John Murray Press

Cover image for The Couples by Lauren Mackenzie

The Couples by Lauren Mackenzie: A grown up Sally Rooney

I spent quite some time dithering about whether to put my hand up for Lauren Mackenzie’s The Couples. The premise seemed a wee bit tacky: three couples go away together, shedding their domestic responsibilities, get wasted and embark on a game of partner swapping. What swung it for me was Mackenzie’s screenwriting credentials and Stinging […]

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Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana: No place like home

Sidik Fofana’s Stories from the Tenants Downstairs instantly appealed to me: a tightly linked set of short stories about the tenants of a Harlem apartment block ticked two of my literary boxes, and that cover sealed the deal. Fofana’s collection sees many of the inhabitants of Banneker Terrace threatened with eviction thanks to the new

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Cover image for This is Gonna End in Tears by Liza Klaussmann

This is Gonna End in Tears by Liza Klaussmann: ‘Redemption was always possible in the third act’  

I tend not to be lured by the onslaught of summer reading that hits bookshops around June or so but there’s usually one novel aimed squarely at that market I hope will hit the spot. Last year’s was The Paper Palace which turned out to be much darker than I expected. This year’s is Liza

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Cover image for Friedrichstrasse 19 by Emma Harding

Friedrichstrasse 19 by Emma Harding: ‘You will endure. What else can we do?’

Telling a city’s story through a single building and its inhabitants is such an appealing device. Żanna Słoniowska did it memorably with Lviv in The House with the Stained-glass Window. Emma Harding’s Friedrichstrasse 19 takes a similar tack with the added lure of exploring the history of Berlin, always a favourite setting, through the lives

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