Book news, reviews and recommendations
James Roseman’s Placeholders is the fourth novel I’ve read published by Verve Books, a comparatively new imprint, all of them good if not excellent. If you’re interested the others are Sunburn, How Can I Help You and Blue Hour, my favourite and an unfulfilled wish on my Booker Prize list. Roseman’s novel follows Aaron and […]
Placeholders by James Roseman: Crossing the cultural divide Read More »
It took me some time to get around to reading Brandon Taylor’s Real Life thanks to the hype surrounding it when it was first published but I enjoyed it when I did, certainly enough to read The Late Americans whose premise also appealed. Reading like a series of intricately linked short stories, Taylor’s thought-provoking novel
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor: Finding your way in the world Read More »
I loved Katherine Heiny’s Early Morning Riser which put me in mind of Anne Tyler with its astute, funny observations and affectionate characterisation. Her new book, Games and Rituals, is a short story collection but if you’re a Heiny fan who’s not so keen on short fiction, don’t let that put you off. Comprising eleven
Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny: A modern day Anne Tyler Read More »
I was keen to read Stewart O’Nan’s Ocean State having enjoyed his sympathetic, wryly humorous portrait of ageing, Henry, Himself, a few years ago. This new novel sounded entirely different. Opening just before Halloween in 2009, it arrived with a handful of American sweets as part of the marketing package including Tootsie Rolls which frequently
Ocean State by Stewart O’Nan: A keeper of secrets Read More »
It was its premise that attracted me to Sara Freeman’s Tides when it was pitched to me: a debut about a woman who flees after suffering a devastating bereavement drawn into a relationship with a man suffering his own loss, and there was mention of a spare writing style, always my favourite. I’d expected a
Tides by Sara Freeman: ‘Not feeling is a feeling too’ Read More »
I was a wee bit wary of reading Nickolas Butler’s Godspeed. His first novel, Shotgun Lovesongs, had set the bar so high that perhaps a slight feeling of disappointment in his second, The Hearts of Men, was inevitable. Rather than Butler’s beloved Wisconsin, this new novel is set in Wyoming where three men, friends and
Godspeed by Nickolas Butler: Too good to be true Read More »
Huge amounts of brouhaha surrounding Zakiya Dalila Harris’ debut, stretching back many months as publishers tweeted their joy at getting their hands on a copy of The Other Black Girl. I’ll admit to suffering proof envy with this one, resorting to NetGalley when it turned out there were none left. Set in a prestigious New
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris: Stepford publishers Read More »
I ended my review of Vendela Vida’s The Diver’s Clothes Lie Entry back in 2015, pleased to find she had a backlist to explore. Needless to say, too many bright, shiny new books got in the way so I was delighted when We Run the Tides arrived through the letterbox. Set in a wealthy San
We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida: Beauty and truth, or the lack of it Read More »
Lots of pre-publication brouhaha in my neck of the Twitter woods around Katherine Heiny’s Early Morning Riser which so often leads to disappointment but something about its blurb made me think it might live up to that promise so I put up my hand for a copy. Set in a small American town, always a
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny: If you like Anne Tyler… Read More »
Alexis Schaitkin’s Saint X suffered more than most from the upheavals which struck last year’s schedules, appearing in print nine months or so after it was first due to be published. Truth be told I wasn’t at all sure about it when it arrived. I wondered if it might be a step too far into
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin: Paradise lost Read More »
Lauren Oyler’s Fake Accounts is the first of two novels taking a swipe at social media’s pervasive influence that caught my eye in February’s publishing schedules. I’ll be reviewing the other next week. Set in 2016 with Trump freshly elected, Oyler’s debut follows her unnamed narrator who is shocked to find that her apparently liberal
Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler: Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling… Read More »