#Emma Van Straaten

[bookjotter6865]

Winding Up the Week #391

An end of week recap “Love is like the sea. It’s a moving thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from the shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.” – Zora Neale Hurston There will be no wind up next Saturday because I’m getting married. Thank you so much everybody for your kind good wishes. I will see you on the other side (of the broom, that is). As ever, this is a post in…

[lucyrosecreates]

Lanny by Max Porter

Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan

How Saints Die by Carmen Marcus

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

Boy Parts by Eliza Clarke

The Island Child by Molly Aitken

And some honourable mentions for books that came after writing but I’m damn certain would have influenced if they were written earlier:

Brutes by Dizz Tate

Spoilt Creatues by Amy Twigg

Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger

Creep/This Immaculate Body by Emma Van Straaten

Anyway, if you got to the end of this list, check out my sapphic cannibal novel THE LAMB, which is about mother and daughter cannibals, surviving girlhood and navigating queerness.

[cleverhottubmiracle]

2025 promises to be a year of stellar fiction, with novels from reliable sources and new talent alike. Whether you’re looking for narratives on sex workers, gay footballers, bratty A-Listers or obsessive cleaners, our roundup has you covered. Disappoint Me by Nicola DinanCourtesy of Transworld DISAPPOINT ME BY NICOLA DINAN Dinan’s second novel comes hot on the heels of her critically and culturally-acclaimed debut Bellies, which established her as a voice to watch. Disappoint Me is anything but a disappointing follow-up in its smart exploration of heteronormativity and the weight of expectation. Max is a wildly successful trans woman, who walks on a firmly-hoisted tightrope between corporate victory in her legal job and creative expression in her side-gig as a published poet. That is, until she has a drunken accident and decides to tackle the impact of years of gender dysphoria and a disappointing love life head on. Disappoint Me is published by Transworld in January. Greatest of All Time by Alex AllisonCourtesy of Dialogue GREATEST OF ALL TIME BY ALEX ALLISON Despite the rainbow-patterned laces and armbands that players can occasionally be seen wearing as a sign of well-meaning inclusivity, queerness is still a taboo subject in modern-day men’s football. Allison’s novel explores the joy and heartbreak to be found in two players who rebel from, and then lean in to their mutual attraction, and how they need to hide what is natural from the hyper-masculine, hyper-hetero culture that they otherwise love. GOAT is both a celebration and criticism of football, told with warmth and humour. Greatest of All Time is published by Dialogue in January. May You Have Delicious Meals by Junko TakaseCourtesy of Penguin MAY YOU HAVE DELICIOUS MEALS BY JUNKO TAKASE, TRANSLATED BY MORGAN GILES Already a bestseller in Japan, Takase’s sixth novel takes stock of food and work culture in contemporary Japanese office spaces. Through characters that both love and hate feeding and being fed, she picks apart the complexities of work politics and asks why it is that some people are treated differently to their peers – and how this also translates to our sympathies outside of the office. A slim but impactful novel that will make you laugh and think. May You Have Delicious Meals is published by Penguin in February. This Immaculate Body by Emma Van StraatenCourtesy of Hachette THIS IMMACULATE BODY BY EMMA VAN STRAATEN Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat weekly for a year, and has slowly but surely become infatuated with him – despite the fact that they’ve never met. As she wipes every smudge and spill he has made and sorts his personal items into affectionately neat order, she spirals into an obsession that can never be feasibly satisfied. A thriller as much as it is an exploration of how we present ourselves and perceive our material culture, this is an evocative story that deserves immediate cult status. This Immaculate Body is published by Hachette in February. Perfection by Vincenzo LatronicoCourtesy of Fitzcarraldo PERFECTION BY VINCENZO LATRONICO, TRANSLATED BY SOPHIE HUGHES Leave it to Britain’s chicest publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions to give us one of the most searing indictments of contemporary culture and our eternal quest for Instagram-worthy perfection. Millennial expat couple Anna and Tom are living in Berlin, freelancing in graphic design. They seemingly have it all – the houseplant-filled apartment, a progressive view on sex and partying, an outward-looking view on politics that they ensure everyone knows about. And yet, they can’t stop the ennui and dissatisfaction setting in when their jobs become boring, their political activism doesn’t yield immediate results and their friends move on. An expertly written criticism of modern living. Perfection is published by Fitzcarraldo in February. Soft Core by Brittany NewellCourtesy of 4th Estate SOFT CORE BY BRITTANY NEWELL  Ruthie lives a quiet life. She goes to work as a stripper, she buys fast food on the way home, and she sleeps all day in the house that she shares with her cross-dressing, drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dino and his numerous dogs named after 90s supermodels. That is until Dino goes missing and she has to spend her days alone for the first time in her life. Soft Core is a profound look at sex work and lives unusually lived, and how they can be just as banal as the ‘normal ones’ – even if you’re sometimes asked to piss in a pint glass for a customer to drink.  