All the usual clichés apply – I
couldn’t put it down, it was immersive/propulsive/compulsive and did actually
keep me up late…It has all the characteristics of a great thriller but,
(special bonus) no serial killers!
Apart from this, it is actually a very
intelligent, darkly satirical take on the publishing industry. And it made me
laugh out loud…
The No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller from literary sensation R.F. Kuang
*A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick*
'Propulsive' SUNDAY TIMES
'Razor-sharp' TIME
'A wild ride' STYLIST
'Darkly comic' GQ
'A riot' PANDORA SYKES
'Hard to put down, harder to forget' STEPHEN KING
Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.
White lies When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.
Dark humour But as evidence threatens June's stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she…
Firstly, it inspired me to try writing short stories again, just by
showcasing the range and versatility of the form, and by demonstrating how
short fiction, in the hands of a virtuoso writer like Ruby Cowling, can say
more than a novel.
These short stories are experimental in the best sense, by
which I mean the varied forms enhance the content and themes. These are in
turn, tragic, funny, uplifting, and poignant, reflecting the multi-faceted world
we live in. Also, the small press, Boiler House has done a wonderful job of
production. This collection is a joy to read!
A family prepares for Assessment. Two brothers haggle over the legacy of their parents. A computer game designer aches with curious longings. Amidst it all, sisters, heroines, rebels, lunar moths and a not insignificant number of rabbits play out their lives under the strange grips of technology, governments, corporations and the capricious planets on which we all, in our different ways, just about manage to live. This Paradise is a rare and beautiful collection of stories about people fleeing towards places or times or situations they hope might be better trying to outrun their nature, to deny the undeniable. Written…
Claire Keegan is another virtuoso short story
writer, but in this case it is her Booker-shortlisted novel that I’m
recommending, because I loved it so much.
It has much in common with her short
stories, in that it is actually a novella, but it contains a whole world of
historical pain and, although I hesitate to use this word, a spiritual range
from the depths of evil to transcendent good. My guess is that this will be one
of the classic books to be read in centuries to come.
I have to say that this is not my 3rd
favourite book, even though it comes last on my list – I love them all (and at
least one other that I left off very regretfully) equally!
"A hypnotic and electrifying Irish tale that transcends country, transcends time." —Lily King, New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers
Small Things Like These is award-winning author Claire Keegan's landmark new novel, a tale of one man's courage and a remarkable portrait of love and family
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him…
At the International Conference Centre in Geneva, Hannah Rossier, formerly Annie Price, comes face to face with Neville Weir, someone from her childhood whom she never expected, or wanted, to meet again.
As Neville's reasons for attending the conference become clear, the dark waters of Hannah's past start to rise. Hannah has reinvented herself successfully, moving from a small northern town in England to Lucerne, Switzerland, with her husband, Thibaut.
Nobody, not even Hannah, knows the full truth about herself. Her 'memories' consist of glimpses of the place where she played in childhood, known simply as 'The Wild'. Over the three days of the conference she has to decide whether she can avoid Neville, or whether she should submit to an encounter with him and with her past.
