Book news, reviews and recommendations
I’ve not had much success with Nell Zink’s writing, not quite getting what all the fuss was about with both Nicotine and The Wallcreeper, but I liked the sound of Avalon’s premise so thought I’d give it a go. A young woman with a less than favourable upbringing, tries to find her place in the […]
Avalon by Nell Zink: A curate’s egg of a novel Read More »
A few years ago, I read Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here despite my reluctance at the prospect of children spontaneously combusting. It ended up on my books of the year list. Last year’s short story collection, Tunneling to the Centre of the Earth, also impressed me so I jumped at the chance to read
Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson: We are all fugitives Read More »
I’m not sure who tweeted their happiness about receiving a proof of Lynn Steger Strong’s Flight having enjoyed her fiction before but I’m grateful to them. That lovely, understated cover also added to its allure. Set in snowy New York state, Strong’s novel follows three siblings and their families facing their first Christmas without their
Flight by Lynn Steger Strong: In the bleak mid-winter Read More »
I’d not come across Meg Howrey before a blurb promising an ‘80s New York setting together with a resounding recommendation from Ann Patchett caught my eye. They’re Going to Love You, Howrey’s fourth novel, explores themes of love, betrayal and dedication against a background of the dance world as Carlisle is faced with visiting her
They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey: ‘A question of morals’ Read More »
I spotted Lydia Millet’s Dinosaurs on NetGalley, pleased to be reminded of how much I’d enjoyed Oh Pure and Radiant Heart many moons ago. This subtle, understated novel follows Gil who’s decided to put his New York past behind him and move to Arizona, captivated by footage of the Arizonan landscape, and having nothing better to
Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet: ‘You can do your best all your life’ Read More »
Unusually for me, I had mixed feelings when I saw a new Elizabeth Strout in the schedules: Lucy by the Sea is Lucy Barton’s third outing, the second in a year, and it’s a pandemic novel. I wondered if she was becoming little overexposed but knew I’d read it anyway. Lucy and her ex-husband, William,
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout: ‘This is how we lived. It was strange’ Read More »
I couldn’t get on with George Saunders’ 2017 Man Booker Prize-winning Lincoln in the Bardo but made a mental note to try his short stories which were much lauded in the novel’s publicity material. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get around to it until Liberation Day popped through my letterbox. Comprising nine stories, Saunders’ new collection ranges
Liberation Day by George Saunders: A smartly delivered collection Read More »
It’s been a decade since A. M. Homes’ May We Be Forgiven was published so I was more than keen to read The Unfolding, particularly as the blurb suggested a state of the nation novel, although in this case it’s a look back at that state when the seeds of what was to come eight
The Unfolding by A. M. Homes: ‘What Comes Next?’ Read More »
I’m an enthusiastic fan of Joan Silber’s fiction having loved both Improvement and Secrets of Happiness and was delighted to find that not one but two of her backlisted books were to be published here in the UK. Both come billed as linked short stories, my favourite kind of collection. I’ve plumped to review Fools
Fools by Joan Silber: More please (reprised)! Read More »
Given my complete lack of interest in sport you might think I’d turn down the offer of a novel about a basketball star and a sportswriter but I’d enjoyed several of Benjamin Markovits’ previous novels and had fond memories of Chad Hardbach’s The Art of Fielding. The Sidekick explores the demands made on sports stars
The Sidekick by Benjamin Markovits: This sporting life Read More »
Both its blurb and that empty chair on its cover warned me that Sarah Manguso’s Very Cold People was likely to be a bleak read but it was also what attracted me to this brief novella. Set in a small New England town, buttoned up and demarcated between rich and poor, Very Cold People sees
Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso: ‘I felt indistinct, like someone else’s dream’ Read More »