A blistering debut or a moving meditation on belonging? Decide what you want to read this week…
Fiction
1. How To Kidnap The Rich by Rahul Raina is published in hardback by Little, Brown. Available now
🔪'Roars with brilliance, freshness and so much heart' KEVIN KWAN
🔪'Funny and fast-paced' NIKESH SHUKLA
🔪'A satire, a love story and a thriller' STYLIST
How to Kidnap the Rich by @therainaman is out this week
Order a signed edition from @Waterstones https://t.co/6OKm5MTpwU pic.twitter.com/86XPGwJsMa— Little, Brown UK (@LittleBrownUK) May 3, 2021
A satirical crime thriller and profound social commentary rolled into one, How To Kidnap The Rich is an uproarious ride through the caste system of Delhi, new and old. Energetic wit pours out of Rahul Raina’s prose, while an acerbic bite highlights inequalities in race, sex and social class with candid clarity. Clever, impoverished Ramesh and rich, lazy teenager Rudi make an unexpectedly successful double act, careering around the city in high jinks that involve extortion, butchery, kidnap and cross-dressing. Veering from ridiculous to heart-wrenching, Raina’s exhilarating debut is pure entertainment from start to finish.
9/10
(Review by Rebecca Wilcock)
2. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Available now
‘One of the most interesting American writers at work today... If the antidote to a year of solitude and trauma is art, then this novel is the answer. It is superb'
The Sunday Times on WHEREABOUTS, the stunning new novel from Jhumpa Lahiri 🌍 pic.twitter.com/dqtl2rHnOF— Bloomsbury UK (@BloomsburyBooks) May 3, 2021
Whereabouts, by Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Jhumpa Lahiri, is the novelist’s first self-translated work from Italian, a language she learned after relocating to Rome a decade ago, and where she partly lives today. The book is a series of short chapters, mostly located somewhere different. The nameless protagonist, a single university professor, lives a solitary existence in an unnamed Italian city, moving from place to place and pondering life. Plot is almost non-existent, but there are glimpses into her life beyond the pages of the novel – an almost affair with the husband of a close friend, memories of a past relationship, regrets and jealousies. Evocative descriptions of meals, books and conversations will stay with you long after the train has taken her to another city.
8/10
(Review by Jessica Frank-Keyes)
3. Snowflake by Louise Nealon is published in hardback by Manilla. Available May 13th
Too many debut authors are being dubbed ‘the new Sally Rooney’, their books lumped in with Normal People. Louise Nealon is one such author – blame the fact she’s Irish, the book features Trinity College Dublin, and the rights have been sold to the same people who adapted Normal People. But in content, Snowflake is more spry; it agitates and shifts your sense of certainty. Debbie’s smart and used to it, but starting university – even just commuting from her family’s dairy farm – means leaving her drunken troubled uncle, Billy, and her unreliable mother who’s caught up in dreams, for too-long stretches of time. But she makes a go of it, somehow attracting the friendship of the glamorous Xanthe, and throwing herself into obliterative nights out – until family drama gets its claws in and drags her back. Nealon tackles uneasy conversations around trauma and grief, sex and consent, self-delusion and the fear of what you might be capable of, deftly and with humour (there’s a debacle with a coffin that provokes actual out loud laughs). Mythic elements aren’t quite so distinct, but the rough edges of Debbie, and the descriptions of life in rural Ireland, ground the rest in a story that’s sharp, clever and affecting.
7/10
(Review by Ella Walker)
Non-fiction
4. I Belong Here: A Journey Along The Backbone Of Britain by Anita Sethi is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Wildlife. Available now
I was racially abused on a train journey & my book I BELONG HERE was born out of that experience & the subsequent journey I made along the backbone of Britain.
#IBelongHere is now making its first train journey.
Published this week.@ibelong_herehttps://t.co/nOlNBsmNhE pic.twitter.com/roGurbKAIM— Anita Sethi 🍃 (@anitasethi) April 27, 2021
Following a train journey where she encountered a traumatic hate crime, Mancunian Anita Sethi takes a stand against racism. She is called to nature by the Pennines – known as the backbone of Britain – and tells her heartfelt story of belonging. Sethi battles inner anxiety and finds an embracing freedom in her adventures, after being told by her abuser to leave. The writer is not afraid to tackle the big issues and delve into the past as she makes sense of the present, seeking out predestined points of interest and making sure each step is an act of resistance. Nature’s beauty and wilderness provide a welcome escape from Sethi’s city life and kickstart a healing process as she becomes enveloped in the great outdoors, taking us on a emotional journey at the same time. It’s an amazing odyssey: inspiring, powerful, encouraging and incredibly brave.
9/10
(Review by Karen Sykes)
Children’s book of the week
5. Heartstopper Volume Four by Alice Oseman is published in paperback by Hachette Children’s Group. Available now
My copies of Heartstopper Vol 4 arrived!! I'm obsessed with the colours of this volume!! And the back cover is my fave so far. And the spines!!!! So proud of how this one turned out 😭
Can you believe it's only 2.5 weeks until release day on May 13th! 🌈🐶https://t.co/PMs7D1EQZW pic.twitter.com/Zidh5itKJq— Alice Oseman Updates (@AliceOseman) April 25, 2021
Heartstopper is the continuation of a teenage love story: Charlie is gay, and his partner Nick is bisexual and recently came out to his family and friends. Unlike the previous books in the series, this is less about coming to terms with sexuality and identity, and deals more with mental health and eating disorders. The graphic novel style keeps the pace fast and gives you a window into the characters’ emotions, dealing with mental health from the perspectives of both the sufferer and their loved ones. Alice Oseman makes sure to give all kinds of information that teenagers reading might find helpful – particularly if they’re experiencing similar issues. At some points it feels more educational than plot-driven, but nonetheless, it’s a touching tale of teen love and accepting who you are, while also giving a raw perspective on the struggles around mental wellbeing.
8/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 8
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
2. Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
3. Klara And The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
5. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
6. The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
7. The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
8. The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
9. The Royal Secret by Andrew Taylor
10. First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. The Power Of Geography by Tim Marshall
2. Pinch Of Nom Quick & Easy by Kay Featherstone & Kate Allinson
3. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
4. Hold Still: A Portrait Of Our Nation In 2020 by Patron Of The National Portrait Gallery
5. Guinness World Records 2021 by Guinness World Records
6. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
7. The Power Of Hope by Kate Garraway
8. Barbarossa by Jonathan Dimbleby
9. The Premonition by Michael Lewis
10. Philip: The Final Portrait by Gyles Brandreth
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. The Confession by Jessie Burton
2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
3. The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
4. Rapid French: Volumes 1 & 2 by Earworms Learning
5. Rewild Yourself by Simon Barnes
6. Agatha Raisin And The Potted Gardener by M. C. Beaton
7. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
8. Atomic Habits by James Clear
9. Why We Eat (Too Much) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson
10. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
(Compiled by Audible)