Soft Core is published by 4th Estate in March. I Make Me Own Fun by Hannah BeerCourtesy of Atlantic I MAKE ME OWN FUN BY HANNAH BEER A flawless reputation is hard to maintain, especially for an A-list actress. And through hard work, Marina has achieved this impossible standard, despite the fact that she’s an absolute monster to even be around, never mind work with. Her public facade comes under threat, however, when she meets Anna, a bartender who refuses to be moved or intimidated by Marina’s status and personality. Obsession ensues, taking us on a journey that is equal parts outrageous and equal parts fun. I Make My Own Fun comes from the writer behind Emotional Speculation, a substack that explores the nature of fame, gossip and celebrity in the modern age. I Make My Own Fun is published by Atlantic in March. I Want to Go Home but I’m Already There by Róisín LaniganCourtesy of Fig Tree I WANT TO GO HOME BUT I’M ALREADY THERE BY RÓISÍN LANIGAN Haunted house stories usually take place in big country manors or dilapidated castles, but Lanigan is brave enough to ask, why can’t they also take place in London’s unstable renting market? Not only do young millennial couple Áine and Elliot have to get used to living with each other for the first time, they also need to reckon with creepy neighbours, mould that can’t be contained and an ever-present sense of unease. Taking the tropes of classic gothic tales and applying them to a thoroughly contemporary narrative on love in renter-unfriendly London make I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There a striking and prescient debut. I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There is published by Fig Tree in March. Idle Grounds by Krystelle BamfordCourtesy of Penguin IDLE GROUNDS BY KRYSTELLE BAMFORD A group of young cousins traverse the grounds of their wealthy aunt’s New England estate as they attempt to find Abi, the youngest in their fold, who has gone missing. Told from the perspective of adulthood, Idle Grounds explores the slippery nature of memory and individual experience as part of a larger group. The cousins come across settings and stories that force them to both unite and grow separate from one another as the hot summer’s day slips away from them. Haunting yet humorous, this is a debut to look out for. Idle Grounds is published by Penguin in April. Lush by Rochelle Dowden-LordCourtesy of Serpent’s Tail LUSH BY ROCHELLE DOWDEN-LORD Dowden-Lord’s debut takes us to a vineyard in France, where four very different people who work in the wine industry have been invited to try one of the rarest bottles of wine in the world. As the days unfold, they find that their exclusive experience is not the one that they expected, and they instead have to grapple with their identity, relationships and how they exist in the wine world and beyond. For fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, Alexander Payne’s Sideways with sprinklings of Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, this is a heady, sun-soaked novel about indulgence, wine and place. Lush is published by Serpent’s Tail in May. That’s All I Know by Elisa LeviCourtesy of Daunt THAT’S ALL I KNOW BY ELISA LEVI, TRANSLATED BY CHRISTINA MACSWEENEY An almost folkloric novel that has caught the attention of critics in Spain, That’s All I Know will leave you dazed (in a good way). A 19-year-old young woman called Lea recounts the story of her life so far to a stranger on a park bench, which has been anchored to her small town. Opportunities are slim, morale is at a low and the threat of violence is an almost-constant – and yet Lea and her friends are vivid and alive. Change must come to the young hopefuls, and when it does, Lea has no one to turn to but a stranger. A beautifully rendered narrative that combines magical realism with social commentary. That’s All I Know is published by Daunt in May. Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’HareCourtesy of Picador THIRST TRAP BY GRÁINNE O’HARE Friendship between women in their 20s is well-trodden ground in books and films, but O’Hare asks: what if the cracks that appear in these friendships become too big and treacherous to navigate? Maggie, Harley and Róise live together in Belfast, and they’re grieving the death of their fourth friend and housemate Lydia both individually and as a collective. Their sadness and personal grievances need to be worked through in order for them to remain a group – or they’ll inevitably fall apart. A sad and smart book about the complexities of leaving youthful naivety behind. Thirst Trap is published by Picador in June. !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) ; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) (window, document, 'script', ' fbq('init', '357833301087547'); fbq('track', "PageView"); Source link

