Books to Look Out For in May 2026: Part Two

May’s second preview begins with the first standalone novel in some time from an author whose series are beloved by many. Spanning several years either side of the 2024 presidential election, Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say follows a high school history teacher, a favourite of both students and staff. Apparently happily married to Evie, Artie finds himself weighed down by a sense of dread until an almost fatal sailing accident brings him up short and delivers a new friend. When a revelation by his son shakes him to his core, it’s Ken he turns to rather than Evie, finding a way to restore a kind of equilibrium, soon undermined by the election of a president whose actions horrify him. Written with her characteristic quietly perceptive acuity, Strout’s slim novel is populated with smartly observed characters seen through Artie’s eyes. Some may find it bleak, but this thought-provoking piece of fiction is the most heartfelt I’ve read by her. Review to follow…

Entirely different, Emma Straub’s American Fantasy has an unusual premise: a full-on nostalgia cruise for over two thousand mostly female fans of a boy band, now way past their youth, but prepared to spend four days a year acting as if they’re teenagers. The trip kicks off with the usual deafening screaming of over excited fans for who the following four days offer an opportunity to escape middle-aged life, snag a selfie with the band and, for the fortunate few, attend the late-night afterparties. Each day is organised down to the last minute until simmering tensions boil over. An enjoyable, escapist read, highly entertaining and often funny, which makes serious points about fame and its fallout. There were a few sticky moments when I thought she might step too far into overly sentimental romcom territory, but Straub neatly swerves that. Review shortly…

Set in London, Jem Calder’s I Want You to Be Happy sees a mismatched couple, who spend the night together after meeting in a bar, embarking on something that can’t quite be called a relationship. Chuck’s thirty-five, a lead copywriter, as he’s careful to tell Joey, recently split from his fiancée after twelve years. Joey’s twenty-four, a barista living in a single room she can barely afford in a flat share with people she doesn’t like. Calder’s narrative shifts between these two, capturing the awkwardness of the beginnings of a relationship which seems unlikely, even to them, with acuteness and wit. His writing is as smartly astute as I remembered from Reward System, his linked short story collection. I found Joey much more engaging than Chuck but perhaps that was the point. Review soon…

Douglas Stuart’s third novel, John of John, follows a young man home to the island of Harris after finishing art school. His Presbyterian father is appalled by his son’s long hair and godlessness, but needs must for Cal who has no money or job and must readjust to a different way of life from the one he’s become accustomed to. ‘John of John is the heartbreaking story of a young man’s return home and how the bonds of family life are torn by the weight of expectation. It confirms Douglas Stuart as one of the great British writers at work today’ says the blurb. I loved both Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo so hopes are high for this one.

Melissa Harrison’s The Given World is the first adult novel from her for some time although it sounds more like a set of interlinked short stories. Set in rural England, it’s told through the voices of villagers living in the Whelm Valley whose lives intertwine over the six months the novel spans. Given Harrison’s flair for writing about the natural world, I’m hoping for more of the descriptive writing I loved in both All Among the Barley and At Hawthorn Time.

That’s it for May’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…