Lots of us in the Northern hemisphere are burying ourselves in books, escaping the grey gloom outside and looking forward to spring. Fortunately, there’s 
lots on offer to distract us, certainly enough for two helpings of books to look out for, beginning with one I’ve already read.
Spanning a decade in Nigeria from 2006, Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s Blessings is a poignant coming-of-age story in which a boy struggles to keep his sexuality under wraps, afraid of the consequences of its revelation in a deeply homophobic society. Obiefuna is a misfit, derided for his dancing skills and beaten by his father for them. He’s sent to a seminary far from home, where he learns to pass as straight. By the time he’s an adult, Nigeria has enacted laws so draconian gay men begin locking themselves into marriage. There are no happy endings here but Ibeh’s moving, empathetic debut offers the possibility of hope, at least for Obiefuna. Review soon…
Andrew McMillan’s Pity is set in what was once a mining community where generations of men spent their working lives in dangerous conditions with a sense of purpose now stripped away. Alex and Brian grew up in this town where their father was born. Now middle-aged, Alex is facing a crisis of identity while his twentysomething son works in a call centre, performing as a drag artist at the weekend. ‘Andrew McMillan’s short and magnificent debut novel is a lament for a lost way of a life as well as a celebration of resilience and the possibility for change’ according to the blurb suggesting a grim read but perhaps some hope, too.
Hanako Footman’s Mongrel explores identity through three women: Mei, brought up in Surrey, who lost her Japanese mother aged six and falls in love with her best friend; Yuki whose dream of becoming a violinist takes her from rural Japan to London and Haruka who works as a Tokyo bar hostess, grieving her mother and uncovering her secrets. ‘Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of isolation, desire, love, and ultimately, hope’ according to the blurb. I suspect there may be a bit of brouhaha around this one given Footman has appeared in The Crown but it does sound interesting.
Keiran Goddard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning follows five childhood friends, now thirty. Four of them still living on the estate where they grew up: Oli is frittering away his life on drink and drugs; Conor has high hopes for his business plan and a baby on the way; Patrick and Shiv are in love while Rian is looking over his shoulder at the past. ‘Bold, ambitious and stylistically striking, I See Buildings Fall like Lightning asks what happens when all the things we expect from our lives end up … not happening. It lays bare the ways that place and circumstance shape us, explores the redeeming and transforming beauty of friendship and examines the true limits of hope and forgiveness’ says the blurb whetting my appetite. Always here for a revisiting old friendship novel, particularly when a revelation is thrown into the works.
Opening in Oregon, Ashani Lewis’ Winter Animals sees thirty-six-year-old Elen, evicted after their breakup from the house she shared with her husband, taken up by four young British people whose only object in life seems to be skiing and enjoying themselves. Seduced by their shiny confidence, she agrees to join them in their latest squat, an abandoned ski resort above the small town of Bend where she’s lived for fifteen years Things take a dark turn after a druggy day spent on the slopes followed by the discovery of a trauma in one of the group’s past. Confidently compared in the blurb with The Secret History, it’s a novel I found myself absorbed in as I read it, but much is left unresolved by the end, some of it frustratingly so. Review shortly….
The Lodgers is acclaimed poet Holly Pester’s first novel. It sees a woman, forever living on the edge of other people’s lives, returning to her hometown, subletting an apartment overlooking her mother’s house, imagining the life of the lodger who’s taken over her room in the last house she lived until a crisis blew up. Pester’s narrative is disconcerting at times. I’m not sure I entirely got what she was saying but the acknowledgements mention that it grew out of an improvisation performance piece which made sense to me. I was intrigued by it rather than loving it but I’m glad I read it, and its cover suits it perfectly. Review to follow…
That’s it for February’s first batch of new fiction. As ever, a click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis for any that take you fancy. Part two soon…
This looks an intriguing and involving, if not always comfortable selection. Lots to look forward to here!
PS, I’ve just reserved the first two from the library, where they are at the moment on order.
I can certainly vouch for Blessings. Pity partly appeals because McMillan’s a poet which I forgot to mention. Hope you enjoy them both.
I’ll let you know.
Torn now about Winter Animals. Love anything to do with skiing but hated The Secret History…
I don’t think I’d recommend it in that case. I had mixed feelings but felt it was good enough to review.
Pity appeals to me the most from these, but I do hope there’s some hope in it too!
Oh, me, too. We all need that at the moment.
As always, thanks for the list! I’m drowning in unread books right now (right metaphor? Anyway, you get the idea) but Mongrel does look interesting . . .
I do indeed, and you’re welcome. Temptation is a perennial!
I also loved Blessings (and that stunning cover!). I’ve got Winter Animals, but like Marina Sofia, the comparison to Secret History is not a selling point for me so may skip it.
I don’t think you’ll be missing much with Winter Animals. I enjoyed it enough to review but it’s not one I’d shout from the rooftops about.
I still like the sound of Winter Animals (I adored The Secret History) and Mongrels appeals too.
It’s worth reading as long as you don’t expect too much, Cathy. I didn’t think it was a match for The Secret History. Amazing that comparison is still made in blurbs so many years after publication.
I have a friend who has a son at Uni and she says that he and his peer group are all obsessed with The Secret History! That whole ‘dark academia’ still has real appeal.
That’s great! I still remember when it was published. Huge sensation.
Blessings and Pity grab my attention, although it doesn’t look like Pity, at the moment, is scheduled for U.S. publication. Still, I’m going to keep my eye out for it. Thanks for this look-ahead to next month!
You welcome, and I can certainly vouch for Blessings. I hope Pity will make it over to you, too
I actually have Mongrel waiting on mt TBR (I meant to write my, but the typo isn’t wrong :D) picked up via NetGalley on its description–yet to start though. The Lodgers sounds very intriguing too.
Ha! A fitting typo for lots of us. I’ll look out for your Mongrel review.
Pity and I See Buildings Fall Like Lightening appeal to me. My wish list is getting ridiculous! 🙂
I know what you mean, Helen. Never a month without several additions!
All these sound very intriguing. I like the sound of Blessings and Mongrel in particular.
These seem to be favourites from this first February batch. I thought Blessings was excellent.
We had snow flurries on Monday; did you get any? When it’s this cold I do like to have some snow. Strangely for me, I’ve been in the mood for doorstoppers and have six on the go at the moment. Hunkering down with big books seems like a wintry activity, I suppose. I’ll look out for your reviews of these selections to see which tempt me.
No snow at our level but there was tiniest dusting on the hill above our house, just a few metres higher. Definitely a doorstopper time of year. Is one of your six the Nathan Hill?
Pity is calling to me most having grown up in a coal mining community which was once vibrant but has now its reason for existence
Me too, Karen.
Pity and I See Buildings both intrigue me
Pity’s turning into a favourite choice here.
I live in a poor area. I’m not poor and am not from here, but that book probably cuts across cultures/countries.
I’ve got Blessings via NetGalley to read and I am going to an author event for Pity in Feb so will be buying the book there.
That should be an interesting evening. I loved Blessings! Hope you do, too.