[norajworld]

2025 promises to be a year of stellar fiction, with novels from reliable sources and new talent alike. Whether you’re looking for narratives on sex workers, gay footballers, bratty A-Listers or obsessive cleaners, our roundup has you covered. Disappoint Me by Nicola DinanCourtesy of Transworld DISAPPOINT ME BY NICOLA DINAN Dinan’s second novel comes hot on the heels of her critically and culturally-acclaimed debut Bellies, which established her as a voice to watch. Disappoint Me is anything but a disappointing follow-up in its smart exploration of heteronormativity and the weight of expectation. Max is a wildly successful trans woman, who walks on a firmly-hoisted tightrope between corporate victory in her legal job and creative expression in her side-gig as a published poet. That is, until she has a drunken accident and decides to tackle the impact of years of gender dysphoria and a disappointing love life head on. Disappoint Me is published by Transworld in January. Greatest of All Time by Alex AllisonCourtesy of Dialogue GREATEST OF ALL TIME BY ALEX ALLISON Despite the rainbow-patterned laces and armbands that players can occasionally be seen wearing as a sign of well-meaning inclusivity, queerness is still a taboo subject in modern-day men’s football. Allison’s novel explores the joy and heartbreak to be found in two players who rebel from, and then lean in to their mutual attraction, and how they need to hide what is natural from the hyper-masculine, hyper-hetero culture that they otherwise love. GOAT is both a celebration and criticism of football, told with warmth and humour. Greatest of All Time is published by Dialogue in January. May You Have Delicious Meals by Junko TakaseCourtesy of Penguin MAY YOU HAVE DELICIOUS MEALS BY JUNKO TAKASE, TRANSLATED BY MORGAN GILES Already a bestseller in Japan, Takase’s sixth novel takes stock of food and work culture in contemporary Japanese office spaces. Through characters that both love and hate feeding and being fed, she picks apart the complexities of work politics and asks why it is that some people are treated differently to their peers – and how this also translates to our sympathies outside of the office. A slim but impactful novel that will make you laugh and think. May You Have Delicious Meals is published by Penguin in February. This Immaculate Body by Emma Van StraatenCourtesy of Hachette THIS IMMACULATE BODY BY EMMA VAN STRAATEN Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat weekly for a year, and has slowly but surely become infatuated with him – despite the fact that they’ve never met. As she wipes every smudge and spill he has made and sorts his personal items into affectionately neat order, she spirals into an obsession that can never be feasibly satisfied. A thriller as much as it is an exploration of how we present ourselves and perceive our material culture, this is an evocative story that deserves immediate cult status. This Immaculate Body is published by Hachette in February. Perfection by Vincenzo LatronicoCourtesy of Fitzcarraldo PERFECTION BY VINCENZO LATRONICO, TRANSLATED BY SOPHIE HUGHES Leave it to Britain’s chicest publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions to give us one of the most searing indictments of contemporary culture and our eternal quest for Instagram-worthy perfection. Millennial expat couple Anna and Tom are living in Berlin, freelancing in graphic design. They seemingly have it all – the houseplant-filled apartment, a progressive view on sex and partying, an outward-looking view on politics that they ensure everyone knows about. And yet, they can’t stop the ennui and dissatisfaction setting in when their jobs become boring, their political activism doesn’t yield immediate results and their friends move on. An expertly written criticism of modern living. Perfection is published by Fitzcarraldo in February. Soft Core by Brittany NewellCourtesy of 4th Estate SOFT CORE BY BRITTANY NEWELL  Ruthie lives a quiet life. She goes to work as a stripper, she buys fast food on the way home, and she sleeps all day in the house that she shares with her cross-dressing, drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dino and his numerous dogs named after 90s supermodels. That is until Dino goes missing and she has to spend her days alone for the first time in her life. Soft Core is a profound look at sex work and lives unusually lived, and how they can be just as banal as the ‘normal ones’ – even if you’re sometimes asked to piss in a pint glass for a customer to drink.  