November’s the month when publishers line up their big titles ready for Christmas, two of which I’ve included here, both from old favourites of 
mine, beginning with the one I’ve already read. Jonathan Coe’s The Proof of My Innocence opens in early September 2022 against the backdrop of Liz Truss’s brief disastrous premiership. Newly graduated, Phyl Maidstone contemplates her future, slightly resentful at the prospect of an old family friend dropping in on his way to the TrueCon conference. News of Christopher’s sudden, violent death shakes the Maidstones. Phyl tries to make sense of it by writing his story, trying out three genres framed by Coe with a lengthy prologue setting the scene and a catch-up epilogue set in 2024. It’s a complicated structure which didn’t entirely work for me, but there’s some pleasingly intricate plotting coupled with Coe’s brand of slapstick political satire. Not my favourite novel by him but enjoyably entertaining in a very British way. Review to follow…
In Vesna Main’s Waiting for a Party, 92-year-old Claire is looking back over her life and anticipating her friend’s 102nd birthday party. There’s much to remember in such a long life, from her thwarted dreams of becoming a concert pianist to her many lovers, her difficult marriage to her husband’s death in which she may or may not have played a part. Claire’s memory is a little patchy, what she recalls may not be quite what happened, but she does know she was desired and loved. Main’s Good Day? was a favourite with me so hopes are high for this one.
Tessa Hadley’s The Party is about two sisters whose lives are changed one night in post-war Bristol – the lure for me as it’s just down the road from my hometown. Moira and Evelyn meet two men at an art school party one of whom invites them to the mansion he shares with his brother and sister. ‘In this irresistible novella of two young women coming of age, Tessa Hadley explores the ever-changing desires, the sudden revelations and the lasting mysteries that are bound up with who we are, and who we might become’ says the slightly woolly blurb. I’m not as enamoured with Hadley’s writing as many bloggers but I suspect I’ll be reading this one.
Curtis Garner’s Isaac is the latest from Verve, an imprint I have my eye on after several successes including Blue Hour and How Can I Help You. It follows the eponymous seventeen-year-old through a summer of sexual awakening before he starts university. When he meets Harrison, he becomes infatuated, beginning to lose sight of himself in pursuit of this man he can’t seem to fathom until ‘he must take a hard look at his ideas about love, sex and men, and his relationship with himself’ according to the blurb.
The third in John Boyne’s four-part novella cycle, Fire, is about Freya, a surgeon who specialises in skin grafts, wealthy, privileged and apparently in control of her life. despite a childhood marked by darkness and cruelty. ‘In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?’ says the blurb promising another powerful instalment in this series which has tackled the theme of abuse. Both Water and Earth have been well worth reading so expectations are high for this one.
Temim Fruchter’s debut City of Laughter spans four generations of Eastern European Jewish women. The titular city is Ropshitz, where the novel opens with a wedding and a visitation by a mysterious stranger, while in the present day, broken-hearted Shiva is trying to get over her first love and mourning the death of her father. In the hope of uncovering the family mystery surrounding her grandmother, Shiva travels to Poland uncovering secrets which leave her with more questions than answers. ‘Electric and sharply intimate, City of Laughter zigzags between our universe and a tapestry of real and invented Jewish folklore, asking how far we can travel from the stories that have raised us without leaving them behind’ says the blurb. It’s the setting that’s tempting me with this one.
Eva Menasse’s Darkenbloom opens in 1989 in a small town on the Austria-Hungary border making it instantly appealing to me. Its older residents keep their mouths shut about what happened in the war while the young ones make plans to get out as soon as they can but the arrival of thousands of East Germans on the border makes the past not so easy to escape, particularly when a visitor starts asking questions. ‘Darkenbloom is a sweeping novel of exiled counts, Nazis-turned-Soviet-enforcers, secret marriages, mislabelled graves, remembrance, guilt, and the devastating power of silence, by one of Austria’s most significant contemporary writers’ says the blurb whetting my appetite further.
I’m not as eager as I once was to get my hands on a new Haruki Murakami but I’ve no doubt I’ll read The City and Its Uncertain Walls at some stage. It follows a man who as a teenager was a Dream Reader in the shadow world, now an adult trying to recapture how it felt by taking up a position in a library once held by a ghost. Unsurprisingly with Murakami, any attempt at such a brief synopsis is doomed to failure, particularly when drawing on an opaque blurb which goes on to describe the novel as: ‘A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, and a parable for these strange post-pandemic times, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a singular and towering achievement by one of modern literature’s most important writers’.
