Suzie Miller is releasing a novel version of her award-winning play, starring Jodie Comer…
Fiction
1. Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is published in hardback by Hutchinson Heinemann
My brilliant marketing colleagues @HutchHeinemann made this trailer for @SuzieMillerWrtr's excellent novel #PrimaFacie.
PRIMA FACIE is about the meaning of consent,class, privilege & power. The play led to changes in UK law & we hope the novel will lead to more.
DM for proofs! pic.twitter.com/kSl2SAkcuH— Alice Dewing (@alicemaydewing) December 8, 2023
Bright Tessa Ensler has worked hard to become a successful and sought-after defence barrister, despite her working-class roots making her a minority in the industry. She has been taught to trust in the law, but realises the system leaves her at a terrible disadvantage when she becomes a victim of sexual assault. Suzie Miller’s award-winning one-woman play – which saw a breathtaking performance from Jodie Comer – has lost none of its pace and power after being reworked as a novel. Tessa’s ruthlessness and talent in court is captured in Miller’s fast-paced opening chapter, before the author gradually peels back the layers of the barrister’s life to show the vulnerability beneath the mask she has carefully created. A gripping story unfolds as brave Tessa risks everything on a quest for justice, and Miller shines a light on the failings of the legal system.
9/10
(Review by Beverly Rouse)
2. Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh is published in hardback by Chatto & Windus
When the 2020 death of George Floyd in America sparked global Black Lives Matter protests, the legacy of the slave trade all around us was brought sharply into focus. In Dominoes, Layla discovers an ugly history hidden in her own relationship. As she prepares to marry Andy, who happens to share her surname, best friend Sera calls into question whether she can really enter into an equal partnership with a man whose ancestors may have owned hers. The novel, which started life as a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, explores how modern characters confront an almost unimaginable past. McIntosh’s writing is both thought-provoking and engaging, raising challenging questions while weaving a satisfying story.
8/10
(Review by Eleanor Barlow)
3. Say Hello To My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet is published in hardback by Riverrun
Jennine Capó Crucet explores the legacy of US-Cuban immigration and the tragic impact of chasing the American dream in Say Hello To My Little Friend. At the centre of the novel is 20-year-old Ismael ‘Izzy’ Reyes, who lives with his aunt in Miami and dreams of being a player among the city’s glitz and glamour. He’s getting by as an impersonator of the rapper Pitbull, until a threat of legal action forces him to rethink his ambitious life plan – so he ludicrously decides to reinvent himself as a modern-day Tony Montana – Al Pacino’s protagonist in the 1983 film, Scarface – as he tries to hustle his way to greater things. The action frequently pivots to the voice of Lolita, a captive orca in Miami Seaquarium, whom Izzy is drawn towards as he tries to uncover the legacy of his past, the brutal truth about his mother and how he got to the States. Capó Crucet paints a vivid portrait of Miami and Cuban culture along the way, but at times the narrative felt rather convoluted, and if you aren’t a Scarface fan, the numerous references to the film as parallels to Izzy’s destiny can feel rather cumbersome.
6/10
(Review by Caroline Duggan)
Non-fiction
4. Maurice And Maralyn: A Whale, A Shipwreck, A Love Story by Sophie Elmhirst is published in hardback by Chatto & Windus
Introducing the book you’ll want to give to everyone you know in 2024… One of the most incredible true stories of love and survival, MAURICE AND MARALYN by @SophieElmhirst publishes February 2024: https://t.co/EQ2EantYOz pic.twitter.com/WaDK667NHO
— Vintage Books (@vintagebooks) October 25, 2023
This is an epic story of adventure and survival where the reader gets to live each moment adrift at sea with Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, willing them to stay alive. This biography – a most-incredible tale of 118 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean – is journalist Sophie Elmhirst’s first book, told from the view of the married couple during their 1970s voyage. The tale does not disappoint. Maurice and Maralyn are a mismatched pair that fell in love, not only with each other, but also their shared sense of geographical exploration. After they were shipwrecked, their pet turtles and their plans to build a new boat kept them sane as they sought an end to the endurance of their dramatic new reality at sea. It begs the question, how prepared would any of us really be for such a change in circumstance?
8/10
(Review by Karen Shield)
Children’s book of the week
5. I Can Do That Too: A Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog Adventure by Britta Teckentrup is published in hardback by Prestel Junior
One thing that will immediately strike readers when they cast their eyes on Britta Teckentrup’s latest offering is the book’s stunning animation. Vibrant and colourful, youngsters will be drawn into the wild and wonderful world that Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog inhabit, with its autumnal colour palette and the impeccable detail of the woodland creatures the hedgehogs encounter. A charming tale of a parent hedgehog showing us all the things that they can do, with the curious child hedgehog naturally exclaiming, “I can do that too!”. Their adventures take us through the day, as they attempt to do different things, whilst meeting a host of creatures that inhabit land, air and water. Perfectly encapsulating the bond between parent and child, this beautifully crafted book is certainly one to treasure – while also being the ideal story length for bedtime reading.
7/10
(Review by Christopher Henry-Reeve)
Book charts for the week ending March 2nd:
Hardback (Fiction)
1. Empire Of The Damned by Jay Kristoff
2. Fate Breaker by Aveyard, Victoria
3. A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
4. Dune by Frank Herbert
5. Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
6. The List Of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
7. The Fury by Alex Michaelides
8. House Of Flame And Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
9. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
10. Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
(Compiled by Waterstones)
Hardback (Non-fiction)
1. Crypt by Alice Roberts
2. Find Love by Paul Brunson
3. Keir Starmer: The Biography by Tom Baldwin
4. Bored Of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker: Even Easier by Nathan Anthony
5. Politics On The Edge by Rory Stewart
6. Maurice And Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
7. poyums by Len Pennie
8. The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Bartlett
9. Pinch Of Nom Express by Kay Allinson & Kate Allinson
10. How The World Made The West by Josephine Quinn
(Compiled by Waterstones)
Audiobooks (Fiction & Non-fiction)
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
2. None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
3. Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
4. Unruly by David Mitchell
5. Surviving To Drive by Guenther Steiner
6. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
7. The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Bartlett
8. The Fellowship Of The Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
9. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
10. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
(Compiled by Audible)