Soft Core is published by 4th Estate in March. I Make Me Own Fun by Hannah BeerCourtesy of Atlantic I MAKE ME OWN FUN BY HANNAH BEER A flawless reputation is hard to maintain, especially for an A-list actress. And through hard work, Marina has achieved this impossible standard, despite the fact that she’s an absolute monster to even be around, never mind work with. Her public facade comes under threat, however, when she meets Anna, a bartender who refuses to be moved or intimidated by Marina’s status and personality. Obsession ensues, taking us on a journey that is equal parts outrageous and equal parts fun. I Make My Own Fun comes from the writer behind Emotional Speculation, a substack that explores the nature of fame, gossip and celebrity in the modern age. I Make My Own Fun is published by Atlantic in March. I Want to Go Home but I’m Already There by Róisín LaniganCourtesy of Fig Tree I WANT TO GO HOME BUT I’M ALREADY THERE BY RÓISÍN LANIGAN Haunted house stories usually take place in big country manors or dilapidated castles, but Lanigan is brave enough to ask, why can’t they also take place in London’s unstable renting market? Not only do young millennial couple Áine and Elliot have to get used to living with each other for the first time, they also need to reckon with creepy neighbours, mould that can’t be contained and an ever-present sense of unease. Taking the tropes of classic gothic tales and applying them to a thoroughly contemporary narrative on love in renter-unfriendly London make I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There a striking and prescient debut. I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There is published by Fig Tree in March. Idle Grounds by Krystelle BamfordCourtesy of Penguin IDLE GROUNDS BY KRYSTELLE BAMFORD A group of young cousins traverse the grounds of their wealthy aunt’s New England estate as they attempt to find Abi, the youngest in their fold, who has gone missing. Told from the perspective of adulthood, Idle Grounds explores the slippery nature of memory and individual experience as part of a larger group. The cousins come across settings and stories that force them to both unite and grow separate from one another as the hot summer’s day slips away from them. Haunting yet humorous, this is a debut to look out for. Idle Grounds is published by Penguin in April. Lush by Rochelle Dowden-LordCourtesy of Serpent’s Tail LUSH BY ROCHELLE DOWDEN-LORD Dowden-Lord’s debut takes us to a vineyard in France, where four very different people who work in the wine industry have been invited to try one of the rarest bottles of wine in the world. As the days unfold, they find that their exclusive experience is not the one that they expected, and they instead have to grapple with their identity, relationships and how they exist in the wine world and beyond. For fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, Alexander Payne’s Sideways with sprinklings of Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, this is a heady, sun-soaked novel about indulgence, wine and place. Lush is published by Serpent’s Tail in May. That’s All I Know by Elisa LeviCourtesy of Daunt THAT’S ALL I KNOW BY ELISA LEVI, TRANSLATED BY CHRISTINA MACSWEENEY An almost folkloric novel that has caught the attention of critics in Spain, That’s All I Know will leave you dazed (in a good way). A 19-year-old young woman called Lea recounts the story of her life so far to a stranger on a park bench, which has been anchored to her small town. Opportunities are slim, morale is at a low and the threat of violence is an almost-constant – and yet Lea and her friends are vivid and alive. Change must come to the young hopefuls, and when it does, Lea has no one to turn to but a stranger. A beautifully rendered narrative that combines magical realism with social commentary. That’s All I Know is published by Daunt in May. Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’HareCourtesy of Picador THIRST TRAP BY GRÁINNE O’HARE Friendship between women in their 20s is well-trodden ground in books and films, but O’Hare asks: what if the cracks that appear in these friendships become too big and treacherous to navigate? Maggie, Harley and Róise live together in Belfast, and they’re grieving the death of their fourth friend and housemate Lydia both individually and as a collective. Their sadness and personal grievances need to be worked through in order for them to remain a group – or they’ll inevitably fall apart. A sad and smart book about the complexities of leaving youthful naivety behind. Thirst Trap is published by Picador in June. !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) ; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) (window, document, 'script', ' fbq('init', '357833301087547'); fbq('track', "PageView"); Source link

