International Fiction reviews
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
The Vignes twins are like two halves of a whole: impulsive, smart-mouthed Desiree is a neat contrast to careful, practical Stella. Born in Mallard – a unique black community in Louisiana, set apart b…
The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun
Many forms of travel and tourism are currently off the agenda, so it’s an interesting time to contemplate the needs that are not being sated due to these pandemic-imposed restrictions. What precisely…
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin
Several friends have remarked ‘But that sounds like an episode of Black Mirror!’ when I have explained the premise of this book, which is: people around the world are buying kentukis, the latest tech…
Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
Kevin Kwan has done it again. Told with his signature wit and flair, his latest romantic comedy of manners pays homage to A Room with a View, Pride and Prejudice, and, strangely enough, Crazy Rich As…
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
There have been many novels recently showcasing the histories, rivalries, and loyalties of adult siblings. These includes titles such as The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward, The Most Fun We Ever Had b…
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
Already garnering the kind of praise from high-profile authors and international reviewers that a debut author might only dare dream of, A Burning has the feel of one of the ‘must read’ titles of 202…
Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight
The person who believes in you is the most dangerous person you know. The person who believes in you can unbuild you in an instant.
Nell Barber is not having a good year. She’s broken up with her b…
All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg
Jami Attenberg can do bleak humour. She can skewer and summarise characters with one scathing sentence. She is the lord of mockery, the lady of irony, but, more than anything else, she is the queen w…
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Paul is a young recovering drug addict, struggling through a degree in finance he couldn’t care less about. Having lost the trust of his widowed mother, his hopes of studying musical composition are …
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Micah Mortimer ‘… lives alone; he keeps to himself; his routine is etched in stone.’ Micah’s an ordinary man. He dropped out of college to found a start-up with a friend; that failed and since then h…
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