Britt-Marie Was Here
Fredrik Backman (Hodder & Stoughton)
Book hug
****
After A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises, Swedish author Backman has completed a hat-trick with his latest. He employs a widely used template: a socially inept person is forced to leave their comfort zone and in doing so they discover new skills and a heightened capacity for emotion. The details of the story are not of too much consequence, rather, what matters is the skill with which Backman imbues the nominal, even random, actions of his protagonists with profound meaning. You’ll laugh and possibly cry, but more importantly, you will be moved, and have a fuller understanding of what it means to value people properly. – Bruce Dennill @BroosDennill
Killer Look
Linda Fairstein (Little Brown)
Book thrill
***
The death of a designer casts a dark cloud over the New York fashion world, just as the spectacle of fashion week is about to commence. Still recovering from the traumatic events of her last case, assistant district attorney Alexandra Cooper abandons the bottle to make a precarious return to duty. It’s her 18th case and she’s out to prove the death was no suicide. After all, the designer had plenty to live for and a long line of people wanting to see him dead. This is a fast-paced ride into the glitzy and seedy world of the fashion industry where secrets and corruption abound. It’s a gripping read and if Lee Child is a fan then you know you’re onto a good one. – Sally Partridge @sapartridge
Namaste Life
Ishara Maharaj (Modjaji Books)
Book buff
***
About the innocence of young girls venturing into the world, Namaste Life has a bluntness that shocks. Maharaj depicts a reality that is often hidden behind a veil of shame that silences the voices of many. Twins Ajani and Surya are different: Surya is adventurous and reckless; Ajani is her protector. Surya’s reckless behaviour follows the sisters to university where her one mistake turns into a nightmare. Kidnapped and raped, Surya can’t cope with reality and her mother’s cruel reaction. Devoted to her sister, Ajani tries to be the glue that holds the family together. The twins’ relationship grows deeper as they hold onto each other through the one thing that will change their lives forever. – Kholofelo Maenetsha @KMaenetsha
Why Did You Lie?
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (Hodder)
****
Book thrill
There are three different plot strands in Sigurðardóttir’s latest. One of them is set on a tiny remote island in the cold, vast, dangerous North Atlantic ocean. It’s only big enough for a lighthouse and a helicopter pad. Called Thrídrangar, it’s a real island in Iceland and it’s as scary as hell – just as the author describes it. Four people are dropped onto this tiny island – barely able to manoeuvre around each other, they’re only supposed to stay the night but are forced to stay longer with provisions diminishing fast. The other two scenarios: a policewoman who has to deal with her husband’s suicide and a family that returns home after a holiday to find strange things happening in their house. It’s an extremely satisfying thriller. Sigurðardóttir has mastered the Icelandic noir. – Jennifer Platt @Jenniferdplatt
Book details
- Britt-Marie was Here by Fredrik Backman
EAN: 9781473617216
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Killer Look by Linda Fairstein
EAN: 9780751560381
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Namaste Life by Ishara Maharaj
Book homepage
EAN: 9781928215363
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- Why Did You Lie by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
EAN: 9781473605046
Find this book with BOOK Finder!