Felix recommends – reading for summer days
Jingjie Cheng and Fred Fyles take you through their books for the perfect summer day, as well as brand-new titles for you to check out over the break!
Jennifer Tseng brings a freshness to well-worn tropes in this engaging debut
Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness benefits from a lyrical writing style, and a twist on the near-exhausted story of forbidden love.
The Iliac Crest – An unsettling tale of disappearance and mystery
This surreal novel from Mexican author Cristina Rivera Garza explores the nature of boundaries, in a haunted tale that sticks in the imagination.
Disoriental – A multi-generational study of identity
Négar Djavadi’s debut novel explores the history of a single family living through revolutionary Iran, mediating on how language can help carve a space of belonging.
Theory of Bastards: the short distance between man and animal
Audrey Schulman’s novel explores a dizzying array of topics, from modern technology to primal relationships. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but when it does it soars.
Pure Hollywood: a long-anticipated UK debut proves to be worth the wait
Christine Schutt’s short story collection is unsettling and haunting, with her mastery of language used to perfectly portray her lonely, isolated subjects.
One Hundred Shadows leaves us in the dark
This short novel from Hwang Jungeun promises a magical exploration of post-industrial Korea, but falls short when it comes to giving us answers.
Philip Roth: Mourning the loss of an American literary giant
We take a look back at the great author's achievements.
Mistaken Identity – how should the left move forward from identity politics?
Asad Haider’s new book neatly skewers the problems with modern identity politics, but doesn’t go far enough in offering us a solution.
Science for Heretics review – the heretics have not got it right
Barrie Condon fails to convince in his attempt to overturn our current understanding and faith in science, which leaves Books Writer Clemens Jakubec less than impressed.
The Devil’s Dance – dancing on the border between imagination and reality
Uzbek exile novelist Hamid Ismailov’s novel draws from rich Central Asian culture and poetic tradition, in an exploration of what it means to be a writer.
Children of Blood and Bone takes a step forward for representation, but is stuck in YA romance
Tomi Adeyemi’s host of characters could inspire a generation of under-represented teens, but hopefully their relationships won’t have such an impact.