Dizz Tate’s Brutes also takes her readers back to adolescence. In small town Florida, a gang of thirteen-year-old girls are fixated on the preacher’s daughter who suddenly disappears, leaving them desperate to know what has happened to her. What they discover is shocking. ‘Through a darkly beautiful and brutally compelling lens, Dizz Tate captures the violence, horrors, and manic joys of girlhood. Brutes is a novel about the seemingly unbreakable bonds in the ‘we’ of young friendship, and the moment it is broken forever’ says the blurb more than hinting at a dark read. It’s the endorsement of Nicole Flattery, author of Show Them a Good Time, that’s swung this one for me.
Sigrún Pálsdóttir’s History: A Mess sees a PhD student discovering that the author of the seventeenth-century diary she’s been transcribing for six months is a woman. Thrilled, she changes her entire thesis to reflect her belief that S. B. is the first professional British artist, refusing to face facts when it becomes increasingly clear she’s made a mistake. ‘As she goes to ever greater lengths to protect her work from the truth, she begins to lose her grip on her thesis, her life and then her sanity. What follows is a remarkable exploration of intellectual integrity and denial, and a poignant, funny portrait of academic ambition’ promises the blurb whetting my appetite nicely.
Douglas Bruton’s With or Without Angels sounds intriguing. It follows an ageing artist working on his final artwork as he deals with the memories it revives and begins to understand what he wishes to leave behind. ‘This hybrid and innovative short novel responds through fiction to ‘The New World’, the final artwork by the late artist Alan Smith – which is in turn a response to an eighteenth-century fresco, Giandomenico Tiepolo’s ‘Il Mondo Nuovo’. With sparkling, dreamlike prose, Bruton weaves a story around these artworks, arriving at both a profound exploration of the creative process and a timeless love story told in a new way’ say the publishers piquing my interest for something a little different.
February’s short story collection is Yuri Herrera’s Ten Planets – each story set in an imagined future, all very short. ‘This
That’s it for February’s new fiction. As ever, a click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis should you want to know more, and if you’d like to catch up with part one it’s here. Paperbacks soon…
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Well these are all new to me. With or Without Angels sounds good.
It does, doesn’t it? I’ll be reviewing it next month.
Well, all of these look intriguing, but the one I’ll be able to tackle first is the Makkai, because it’s on order at our local library. I’m first in the queue!
Excellent! Very well timed.
I’ve been eyeing but resisting requesting the Rebecca Makkai on netgalley. The one that’s calling to me the most from this set, though is History, A Mess. That’s going right on the wishlist. Seems just my kind.
I live with an historian so will definitely be reading History, A Mess at some point!
History: A Mess and With or Without Angels both sound very intriguing. I’ll be keeping an eye out for your reviews of those. Somehow I’ve never quite made friends with Yuri Herrera, I read Transmigration of Bodies a few years back and it just left me a bit cold.
I’ll definitely be reviewing the Bruton. Not entirely sure about the Herrera. I enjoyed Signs Preceding the End of the World which is the only one of his I’ve read.
I Have Some Questions … sounds good–I’m on a murder binge right now.
In fiction, I hope!
A particularly interesting looking bunch this time! Any of the first three appeal, but the one that intrigues me most is I Have Some Questions for You, which seems to be getting very high ratings from early reviewers. Another one for the wishlist!
I think the Makkai would suit you. It’s a bit heavy on detail in the court proceedings section but overall I enjoyed it very much.
I just got approved for the Makkai on Net Galley. I didn’t really get on with the other book of hers that I have read – The Borrower – but I do like the sound of this new one.
Hope you enjoy it, Cathy. I’ll be interested to see what you think.
History A Mess is so tempting! I’ll look forward to your review – fingers crossed it lives up to expectations.
Doesn’t it? It’s a Peirene so expectations are high.
The Rebecca Makkai sounds intriguing, so I look forward to hearing more in your review…
I enjoyed it, Jacqui. A wee bit heavy on detail in the court scenes but absorbing enough not to be weighed down by that.
I Have Some Questions for You sounds right up my street, I love a school setting and the story sounds really intriguing too.
I’ll be reviewing this one next month, Ali.
I could go for all of these except the Yuri Herrera – though Signs Preceding was mesmerising, as you know short stories leave me cold
I’m not entirely convinced about it myself!
I loved Makkai’s The Great Believers, so have my eye on this new one, especially from what you write about it here. I’m definitely intrigued by With or Without Angels. Thanks for this great preview!
You’re welcome! I think yoiu’ll enjoy the Makkai and Angels is a one off, truly original. I’ll be posting a review later in the month.