Books to Look Out For in October 2026: Part Two

I was surprised to see another novel from Bernard Schlink quite so soon after his impressive The Granddaughter. The Late Life sees seventy-six-year-old Martin happily married with a six-year-old son, faced with a dire prognosis. With only a short time left to live, he thinks about his legacy, his love for his family and what he can achieve before he dies, hoping to do what’s right despite the surprises and challenges thrown his way. ‘The Late Life is a story of navigating family, guilt, love and loss from Bernhard Schlink, one of the most masterful novelists of our age’ according to the blurb. Very keen to read this one.

Singer-songwriter James Yorkston’s Callum, Reine, Sylvie and Sparrow follows the eponymous Callum over two decades beginning in 1998, flitting backwards and forwards with several digressions. Twenty years after he set off from Edinburgh to Ireland, miserable and alone, life has settled and he’s happy. Interspersed with Callum’s story are a couple of interviews from his stint on local radio, childhood anecdotes and memories plus episodes from his adult life, including a particularly enjoyable one working as a bookseller. Poignant, funny and absorbing, Yorkston’s novel is a treat. Review soon…

Jon Fosse is best known for his lengthy Septology, a seven-novel sequence which explores the human condition. The brief Vaim Hotel sounds very different, following a nameless guest greeted by Brita who appears to recognise him although he has no recollection of her. The next day he explores the town, much of it owned by Brita, disconcerted to find that his belongings are disappearing as is his sense of self. As his stay wears on, he finds himself in thrall to Brita and unable to escape. ‘The second instalment in Jon Fosse’s Vaim Trilogy is a discomfiting and propulsive mystery, marking a new departure from the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature-laureate’ says the blurb which sounds intriguing although perhaps I should catch up with the first instalment before reading this one.

I read very few of what might be called Christmas books but this one’s by Sarah Moss. The Winter Guest is set in a hotel on the Irish west coast on a snowy Christmas Eve where two strangers share a meal and raise a toast. Both Janice and Gerry have stories to tell and confessions to make. ‘As the blizzard howls, the night will take an unexpected turn, and their conversation will have consequences far beyond the candlelit table’ promises the blurb of a novella which sounds worth making an exception for.

That’s it for October’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…