[ellajme0]

2025 promises to be a year of stellar fiction, with novels from reliable sources and new talent alike. Whether you’re looking for narratives on sex workers, gay footballers, bratty A-Listers or obsessive cleaners, our roundup has you covered. Disappoint Me by Nicola DinanCourtesy of Transworld DISAPPOINT ME BY NICOLA DINAN Dinan’s second novel comes hot on the heels of her critically and culturally-acclaimed debut Bellies, which established her as a voice to watch. Disappoint Me is anything but a disappointing follow-up in its smart exploration of heteronormativity and the weight of expectation. Max is a wildly successful trans woman, who walks on a firmly-hoisted tightrope between corporate victory in her legal job and creative expression in her side-gig as a published poet. That is, until she has a drunken accident and decides to tackle the impact of years of gender dysphoria and a disappointing love life head on. Disappoint Me is published by Transworld in January. Greatest of All Time by Alex AllisonCourtesy of Dialogue GREATEST OF ALL TIME BY ALEX ALLISON Despite the rainbow-patterned laces and armbands that players can occasionally be seen wearing as a sign of well-meaning inclusivity, queerness is still a taboo subject in modern-day men’s football. Allison’s novel explores the joy and heartbreak to be found in two players who rebel from, and then lean in to their mutual attraction, and how they need to hide what is natural from the hyper-masculine, hyper-hetero culture that they otherwise love. GOAT is both a celebration and criticism of football, told with warmth and humour. Greatest of All Time is published by Dialogue in January. May You Have Delicious Meals by Junko TakaseCourtesy of Penguin MAY YOU HAVE DELICIOUS MEALS BY JUNKO TAKASE, TRANSLATED BY MORGAN GILES Already a bestseller in Japan, Takase’s sixth novel takes stock of food and work culture in contemporary Japanese office spaces. Through characters that both love and hate feeding and being fed, she picks apart the complexities of work politics and asks why it is that some people are treated differently to their peers – and how this also translates to our sympathies outside of the office. A slim but impactful novel that will make you laugh and think. May You Have Delicious Meals is published by Penguin in February. This Immaculate Body by Emma Van StraatenCourtesy of Hachette THIS IMMACULATE BODY BY EMMA VAN STRAATEN Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat weekly for a year, and has slowly but surely become infatuated with him – despite the fact that they’ve never met. As she wipes every smudge and spill he has made and sorts his personal items into affectionately neat order, she spirals into an obsession that can never be feasibly satisfied. A thriller as much as it is an exploration of how we present ourselves and perceive our material culture, this is an evocative story that deserves immediate cult status. This Immaculate Body is published by Hachette in February. Perfection by Vincenzo LatronicoCourtesy of Fitzcarraldo PERFECTION BY VINCENZO LATRONICO, TRANSLATED BY SOPHIE HUGHES Leave it to Britain’s chicest publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions to give us one of the most searing indictments of contemporary culture and our eternal quest for Instagram-worthy perfection. Millennial expat couple Anna and Tom are living in Berlin, freelancing in graphic design. They seemingly have it all – the houseplant-filled apartment, a progressive view on sex and partying, an outward-looking view on politics that they ensure everyone knows about. And yet, they can’t stop the ennui and dissatisfaction setting in when their jobs become boring, their political activism doesn’t yield immediate results and their friends move on. An expertly written criticism of modern living. Perfection is published by Fitzcarraldo in February. Soft Core by Brittany NewellCourtesy of 4th Estate SOFT CORE BY BRITTANY NEWELL  Ruthie lives a quiet life. She goes to work as a stripper, she buys fast food on the way home, and she sleeps all day in the house that she shares with her cross-dressing, drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dino and his numerous dogs named after 90s supermodels. That is until Dino goes missing and she has to spend her days alone for the first time in her life. Soft Core is a profound look at sex work and lives unusually lived, and how they can be just as banal as the ‘normal ones’ – even if you’re sometimes asked to piss in a pint glass for a customer to drink.  