Blackass
A Igoni Barrett (Chatto & Windus)
Book Buff
***
This is Barrett’s debut novel, following a short story collection that earned high praise from Teju Cole and Nadine Gordimer. Its premise is intriguing and unashamedly Kafkaesque: a young Lagos man wakes up to discover he is a red-haired white person. Unlike Gregor Samsa, and perhaps in one of the book’s failings, Furo Wariboko does not stick around to find out his family’s reaction. He flees, and the narrative traces the benefits and pitfalls of his transformation. But what begins as an absurdist plot device turns into a rather messy collision of politics and character. – Jennifer Malec @projectjennifer
Carrying Albert Home
Homer Hickam (HarperCollins)
Book Fling
***
Fans of Forrest Gump will be delighted by Hickam’s latest work, based on tall tales his parents told him. Albert-the-alligator is getting too big for the home of 1930s coal miner Homer and his wife, Elsie. She agrees to release Albert into the wild, but only if they drive thousands of miles to Orlando, Florida, home of Elsie’s happiest memories. The three of them set off on a roadtrip of a lifetime. Along the way they have numerous adventures, which include bank robbers, revolutionaries, bootleggers and meeting noted writers Steinbeck and Hemingway. This is a charming love story about finding the good in what you already have. – Tiah Beautement @ms_tiahmarie
A Taste of Bitter Almonds: Perdition and Promise in South Africa
Michael Schmidt (Best Red)
Book Buff
****
Journalism is supposed to speak truth to power, which Schmidt does fearlessly (and sometimes personally) in this collection of stories gathered over the course of his long career. A compendium of forgotten histories across all cultures and creeds, as well as a look at some of the stories that threatened to tear South Africa apart, this is a fascinating, if difficult, look at our shared and complex history. – Zoe Hinis @ZoeHinis
The Missing and the Dead
Stuart MacBride (HarperCollins)
Book Thrill
To find Detective Inspector Logan McRae in uniform doing divisional policing in the wilds of rural Aberdeenshire rather than in his native Aberdeen is quite a change. On the upside, he has escaped from DCI Roberta Steel, his potty-mouthed impossible boss. When the body of a young girl is found, Logan has to investigate a murder – this time hindered more than helped by the investigating team from Aberdeen, headed by the brilliant but invariably infuriating Inspector Steel. Exciting, often hilarious and occasionally romantic, this is another first-class thriller from the talented MacBride. – Aubrey Paton
Book details
- Blackass by A Igoni Barrett
Book homepage
EAN: 9780701188566
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- Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickman
EAN: 9780008154226
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- The Missing and the Dead by Stuart MacBride
EAN: 9780008132859
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- A Taste of Bitter Almonds by Michael Schmidt
EAN: 9781928246060
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