November’s short story collection is Ben Shattuck’s carefully constructed The History of Sound which comprises twelve stories, each with a companion piece. Set largely in New England, Shattuck’s engrossing collection criss-crosses centuries, exploring themes of love, loss, art and the natural world in lyrical, poetic but elegantly understated prose, often rooted in the dramatic landscape in which they’re set. Highly recommend this one, and not just to short story fans. Review shortly…
That’s it for November’s new fiction. As ever, a click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis should you want to know more. Paperbacks in a few weeks when H and I are back from the latest instalment of our travels…
I’ve got a proof copy of The Proof Of My Innocence and am interested to see what Coe makes of the historical import of the Truss premiership—I assume he chooses that moment in recent history for a reason. Of the others, Isaac or Waiting For a Party are the most appealing at the moment.
He does. It was slightly odd reading it after the election which came earlier than most of us were expecting. Both the others sound good, don’t they.
A few of these writers I haven’t heard of before. Coe, Boyne and Murakami are on my radar. Thank you for extensive review for next month. I am still trying to get through the Booker listings. Detoured to Strout’s Tell Me Everything, and engrossed already.
You’re welcome! I hope you’re enjoying the Strout as much as I did.
Thank you for compiling this varied list. The History of Sound is right up my alley. I live in Maine and gravitate toward stories set here. I will order this book today.
Lovely to hear that! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I’d read all of these! Obvs I have the Coe already, but the Menasse and Main particularly appeal.
It’s a good month isn’t it. Looking forward to seeing what you think of the Coe.
I didn’t know Jonathan Coe had a new book coming out. I’m not sure I’ll want to read it. Bournville only partly worked for me. The Tessa Hadley sounds excellent though.
Probably best to leave the Coe, then. I think it’s one for his fans. I have hopes for The Party.
The Eva Menasse is the one that leaps to the top of my list, as well as the John Boyne and the Ben Shattuck. Jonathan Coe has lost his spot towards the top of a must-read list for me, especially after your less-than-effusive review. But everything looks worth a punt, apart from the Marukami. I’ve never managed to finish one of his books yet, though I haven’t tried very hard.
I suspect I won’t be reviewing the Menasse but I do plan to read it, and the Shattuck is a treat. Hope you enjoy whichever you choose.
I really like Coe but that structure sounds tricky to pull off. I’ll be interested to read your review!
You might call the structure ‘ambitious’!
The History of Sound is the one that appeals most to me. You always manage to pick some enticing books.
Very pleased to hear that, and I can vouch for the Shattuck.
I’m on the blog tour for the Hadley — perfect timing for Novellas in November. And I’d added the Shattuck to my TBR but didn’t know it would be available in the UK, so thanks for alerting me and I’m glad you can vouch for it. The premise sounds rather like North Woods by Daniel Mason.
Oh, excellent! I’ll look out for your review. Really enjoyed the Shattuck. Such a clever structure.
I’ve toyed with reading the Menasse in German a couple of years ago, have liked some of her stuff tremendously, but she doesn’t always quite hit the spot for me.
This would be my first of hers. I’m very taken with the premise.
Hmmmm, none of these immediately appeal. Maybe the Hadley for the Bristol setting, but I’d like to try more of her short fiction first.
I’ve had a very mixed experience with her novels. This one is her first novella, apparently, which courts in its favour for me.
What an exciting lineup of books for November! I love how you’ve captured the essence of each title. Murakami never fails to pique interest, even if my enthusiasm has waned a bit over time. Your thoughts on these upcoming releases have definitely sparked my excitement for November reading. Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful preview!
So pleased to hear that. Thank you!
The third of the Boyne books already? I’m yet to start on the first! City of Laughter looks good this time as does Darkenbloom!
The final one’s due next May, apparently. The other two sound great, don’t they.
Very much so!
That’s a bumper crop of novels! The ones I’m interested in, however, don’t seem to have gone down quite so well with you, which is to say the Jonathan Coe and the Tessa Hadley (though I agree with you about her writing). I have been on the fence about reading the John Boyne books but have Water on my Kindle as a cheap deal. Sounds like I should try to get to that one! Hope you’re having wonderful travels.
I’ve since read and enjoyed the Tessa Hadley. It’s a novella which worked better for me. Lovely holiday, thanks. The washing machine has hardly stopped since this morning!
Hi, could i add my new book to the list please. Dookie 3 Scorched Earth. It’s the 3rd in the new Dookie series of novels. It launched on 8oct 2024 along with the first in a new line of Dookie comics too. Dookie vs the demon goat.
DOOKIEBOOKS.COM
Has all the info. I would love some reviews!!