Soft Core is published by 4th Estate in March. I Make Me Own Fun by Hannah BeerCourtesy of Atlantic I MAKE ME OWN FUN BY HANNAH BEER A flawless reputation is hard to maintain, especially for an A-list actress. And through hard work, Marina has achieved this impossible standard, despite the fact that she’s an absolute monster to even be around, never mind work with. Her public facade comes under threat, however, when she meets Anna, a bartender who refuses to be moved or intimidated by Marina’s status and personality. Obsession ensues, taking us on a journey that is equal parts outrageous and equal parts fun. I Make My Own Fun comes from the writer behind Emotional Speculation, a substack that explores the nature of fame, gossip and celebrity in the modern age. I Make My Own Fun is published by Atlantic in March. I Want to Go Home but I’m Already There by Róisín LaniganCourtesy of Fig Tree I WANT TO GO HOME BUT I’M ALREADY THERE BY RÓISÍN LANIGAN Haunted house stories usually take place in big country manors or dilapidated castles, but Lanigan is brave enough to ask, why can’t they also take place in London’s unstable renting market? Not only do young millennial couple Áine and Elliot have to get used to living with each other for the first time, they also need to reckon with creepy neighbours, mould that can’t be contained and an ever-present sense of unease. Taking the tropes of classic gothic tales and applying them to a thoroughly contemporary narrative on love in renter-unfriendly London make I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There a striking and prescient debut. I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There is published by Fig Tree in March. Idle Grounds by Krystelle BamfordCourtesy of Penguin IDLE GROUNDS BY KRYSTELLE BAMFORD A group of young cousins traverse the grounds of their wealthy aunt’s New England estate as they attempt to find Abi, the youngest in their fold, who has gone missing. Told from the perspective of adulthood, Idle Grounds explores the slippery nature of memory and individual experience as part of a larger group. The cousins come across settings and stories that force them to both unite and grow separate from one another as the hot summer’s day slips away from them. Haunting yet humorous, this is a debut to look out for. Idle Grounds is published by Penguin in April. Lush by Rochelle Dowden-LordCourtesy of Serpent’s Tail LUSH BY ROCHELLE DOWDEN-LORD Dowden-Lord’s debut takes us to a vineyard in France, where four very different people who work in the wine industry have been invited to try one of the rarest bottles of wine in the world. As the days unfold, they find that their exclusive experience is not the one that they expected, and they instead have to grapple with their identity, relationships and how they exist in the wine world and beyond. For fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, Alexander Payne’s Sideways with sprinklings of Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, this is a heady, sun-soaked novel about indulgence, wine and place. Lush is published by Serpent’s Tail in May. That’s All I Know by Elisa LeviCourtesy of Daunt THAT’S ALL I KNOW BY ELISA LEVI, TRANSLATED BY CHRISTINA MACSWEENEY An almost folkloric novel that has caught the attention of critics in Spain, That’s All I Know will leave you dazed (in a good way). A 19-year-old young woman called Lea recounts the story of her life so far to a stranger on a park bench, which has been anchored to her small town. Opportunities are slim, morale is at a low and the threat of violence is an almost-constant – and yet Lea and her friends are vivid and alive. Change must come to the young hopefuls, and when it does, Lea has no one to turn to but a stranger. A beautifully rendered narrative that combines magical realism with social commentary. That’s All I Know is published by Daunt in May. Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’HareCourtesy of Picador THIRST TRAP BY GRÁINNE O’HARE Friendship between women in their 20s is well-trodden ground in books and films, but O’Hare asks: what if the cracks that appear in these friendships become too big and treacherous to navigate? Maggie, Harley and Róise live together in Belfast, and they’re grieving the death of their fourth friend and housemate Lydia both individually and as a collective. Their sadness and personal grievances need to be worked through in order for them to remain a group – or they’ll inevitably fall apart. A sad and smart book about the complexities of leaving youthful naivety behind. Thirst Trap is published by Picador in June. !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) ; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) (window, document, 'script', ' fbq('init', '357833301087547'); fbq('track', "PageView"); Source link

[chilimili212]

