
Ha ha ha; I’m bad enough on the laptop, but you should see what I produce on the phone 😀
They both look great, don’t they. I’m lucky enough to have copies of them so will be reviewing them next month.
I’m keen on the Chou and Klaussmann. I didn’t realize the Bauer would have a UK release; I started that one early on Kindle. Her previous novel, Frances and Bernard, is one of my favourites.
I was a little disappointed in the Klaussmann although my expectations were very high. The Bauer’s very appealing. I’ll check out Frances and Bernard.
Girls They Write Songs About appeals, mainly because of the NY setting. I had some issues with Tennis Lessons, but this new one from Dickey sound quite interesting I think.
I enjoyed Tennis Lessons but thought Common Decency was better. Definitely keen to read Girls They Write Songs About.
I have one of Liza Klaussmann’s earlier novels on the shelves – Tigers in Red Leather – though each time I see it and look at the blurb I lose interest. Not sure why…
I enjoyed that which was partly the attraction of This is Gonna End in Tears although I’ve no strong memories of it.
These all sound intriguing. The Trio is the one that especially appeals though.
I have Netgalley authorisation for that one so will be reviewing it next month. Looking forward to reading it.
Girls They Write Songs About looks right up my street, it’s been on my radar for a little while now.
I’m sure you’ve noticed it on NetGalley…
I found it, I requested it, I won it!
This sounds like a tremendously good batch! I just wondered if the Johanna Hedman is in translation? Oh duh I can look it up. What a class act of a roundup, you are unflagging, brava!
How lovely to hear that! Thank you, and yes the Hedman is translated. Hopes are high for that one.
I’ll look forward to that review as well then!
Love of the cover of Girls They Write Songs About. Looking forward to hearing more, should you decide to review it…
It looks great, doesn’t it. I’m currently resisting its siren call on Netgalley thanks to a review copy backlog and a house full of builders!
I like the sound of Bewitched and I agree, it’s a fab cover! Although there’s been quite a spate of witch novels recently, I haven’t come across the Warboys witches before…
They were new to me, too. I enjoy Dawson’s use of historical ficgures in her fiction, not least because she has such wide ranging interests. I’ll be reviewing this one next month.
Disorientation sounds an interesting set-up. I enjoy a campus novel and it’s been a while since I read one. Also tempted by Girls They Write Songs About – love a New York setting!
Oh, me, too, with that New York setting. I’ll be reviewing Disorientation next month.
Disorientation sounds intriguing! Gives me Possession vibes, loosely.
Oh, that’s interesting – I’ll be reviewing it next month, so we’ll see.
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