This week’s new releases include a surreal new offering from Helen Oyeyemi…
Fiction
1. Parasol Against The Axe by Helen Oyeyemi is published in hardback by Faber & Faber. Available now
Out next month is Parasol Against the Axe by the always superb Helen Oyeyemi. Described as “a love letter to Prague, and to the art of storytelling”, not only is it brilliant, but worth buying just for the title and cover alone. Signed first editions here: https://t.co/aEoYp9mgPf pic.twitter.com/j2ksP7k1lp
— PrincepsBooks (@PrincepsBooksUK) January 17, 2024
Don’t pick up Parasol Against The Axe expecting a traditional story with a beginning, middle and end. Instead, it’s a masterclass in the absurd – as has become Oyeyemi’s signature. For her latest offering, she takes the reader to Prague – a city she’s lived in for a decade. It’s ostensibly written from the perspective of Prague, picking up a cast of characters along the way – including Hero, who arrives in the city for a former friend’s hen do, when another figure from their past bursts in. The story diverges into mini tableaus – particularly recreating the opening chapter of a Prague-based book that reads differently for everyone. It’s weird and wonderful and half the time you won’t be 100% sure what’s actually happening – but that’s the magic of it. No one is writing quite like Oyeyemi at the moment – everyone should read her work.
9/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)
2. Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee is published in hardback by Fourth Estate. Available now
Jonathan Abernathy is a loser. Unemployed and behind on his student loan repayments, the only thing Abernathy has in abundance is debt.
When a secretive government loan forgiveness programme offers him a job he can literally do in his sleep, Abernathy thinks he’s found his big… pic.twitter.com/4k62GjgXR9— 4th Estate Books (@4thEstateBooks) January 31, 2024
Jonathan Abernathy is the loser’s loser. Socially inept, all but unemployable, and with an almost comical mountain of debts – in short, he’s desperate. So desperate as to take a job with the mysterious Archive, a quasi-governmental organisation where he is employed to enter the dreams of the citizenry and clear their subconscious of the undesirable to ensure maximum productivity at work. But if we remove our fears and doubts, we leave behind half an identity, half a person. As Abernathy is drawn deeper in he enters his own half-life, his existence unravelling. Writing from her own bitter experience of corporate culture, Molly McGhee has, with acid wit and sharp prose, offered a biting update on the Big Friendly Giant for a millennial generation who have found the promises of the American Dream to be out of reach.
9/10
(Review by Ian Parker)
3. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander is published in hardback by Constable. Available now
#EveryoneWhoCanForgiveMeIsDead, the debut thriller from @_jennyhollander is out next week and we have an extract to share with you!
This dark and deeply compulsive read will keep you racing through the pages late into the night: https://t.co/25RJVzJP0w pic.twitter.com/VN2SfLLzNHAdvertisement— Little, Brown UK (@LittleBrownUK) February 3, 2024
A strong debut novel from Jenny Hollander, this a proper thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Charlie Colbert seemingly has it all – a successful magazine editor in New York with an equally successful and wealthy fiance – but she may have been more involved in a tragic college event than public record believes. A timeline that flips between past and present may not be for everyone, but it works in what is well-paced and solidly-plotted story. There are more than enough revelations to keep you turning the pages as you race to find out the truth of ‘Scarlet Christmas’ and while the ending was perhaps a little too neat, it was nevertheless an enjoyable read.
8/10
(Review by Anita Chambers)
Non-fiction
4. The Last Yakuza by Jake Adelstein is published in hardback by Corsair. Available now
書評：
5.0 out of 5 stars
日本の戦後史を俯瞰する傑作… pic.twitter.com/Q3jeuFQwg0— Jake Adelstein/中本哲史 (@jakeadelstein) February 3, 2024
The Last Yakuza might be a work of non-fiction, but it reads more like a thriller. Journalist Jake Adelstein has spent years embedded in Japan, particularly reporting on the dangerous criminal world of the yakuza. He wrote his memoir, Tokyo Vice, back in 2009, and The Last Yakuza looks further outwards. It follows the life of one man: Makoto Saigo, nicknamed Tsunami. He takes us on a journey through the yakuza, showing the organisation’s brutal reality. Through Saigo, we learn about the history of the yakuza and how the organisation has changed – as well as introducing us to a cast of mob bosses along the way. It’s colourfully written – sometimes leaning into the drama perhaps a bit too heavily – but still making for a gripping read.
8/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)
Children’s book of the week
5. Pablo And Splash by Sheena Dempsey is published in paperback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Available now
Thanks so much for including #PabloandSplash in this lovely list 😍 https://t.co/TvS78mjIyJ pic.twitter.com/TGaUNU5r7I
— Sheena Dempsey (@SheenaDempsey) December 9, 2023
A bright, colourful, fun comic book, telling the tale of two penguins who just want a holiday. Whether a seasoned reader of comics or a complete newbie, Pablo And Splash provides a fun filled story that traces two lovable characters on a weird and wonderful adventure through time. Antarctic penguins Pablo and Splash are best friends – and when they set out for a beach holiday, they somehow find themselves back to the age of dinosaurs. The illustrations not only bring the text to life, but also add a depth to the story that would not be possible without the comic strip style. It is both gripping and enjoyable at the same time and should be recommended whatever the age of the reader. A really fun, enjoyable read.
10/10
(Review by Frances Taylor-Cook)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 3rd
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. House Of Flame And Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Fury by Alex Michaelides
3. Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
4. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
5. The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman
6. The Last Word by Elly Griffiths
7. The City Of Stardust by Georgia Summers
8. The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake
9. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
10. Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Bored Of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker: Even Easier by Nathan Anthony
2. Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman
3. Deep Blue by Steve Backshall
4. Empireworld by Sathnam Sanghera
5. The Traitors:The Interactive Game Book by Alan Connor
6. Politics On The Edge by Rory Stewart
7. How They Broke Britain by James O’Brien
8. The Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World by Bettany Hughes
9. The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Bartlett
10. Pinch Of Nom Express: Fast, Delicious Food by Kay Allinson & Kate Allinson
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. House Of Flame And Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
2. The End And The Death: Volume III by Abnett
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
4. Unruly by David Mitchell
5. None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
6. The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Bartlett
7. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
8. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
9. The Fellowship Of The Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
10. How They Broke Britain by James O’Brien
(Compiled by Audible)
