5 new books to read this week

Award-winning writing duo Greg James and Chris Smith return with what is set to be another stormer of a kids’ book…

Fiction

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean is published in hardback by Hemlock Press, priced £16.99 (ebook £7.99). Available April 10

Manchester-born author and former-lawyer Abigail Dean returns with her third novel, hoping to follow in the success of her critically-acclaimed, best-selling debut, Girl A, which is currently being adapted for screen. In The Death Of Us we find Edward and Isabel, about to witness the trial of the man who came into their lives one night and tore their world apart. Switching from the first-hand narration of Isabel in the years surrounding an attack, and Edward in the present day awaiting their assailant’s judgement, we discover the effects of trauma on their marriage. Focusing less on the spectacle of the attack and more on the impact it has caused, The Death Of Us is a thrilling exploration of the endurance of love, and its limits, as well as the things we tell ourselves to survive. Gripping, gut-wrenching and powerful, Dean has another sensation on her hands.
9/10
Review by Holly Cowell

Gatsby by Jane Crowther is published in hardback by The Borough Press, priced £16.99 (ebook £7.99). Available April 10

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Jane Crowther has written the perfect modern-day twist on the much-loved classic, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby takes us along on the journey of Nic (rather than Nick) Carraway – a young woman trying to break into journalism – as she spends her summer living across from the well-known influencer, Miss Jay Gatsby. Hyper-relatable, it brings the reader into the world of influencers and the idea that what you see on social media is extremely different from one’s reality. With undertones of romance, jealousy, deceit and tragedy, Gatsby has the glitz, glam and drama of the original, but adds a little more contemporary pizzazz – it turns F Scott Fitzgerald’s book on its head, in the best way possible.
8.5/10
Review by Sara Keenan

The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal is published in hardback by Tinder Press, priced £20 (ebook £9.99). Available April 10

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Kindness is described as a core theme of the new novel by British-Irish author Kit de Waal, and while it does thread its way through The Best of Everything, the overriding feelings that emanate are sadness, dread and disappointment. Paulette’s world and her hopes of marriage are utterly trashed when her boyfriend Denton is caught up in an accident. Comforted by his friend Garfield, Paulette has a much-longed for son, Bird, who becomes her entire world – until she encounters Nellie, a little boy sorely lacking a mother and living just round the corner. Throughout, you’re just hoping Paulette catches a break, that not another person lets her down or takes her for granted. However, the characters, while stressful to spend time with, are astutely drawn and the slivers of redemption that creep in are worth sticking around for.
6/10
Review by Ella Walker

Non-fiction

We Were There by Lanre Bakare is published in hardback by Bodley Head, priced £22 (ebook £17.99). Available April 17

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In We Were There, Bradford-born journalist Lanre Bakare draws the story of post-war black British history away from London, arguing the capital has, for too long, dominated the conversation and in doing so skewed it. The book begins with its original inspiration, the handful of black kids who went to Northern Soul nights in the late 1970s, but continues with snapshots taken across the country through the Thatcher years. Evocative and empathetic, Bakare finds lost histories and gives them new life, explaining how a number of pivotal events took place away from the capital during a time of post-industrial decline across much of the country. It is by no means a complete picture, a series of vignettes that instead demonstrate the rich variety of voices and experiences, but it feels like an important book that opens the door to a greater understanding of black British history.
7/10
Review by Ian Parker

Children’s book of the week

The Kid Who Fell Through Time by Greg James and Chris Smith is published in paperback by Puffin, priced £7.99 (ebook £3.99). Available April 10

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Want your kids to learn a smattering of history in a fun and engaging way? Then this is the book for you. The Kid Who Fell Through Time follows Angus, a boy who accidentally falls into a shopping trolley (AKA time machine) and ends up travelling through time. There, he gets into all sorts of hilarious scrapes, from meeting Shakespeare to an encounter with suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. The book is interspersed with notes from Fact Pig, who encourages kids to find out more about the real history informing the japes. The question is, will Angus and his sidekick Marge make it back to the future? All in all, a great novel for readers around the ages of seven to 11.
8/10
Review by Jane Kirby

CHARTS

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING APRIL 5

HARDBACK (FICTION)

1. Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake

2. Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

3. Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

4. The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings

5. The Expanded Earth by Jessa Hastings

6. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

7. Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent

8. Death At The White Hart by Chris Chibnall

9. A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

10. Quicksilver by Callie Hart

(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)

1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins

2. 8 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia by Philippe Sands

3. Spring by Michael Morpurgo

4. John and Paul by Ian Leslie

5. In the Hide: How the Natural World Saved My Life by Gordon Buchanan

6. Easy Air Fryer by Jamie Oliver

7. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

8. Story of a Murder:The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

9. Of Thorn and Briar: A Year with the West Country Hedgelayer by Paul Lamb

10. Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have by Deborah Frances-White

(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)

1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

2. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

3. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

4. The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson

5. Atomic Habits by James Clear

6. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

7. The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre

8. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

9. The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

10. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Book 1 by JK Rowling

(Compiled by Audible)