The AW16 Culture Edit: 12 New Books To Add To Your Shelfie
From Zadie Smith's new novel to a dystopian power trip, this autumn's best reads
From Zadie Smith's new novel to a dystopian power trip, this autumn's best reads
The Power by Naomi Alderman
What would happen if women had the power to rule the world? In this, her fourth novel, Naomi Alderman brings us her signature style of fantasy and reality, myth and truth to imagine a world where four girls' lives are transformed when they discover that, with a flick of their fingers, they can inflict agonising pain and even death. Naomi was tutored by Margaret Atwood and it shows. (27 October, Penguin)
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
In this ambitious and assertive new novel from Zadie Smith, we meet two young brown girls who dream of becoming dancers while growing up on a north-west London estate. Only one, however, has the talent, while the other expands her cultural knowledge in a magical journey that takes her to West Africa. In this closely observed story about friendship, culture and music, Smith has given us another gift we have long been waiting for. (15 November, Penguin)
The Story Of A Brief Marriage
Trapped on the frontlines between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers we meet Dinesh, a young man who is desensitised to the horror that surrounds him. After Dinesh is suddenly approached to marry Ganga to ensure her safety, the young couple explore and find an unexpected connection as the war threatens to engulf them. Told in meditative prose, this explosive novel marks the arrival of a great new literary voice. (6 October, Granta)
The Wangs vs The World
In this assured debut we encounter Charles Wang, who left China for America as a wealthy man and was destined to make more money in the cosmetics industry, until the financial crisis left his family penniless. As a last-ditch attempt to save face, Charles takes his son, daughter and their stepmother on a mad-cap adventure across America, and en route they discover what it really means to belong. (3 November, Penguin)
The Woman On The Stairs by Bernhard Schlink
A portrait goes missing and suddenly reappears as an anonymous donation to a Sydney gallery. A race against time begins as the three men who are in love with the woman from the painting try and track her down to unravel the true story behind its disappearance. From the acclaimed author of The Reader comes a thrilling new novel exploring the passing of time, creativity and love. (24 November, W&N)
Timekeepers by Simon Garfield
Most of us feel that the thing that we don't have enough of is time. In this book, brilliant cultural historian Simon Garfield assembles a host of intriguing characters who have tried to bend time to their own rules, and questions how we came to be ruled by something so arbitrary. (29 September, Canongate)
London Lies Beneath by Stella Duffy
In August 1912, three friends set out on an adventure. Two of them come home. Based on a true story, this is an account of working-class south Londoners and what occurs once a destined path is averted when one friend dreams big and the others follow. Compelling and masterful in the hands of Stella Duffy, this is a powerful and rich read. (November , Virago)
The Dark Flood Rises by Margaret Drabble
Fran knows her time on Earth is coming to an end but is not going without the zeal with which she has lived her life so far. She drinks, drives and still works, much to the dismay of her nearest and dearest who are trying to prepare for life without her. Grimly mocking and incredibly moving, the veteran of letters Margaret Drabble urges us to think not only about a good death but what really makes a good life. (3 November, Canongate)
Himself by Jess Kidd
In this darkly comic debut we meet Mahoney, who has travelled to the village of his birth on the West Coast of Ireland in search of the mother who abandoned him. Armed only with a photograph and a desire for the truth, Mahoney has no idea of the ghosts he is bringing to life by embarking on his quest. (27 October, Canongate)
Another Day In The Death Of America by Gary Younge
Guardian journalist Gary Younge has taken a random day – Saturday, November 23, 2013 – and painstakingly investigated the deaths of ten children and teens killed by gunfire on the streets of America. None of the stories made the national news and Younge crosses the States to seek out their families and tell their stories. At once heartbreaking, informative and insightful, this book will make you aware of contemporary life – and death – in America like no other. (22 September, Faber & Faber. Non-fiction)
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
This is a story for every woman who has tried to be her best self and then is thwarted when life gets in the way. From the celebrated author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, we delve into the life of Eleanor Flood as she grapples with change in a hilarious and perceptive fashion. A story of life-affirmation for everyone. (6 October, W&N)
Men Like Air by Tom Connolly
Male friendships are under the microscope in this love letter to New York. It's springtime in Manhattan and the lives of four men collide as a series of unexpected events unfold. Funny and refreshingly complex, Men Like Air highlights the power of art and the unpredictability of cosmopolitan living. (22 September, Myriad Editions)
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