2025 promises to be a year of stellar fiction, with novels from reliable sources and new talent alike. Whether you’re looking for narratives on sex workers, gay footballers, bratty A-Listers or obsessive cleaners, our roundup has you covered. Disappoint Me by Nicola DinanCourtesy of Transworld DISAPPOINT ME BY NICOLA DINAN Dinan’s second novel comes hot on the heels of her critically and culturally-acclaimed debut Bellies, which established her as a voice to watch. Disappoint Me is anything but a disappointing follow-up in its smart exploration of heteronormativity and the weight of expectation. Max is a wildly successful trans woman, who walks on a firmly-hoisted tightrope between corporate victory in her legal job and creative expression in her side-gig as a published poet. That is, until she has a drunken accident and decides to tackle the impact of years of gender dysphoria and a disappointing love life head on. Disappoint Me is published by Transworld in January. Greatest of All Time by Alex AllisonCourtesy of Dialogue GREATEST OF ALL TIME BY ALEX ALLISON Despite the rainbow-patterned laces and armbands that players can occasionally be seen wearing as a sign of well-meaning inclusivity, queerness is still a taboo subject in modern-day men’s football. Allison’s novel explores the joy and heartbreak to be found in two players who rebel from, and then lean in to their mutual attraction, and how they need to hide what is natural from the hyper-masculine, hyper-hetero culture that they otherwise love. GOAT is both a celebration and criticism of football, told with warmth and humour. Greatest of All Time is published by Dialogue in January. May You Have Delicious Meals by Junko TakaseCourtesy of Penguin MAY YOU HAVE DELICIOUS MEALS BY JUNKO TAKASE, TRANSLATED BY MORGAN GILES Already a bestseller in Japan, Takase’s sixth novel takes stock of food and work culture in contemporary Japanese office spaces. Through characters that both love and hate feeding and being fed, she picks apart the complexities of work politics and asks why it is that some people are treated differently to their peers – and how this also translates to our sympathies outside of the office. A slim but impactful novel that will make you laugh and think. May You Have Delicious Meals is published by Penguin in February. This Immaculate Body by Emma Van StraatenCourtesy of Hachette THIS IMMACULATE BODY BY EMMA VAN STRAATEN Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat weekly for a year, and has slowly but surely become infatuated with him – despite the fact that they’ve never met. As she wipes every smudge and spill he has made and sorts his personal items into affectionately neat order, she spirals into an obsession that can never be feasibly satisfied. A thriller as much as it is an exploration of how we present ourselves and perceive our material culture, this is an evocative story that deserves immediate cult status. This Immaculate Body is published by Hachette in February. Perfection by Vincenzo LatronicoCourtesy of Fitzcarraldo PERFECTION BY VINCENZO LATRONICO, TRANSLATED BY SOPHIE HUGHES Leave it to Britain’s chicest publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions to give us one of the most searing indictments of contemporary culture and our eternal quest for Instagram-worthy perfection. Millennial expat couple Anna and Tom are living in Berlin, freelancing in graphic design. They seemingly have it all – the houseplant-filled apartment, a progressive view on sex and partying, an outward-looking view on politics that they ensure everyone knows about. And yet, they can’t stop the ennui and dissatisfaction setting in when their jobs become boring, their political activism doesn’t yield immediate results and their friends move on. An expertly written criticism of modern living. Perfection is published by Fitzcarraldo in February. Soft Core by Brittany NewellCourtesy of 4th Estate SOFT CORE BY BRITTANY NEWELL  Ruthie lives a quiet life. She goes to work as a stripper, she buys fast food on the way home, and she sleeps all day in the house that she shares with her cross-dressing, drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dino and his numerous dogs named after 90s supermodels. That is until Dino goes missing and she has to spend her days alone for the first time in her life. Soft Core is a profound look at sex work and lives unusually lived, and how they can be just as banal as the ‘normal ones’ – even if you’re sometimes asked to piss in a pint glass for a customer to drink.  Soft Core is published by 4th Estate in March. I Make Me Own Fun by Hannah BeerCourtesy of Atlantic I MAKE ME OWN FUN BY HANNAH BEER A flawless reputation is hard to maintain, especially for an A-list actress. And through hard work, Marina has achieved this impossible standard, despite the fact that she’s an absolute monster to even be around, never mind work with. Her public facade comes under threat, however, when she meets Anna, a bartender who refuses to be moved or intimidated by Marina’s status and personality. Obsession ensues, taking us on a journey that is equal parts outrageous and equal parts fun. I Make My Own Fun comes from the writer behind Emotional Speculation, a substack that explores the nature of fame, gossip and celebrity in the modern age. I Make My Own Fun is published by Atlantic in March. I Want to Go Home but I’m Already There by Róisín LaniganCourtesy of Fig Tree I WANT TO GO HOME BUT I’M ALREADY THERE BY RÓISÍN LANIGAN Haunted house stories usually take place in big country manors or dilapidated castles, but Lanigan is brave enough to ask, why can’t they also take place in London’s unstable renting market? Not only do young millennial couple Áine and Elliot have to get used to living with each other for the first time, they also need to reckon with creepy neighbours, mould that can’t be contained and an ever-present sense of unease. Taking the tropes of classic gothic tales and applying them to a thoroughly contemporary narrative on love in renter-unfriendly London make I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There a striking and prescient debut. I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There is published by Fig Tree in March. Idle Grounds by Krystelle BamfordCourtesy of Penguin IDLE GROUNDS BY KRYSTELLE BAMFORD A group of young cousins traverse the grounds of their wealthy aunt’s New England estate as they attempt to find Abi, the youngest in their fold, who has gone missing. Told from the perspective of adulthood, Idle Grounds explores the slippery nature of memory and individual experience as part of a larger group. The cousins come across settings and stories that force them to both unite and grow separate from one another as the hot summer’s day slips away from them. Haunting yet humorous, this is a debut to look out for. Idle Grounds is published by Penguin in April. Lush by Rochelle Dowden-LordCourtesy of Serpent’s Tail LUSH BY ROCHELLE DOWDEN-LORD Dowden-Lord’s debut takes us to a vineyard in France, where four very different people who work in the wine industry have been invited to try one of the rarest bottles of wine in the world. As the days unfold, they find that their exclusive experience is not the one that they expected, and they instead have to grapple with their identity, relationships and how they exist in the wine world and beyond. For fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, Alexander Payne’s Sideways with sprinklings of Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, this is a heady, sun-soaked novel about indulgence, wine and place. Lush is published by Serpent’s Tail in May. That’s All I Know by Elisa LeviCourtesy of Daunt THAT’S ALL I KNOW BY ELISA LEVI, TRANSLATED BY CHRISTINA MACSWEENEY An almost folkloric novel that has caught the attention of critics in Spain, That’s All I Know will leave you dazed (in a good way). A 19-year-old young woman called Lea recounts the story of her life so far to a stranger on a park bench, which has been anchored to her small town. Opportunities are slim, morale is at a low and the threat of violence is an almost-constant – and yet Lea and her friends are vivid and alive. Change must come to the young hopefuls, and when it does, Lea has no one to turn to but a stranger. A beautifully rendered narrative that combines magical realism with social commentary. That’s All I Know is published by Daunt in May. Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’HareCourtesy of Picador THIRST TRAP BY GRÁINNE O’HARE Friendship between women in their 20s is well-trodden ground in books and films, but O’Hare asks: what if the cracks that appear in these friendships become too big and treacherous to navigate? Maggie, Harley and Róise live together in Belfast, and they’re grieving the death of their fourth friend and housemate Lydia both individually and as a collective. Their sadness and personal grievances need to be worked through in order for them to remain a group – or they’ll inevitably fall apart. A sad and smart book about the complexities of leaving youthful naivety behind. Thirst Trap is published by Picador in June. !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) ; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) (window, document, 'script', ' fbq('init', '357833301087547'); fbq('track', "PageView"); Source link

