International fiction
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
Twenty years ago Stephen Chbosky wrote a YA novel called The Perks of Being A Wallflower, which he made into a successful film in 2012. Be fairly warned, Imaginary Friend is not YA. This is horror, and it’s literary…
The Eighth Life (For Brilka) by Nino Haratischvili
The Eighth Life is the saga of a Georgian family – its intricate, interconnected lives, its losses, triumphs, sadnesses, and great loves, set against the sweep of Russian history across the twentieth century. This is the deft detailing of a…
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is indisputably one of the greatest storytellers of our time and her eighth novel, The Dutch House, is an undeniable joy to read. I recommend settling into this novel. It starts slowly but before you realise it…
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
A disclaimer before I begin – I read this book very quickly, and these are my first impressions. And there are minor spoilers below, so if you’d prefer to be a blank slate for this book, read no further!
The…
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Toby Fleishman is going through a divorce, and is feeling quite sorry for himself. Toby is a highly regarded hepatologist working in a prestigious New York hospital. He has two children, Solly and Hannah, who he loves very much. He’s…
The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy
There is nothing ordinary about Deborah Levy’s new novel, her first since 2016’s Booker Prize-shortlisted Hot Milk. As a result, it isn’t an easy one to condense here, but what I’ll say, with little difficulty, is that it’s one…
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Nicole Dennis-Benn dedicates her second novel to the ‘memory of the untold stories of undocumented immigrants’. We first meet Patsy in 1998 in Jamaica; she is standing in the hot sun in a long queue at the U.S. Embassy. She…
Quichotte by Salman Rushdie
This book is one wild ride: a hectic riffling through the back catalogue of literature, a throwing ofbooks into the back seat of an unglamorous car, and a helter-skelter drive across an America heaving and straining under the forces that…
Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky
Booksellers are frequently asked for recommendations for ‘uplifting’ books. Whether as an antidote to turbulent times, for a relative in hospital, or for a holiday read, a novel with wit and levity is a wonderful thing.
Marcy Dermansky has delivered…
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
On an isolated island, things are disappearing. Ribbon, hat, bird. One by one, they all disappear, and soon, the inhabitants of the island forget they ever existed at all. The disappearances are enforced by the Memory Police, and those who…
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