I’ve read two books from the first April preview instalment beginning with Solvej Balle’s International Booker Prize longlisted On The Calculation of Volume which is structured as a diary written by 
Tara, briefly in Paris for the antiquarian bookshop she runs with her husband. Nothing seems amiss until the following day begins to repeat itself. Each section is headed with the number of the current iteration of November 18th Tara’s living through as she records her experience – the daily recaps with an astonished Thomas, their mutual scientific investigations, her eventual avoidance of her husband as he carries out precisely the same actions as the day before. Tara and Thomas’s surprisingly easy acceptance of her ordeal is a bit of a stretch but, obviously, readers’ belief must be suspended from the first page. It’s a novel you’ll likely either enjoy or find infuriating. I was intrigued by the puzzle of what it might mean but I’m unlikely to continue with Balle’s series through its seven volumes. Review to follow…
Louise Hegarty’s playful, witty Fair Play is set over the annual murder mystery weekend Abigail arranges for her brother’s birthday. After this year’s crime is solved, their guests take themselves off to bed. Next morning, there’s no sign of Benjamin: his bedroom door is locked with no sound within. The group are horrified to discover that their friend and brother has died in the night aged only thirty-three. Hegarty’s novel starts with a straightforward narrative, establishing relationships, scattering a few red herrings before turning into a pastiche locked room mystery interspersed with Abigail’s struggles to accept her brother’s death. Quite a risky idea for any novel, let alone a debut, but, on the whole, it worked for me. Review shortly…
In Rozie Kelly’s Kingfisher a creative writing academic becomes so infatuated with his colleague that his safe, secure relationship with his beautiful partner, Michael, is threatened. He becomes obsessed by the poet who is everything he isn’t and has everything he wants then simultaneous illnesses disrupt his life and the tenuous reality he’s constructed. ‘This is a novel about grief, power and desire – and the tangles in between that make up a life’ says the blurb. I’m not entirely sure about this one but it sounds worth investigating.
 Staying briefly in Manhattan, where two strangers meet and spend the night together in José Daniel Alvior’s Seven Days in Tokyo. When Louie visits Landon in Tokyo they have a week to explore what may become something deeper than a fleeting passion, sharing meals and a bed, wandering through the streets of the city. ‘Breathtakingly tender, Seven Days in Tokyo is an astonishing debut about the intricacies of desire and a search for belonging. It is a lyrical, immersive portrait of how some things, however beautiful and profound, are destined to be as short-lived as the cherry blossoms’ says the blurb which sounds rather lovely.
That’s it for April’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…
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I am intrigued by the Danish novel, though not in rush to pick it up. There must be something in it for it to be still be selling well in its original language 5 books in to the series.
You’d think so! I’ll probably read the second volume to see how the series progresses. It’s a novella which helps.
These ALL sound really good. I was attracted to Fair Play but wondered if it would work. Good to hear that she pulls it off. On the Calculation of Volume is the one I’d really like to read.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it, Cathy. It’s a novella so maybe one for #NovNov?
Sounds perfect!
Only writer I am familiar with in this group is Aciman. Read his autobiography recently, A Roman Year, which was highly entertaining. So I would like to read his fiction. Saw the film Call Me By Your Name, which evoked a very romantic view of Italy.
I wondered if that might be worth watching just for the scenery.
Have to try and read the Danish one for the International Booker shadow panel but have to admit am not enthused. Hope to be proved wrong. And naturally, I cannot resist a book about Tokyo and fleeting love.
It’s a novella if that’s any consolation!
I like the sound of the Hegarty in particular.
I think you’d enjoy Fair Play. Quite daring for a debut but she just about carries it off.
Although interesting, I’m relieved not to feel I need to rush any of these onto my TBR. It’s got beyond ridiculous, and risks tottering, falling, and crushing me under its weight.
Well, I’m glad there’s no pressure from my direction this week.
Well, you do have to shoulder a lot of the blame .
Oh, dear…
In a good way, of course!
Fair Play sounds intriguing – I’ll be looking out for your review!
It’ll be along shortly!
I was about to leave exactly the same comment as Fiction Fan 😀
Not long to wait!
I’m interested in City of Fiction. I just finished another Europa Editions novel, Robert Seethaler’s Cafe With No Name, and I do like their books! This is a great preview list.
Thank you. They’re a great publisher. Seethaler’s a favourite of mine. He writes so well about the everyday.
I’ve found that Yu Hua is hard to source, but I absolutely loved one that I read a few years ago, so news of this new one caught my eye straight away. I’ve been checking the library every week for ages (probably too soon, actually heheh).
I’ve not come across him before but this one sounds very promising. I hope you can get your hands on a copy.
Sounds like I enjoyed On The Calculation of Volume more than you – I can’t wait for the second book to come out in English (next month in Australia) and I have no idea how I can write a response to adequately describe my reading experience!
I hope you’ll have a go! I’d love to know what you think of it. I did enjoy it and I intend to read the next one but I’m a bit daunted at the idea of the whole series,