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2025 promises to be a year of stellar fiction, with novels from reliable sources and new talent alike. Whether you’re looking for narratives on sex workers, gay footballers, bratty A-Listers or obsessive cleaners, our roundup has you covered. Disappoint Me by Nicola DinanCourtesy of Transworld DISAPPOINT ME BY NICOLA DINAN Dinan’s second novel comes hot on the heels of her critically and culturally-acclaimed debut Bellies, which established her as a voice to watch. Disappoint Me is anything but a disappointing follow-up in its smart exploration of heteronormativity and the weight of expectation. Max is a wildly successful trans woman, who walks on a firmly-hoisted tightrope between corporate victory in her legal job and creative expression in her side-gig as a published poet. That is, until she has a drunken accident and decides to tackle the impact of years of gender dysphoria and a disappointing love life head on. Disappoint Me is published by Transworld in January. Greatest of All Time by Alex AllisonCourtesy of Dialogue GREATEST OF ALL TIME BY ALEX ALLISON Despite the rainbow-patterned laces and armbands that players can occasionally be seen wearing as a sign of well-meaning inclusivity, queerness is still a taboo subject in modern-day men’s football. Allison’s novel explores the joy and heartbreak to be found in two players who rebel from, and then lean in to their mutual attraction, and how they need to hide what is natural from the hyper-masculine, hyper-hetero culture that they otherwise love. GOAT is both a celebration and criticism of football, told with warmth and humour. Greatest of All Time is published by Dialogue in January. May You Have Delicious Meals by Junko TakaseCourtesy of Penguin MAY YOU HAVE DELICIOUS MEALS BY JUNKO TAKASE, TRANSLATED BY MORGAN GILES Already a bestseller in Japan, Takase’s sixth novel takes stock of food and work culture in contemporary Japanese office spaces. Through characters that both love and hate feeding and being fed, she picks apart the complexities of work politics and asks why it is that some people are treated differently to their peers – and how this also translates to our sympathies outside of the office. A slim but impactful novel that will make you laugh and think. May You Have Delicious Meals is published by Penguin in February. This Immaculate Body by Emma Van StraatenCourtesy of Hachette THIS IMMACULATE BODY BY EMMA VAN STRAATEN Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat weekly for a year, and has slowly but surely become infatuated with him – despite the fact that they’ve never met. As she wipes every smudge and spill he has made and sorts his personal items into affectionately neat order, she spirals into an obsession that can never be feasibly satisfied. A thriller as much as it is an exploration of how we present ourselves and perceive our material culture, this is an evocative story that deserves immediate cult status. This Immaculate Body is published by Hachette in February. Perfection by Vincenzo LatronicoCourtesy of Fitzcarraldo PERFECTION BY VINCENZO LATRONICO, TRANSLATED BY SOPHIE HUGHES Leave it to Britain’s chicest publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions to give us one of the most searing indictments of contemporary culture and our eternal quest for Instagram-worthy perfection. Millennial expat couple Anna and Tom are living in Berlin, freelancing in graphic design. They seemingly have it all – the houseplant-filled apartment, a progressive view on sex and partying, an outward-looking view on politics that they ensure everyone knows about. And yet, they can’t stop the ennui and dissatisfaction setting in when their jobs become boring, their political activism doesn’t yield immediate results and their friends move on. An expertly written criticism of modern living. Perfection is published by Fitzcarraldo in February. Soft Core by Brittany NewellCourtesy of 4th Estate SOFT CORE BY BRITTANY NEWELL  Ruthie lives a quiet life. She goes to work as a stripper, she buys fast food on the way home, and she sleeps all day in the house that she shares with her cross-dressing, drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dino and his numerous dogs named after 90s supermodels. That is until Dino goes missing and she has to spend her days alone for the first time in her life. Soft Core is a profound look at sex work and lives unusually lived, and how they can be just as banal as the ‘normal ones’ – even if you’re sometimes asked to piss in a pint glass for a customer to drink.  Soft Core is published by 4th Estate in March. I Make Me Own Fun by Hannah BeerCourtesy of Atlantic I MAKE ME OWN FUN BY HANNAH BEER A flawless reputation is hard to maintain, especially for an A-list actress. And through hard work, Marina has achieved this impossible standard, despite the fact that she’s an absolute monster to even be around, never mind work with. Her public facade comes under threat, however, when she meets Anna, a bartender who refuses to be moved or intimidated by Marina’s status and personality. Obsession ensues, taking us on a journey that is equal parts outrageous and equal parts fun. I Make My Own Fun comes from the writer behind Emotional Speculation, a substack that explores the nature of fame, gossip and celebrity in the modern age. I Make My Own Fun is published by Atlantic in March. I Want to Go Home but I’m Already There by Róisín LaniganCourtesy of Fig Tree I WANT TO GO HOME BUT I’M ALREADY THERE BY RÓISÍN LANIGAN Haunted house stories usually take place in big country manors or dilapidated castles, but Lanigan is brave enough to ask, why can’t they also take place in London’s unstable renting market? Not only do young millennial couple Áine and Elliot have to get used to living with each other for the first time, they also need to reckon with creepy neighbours, mould that can’t be contained and an ever-present sense of unease. Taking the tropes of classic gothic tales and applying them to a thoroughly contemporary narrative on love in renter-unfriendly London make I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There a striking and prescient debut. I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There is published by Fig Tree in March. Idle Grounds by Krystelle BamfordCourtesy of Penguin IDLE GROUNDS BY KRYSTELLE BAMFORD A group of young cousins traverse the grounds of their wealthy aunt’s New England estate as they attempt to find Abi, the youngest in their fold, who has gone missing. Told from the perspective of adulthood, Idle Grounds explores the slippery nature of memory and individual experience as part of a larger group. The cousins come across settings and stories that force them to both unite and grow separate from one another as the hot summer’s day slips away from them. Haunting yet humorous, this is a debut to look out for. Idle Grounds is published by Penguin in April. Lush by Rochelle Dowden-LordCourtesy of Serpent’s Tail LUSH BY ROCHELLE DOWDEN-LORD Dowden-Lord’s debut takes us to a vineyard in France, where four very different people who work in the wine industry have been invited to try one of the rarest bottles of wine in the world. As the days unfold, they find that their exclusive experience is not the one that they expected, and they instead have to grapple with their identity, relationships and how they exist in the wine world and beyond. For fans of Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, Alexander Payne’s Sideways with sprinklings of Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, this is a heady, sun-soaked novel about indulgence, wine and place. Lush is published by Serpent’s Tail in May. That’s All I Know by Elisa LeviCourtesy of Daunt THAT’S ALL I KNOW BY ELISA LEVI, TRANSLATED BY CHRISTINA MACSWEENEY An almost folkloric novel that has caught the attention of critics in Spain, That’s All I Know will leave you dazed (in a good way). A 19-year-old young woman called Lea recounts the story of her life so far to a stranger on a park bench, which has been anchored to her small town. Opportunities are slim, morale is at a low and the threat of violence is an almost-constant – and yet Lea and her friends are vivid and alive. Change must come to the young hopefuls, and when it does, Lea has no one to turn to but a stranger. A beautifully rendered narrative that combines magical realism with social commentary. That’s All I Know is published by Daunt in May. Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’HareCourtesy of Picador THIRST TRAP BY GRÁINNE O’HARE Friendship between women in their 20s is well-trodden ground in books and films, but O’Hare asks: what if the cracks that appear in these friendships become too big and treacherous to navigate? Maggie, Harley and Róise live together in Belfast, and they’re grieving the death of their fourth friend and housemate Lydia both individually and as a collective. Their sadness and personal grievances need to be worked through in order for them to remain a group – or they’ll inevitably fall apart. A sad and smart book about the complexities of leaving youthful naivety behind. Thirst Trap is published by Picador in June. !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) ; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) (window, document, 'script', ' fbq('init', '357833301087547'); fbq('track', "PageView"); Source link