5 new books to read this week

Julian Barnes blurs the lines between fact and fiction in his latest novel…

Fiction

Departure(s) by Julian Barnes is published in hardback by Jonathan Cape, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available January 22

Mortality has been a theme in Julian Barnes’ work since he lost his wife, the literary agent Pat Kavanagh, in 2008. Departure(s) tells us it “is a work of fiction – but that doesn’t mean it’s not true”. Amid tangents on the meaning of memories, relationships, the search for happiness and acceptance that everything must end, it is the story of Stephen and Jean, university lovers who split up upon graduation, but towards the end of their lives come back together. Its narrator, a certain ‘Julian Barnes’ explains this is not a novel, and also declares it to be his last book, in a curious, engaging mix of fiction and non-fiction. Are Stephen and Jean real? Have names been changed? Is this Barnes the man himself? Does it even matter? Playful and self-aware, if this really is his last book (he turns 80 this month), it’s a lovely way to sign off.
9/10
Review by Ian Parker

Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs is published in hardback by Simon & Schuster UK, priced £20 (ebook £11.99). Available January 15

What is pure evil? It’s a question the latest instalment from Kathy Reichs sets out to explore. Fans will know Reichs as the creator of the Temperance Brennan series, and for being a producer and writer on hit TV series Bones, which was based on Reichs’ characters and work, and was on the small screen for over a decade. In Evil Bones, forensic anthropologist Brennan and her niece team up with a retired detective to track down a killer. What starts as the discovery of several mutilated animals turns into a grimmer scenario as the killer moves on to bigger targets. There is no shortage of twists and turns to keep readers guessing.
8/10
Review by Kerri-Ann Roper

Arborescence by Rhett Davis is published in hardback by Fleet, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99). Available January 15

Rhett Davis imagines what it might be like if humans could grow roots and become trees in an effort to undo the damage we’ve caused the planet’s ancient leafy entities. While Bren does an amorphous, seemingly pointless tech job he’s fairly content with – if he doesn’t think too critically about it – Caelyn is constantly searching for a role that will fulfil her. Bouncing from job to job, she stumbles across a group of people shedding their humanness, trying to transform into trees, and becomes obsessed. Written like a series of vignettes, Arborescence’s time frame skips oddly, so you’re not entirely clear how many years have passed between Caelyn’s various jobs, nor what state the climate and AI spoiled Australia she and Bren live in has reached. A cool, loping detachment emanates throughout, so it’s tough not to feel horror at the damage the natural world has suffered thanks to humans, but also, at those trying to swap their skin for bark.
6/10
Review by Ella Walker

Non-fiction

Feast On Your Life: Kitchen Meditations for Every Day by Tamar Adler is published in hardback by Swift Press, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available January 15

Cookbook author Tamar Adler found herself deeply depressed. To help her find a way out of it, and to rediscover a little bit of joy, her husband suggested she start keeping a list of good things. Adler did so, migrating back into her beloved kitchen with this list, and the result is Feast On Your Life. For every day of the year, she shares a short culinary musing, detailing small moments, memories and theories, like why spearmint is the king of mints, how anathema it felt to use a ruler to make a Lego cake for her son, to the specific surprise of drinking Champagne and the comfort of a bowl of bean broth with a cracked egg in it. Ideal dip-in material when you’re stirring risotto or waiting for the toaster to pop, Adler can be a little wordy and oversincere, but when that’s the case, just pivot to the next musing, and find something new to be delighted by.
7/10
Review by Ella Walker

Children’s book of the week

The Monsters At The End of The World by Rebecca Orwin, illustrated by Oriol Vidal, is published in paperback by Puffin, priced £8.99 (ebook £4.99). Available now

The Monsters at the End of the World is a thoughtful, engaging and imaginative story that explores fear of the unknown and how misunderstandings can often make things seem far scarier than they really are. The ‘end of the world’ is a place rumoured to be full of terrifying monsters, but readers are gently encouraged to question preheld assumptions and stereotypes. These so-called “monsters” turn out to be very different from expectations, with Rebecca Orwin delivering a reassuring, positive message about empathy, open-mindedness and the value of understanding others before judging them. Oriol Vidal’s illustrations are expressive and full of detail, which will hold the attention of young readers, and the visual storytelling works beautifully, making the book ideal for reading aloud and encouraging discussion. An excellent choice for an entertaining, meaningful bedtime read that packs in themes of fear, difference and kindness in an accessible, age-appropriate way.
8/10
Review by Joanne Brennan

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. Flesh by David Szalay
2. The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
3. Katabasis by R.F Kuang
4. Brimstone by Callie Hart
5. The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three, by Philip Pullman
6. Exit Strategy:Jack Reacher by Lee Child and Andrew Child
7. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
8. The Artist by Lucy Steeds,
9. Alchemised by SenLinYu
10. The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins
2. Always Remember:The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy
3. Private Eye Annual 2025 by Ian Hislop
4. This Way Up:When Maps Go Wrong (and Why it Matters) by Map Men
5. Eat Yourself Healthy by Jamie Oliver
6. I Still Believe in Miracles:Poems to Find Meaning in Difficult Times by Lucas Jones
7. Protein in 15 by The Body Coach, Joe Wicks
8. Mary 90 by Mary Berry
9. Winter by Val McDermid
10. A Mind of My Own by Kathy Burke
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
3. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
4. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
5. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
6. Atomic Habits by James Clear
7. The Names by Florence Knapp
8. The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer
9. Alchemised by SenLinYu
10. The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

(Compiled by Audible)