5 new books to read this week

French feminist icon Gisele Pelicot has released her highly anticipated memoir…

Fiction

1. Nonesuch by Francis Spufford is published in hardback by Faber & Faber, priced £20 (ebook £14.99). Available February 26

Set in London amid the devastation of the Blitz, Nonesuch follows the lively and ambitious Iris Hawkins, a young City worker who finds herself responsible for stopping a glamorous, fascist socialite from using magic to change history. When the strikingly beautiful Lady Lalage Cunningham attempts to weaponise time travel to hand Britain to the Nazis, Iris must thwart her efforts while contending with air raids, archangels, and a blossoming romance. Francis Spufford’s blisteringly witty and astute heroine is flanked by carefully considered fictional characters who feel just as real as those he borrows from history. Although meticulous scene-setting results in a somewhat slow-start, Nonesuch gives way to an exciting, action-packed blend of history and fantasy, and a poignant portrayal of the very real impact of the Blitz. Gripping and wonderfully layered, Nonesuch culminates in a twist that could change everything for Iris, and leave readers anxiously awaiting its second instalment.
8/10
(Review by Izzie Addison)

2. Our Numbered Bones by Katya Balen is published in hardback by Canongate Books, priced £14.99 (ebook £8.99). Available now

Our Numbered Bones is a bold debut adult novel from established YA author Katya Balen, written from the perspective of a woman who has suffered a devastating loss. Anna is struggling under the pressures of writing a new novel and moving on from the tragedy with her partner. It’s full of prose that’s both lyrical and simple, which effortlessly immerses the reader and draws them into the narrator’s head. As her past is revealed slowly throughout the narrative, we journey with her through her grief as she takes herself away from London to a remote cottage near some wetlands. Her chance discovery of an ancient burial and a woman’s body in the marshes turns into an obsession, which ultimately helps her confront her own story. The novel’s introspection is intense, and the shifts in writing style between chapters may be jarring for some, but ultimately it is a beautiful and accomplished portrayal of a woman’s loss, the madness it causes and the path she weaves towards healing.
8/10
(Review by Dorothy Smith)

3. The Last Of Earth by Deepa Anappara is published in hardback by Oneworld, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now

Deepa Anappara’s second novel follows two outsiders undertaking the arduous journey through Tibet during the mid-19th century – a time when foreigners are forbidden from the country. Katherine, a British explorer who struggles with her mixed-race heritage, wishes to be the first Western woman to see Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. While Balram, an Indian school teacher employed by a British captain to map the country, secretly wants to free his lost friend from captivity. The plot, which unfortunately takes far too long to get interesting, alternates between each character, whose narratives don’t so much converge as touch occasionally. The excessive level of description in the book gives the feeling of someone desperate to pad out the word length, while the ending clearly wants to be profound, yet feels a bit flat. At least 50 pages could have been cut and what would have been left would be a much tighter read.
6/10
(Review by George Thompson)

Non-fiction

4. A Hymn To Life by Gisèle Pelicot is published in hardback by Bodley Head, priced £22 (ebook £11.99). Available now

The world already knows the tragedy of Gisèle Pelicot’s story. Married for more than 40 years, she is called into a police station in 2020 with her then-husband Dominique where she discovers he has been drugging and raping her, along with others, for most of the previous decade. She became a feminist cause célèbre after she waived anonymity, opened up the court case and its barbaric details to the public eye. Her book details the discovery, but also their background; her and Dominique’s family life, the hardships they both experienced financially, with their own parents, and with each other. It is clear she is bewildered and seething under the surface as it unfolds, but the anger does not burn through the chapters. Instead, you get a sense of the pity and borderline sympathy she has for Dominique. Her concern means she takes clothes to the prison for him before the trial. The account of the aftermath of the discovery of Dominique’s crimes is raw as Gisèle, and her children grapple with the horrors. The book is typically French. The death of her mother, and Gisèle’s health concerns stemming from the drugs, unbeknownst to her, means mortality and existentialism is a background drumbeat. One of her lawyers is even named Camus. The most remarkable thing is how Gisèle has managed to put herself back together and, delightfully, find love. She describes it as a hymn to life, but it is a testimony to resilience, both of her and the human spirit.
8/10
(Review by Harry Taylor)

Children’s book of the week

5. The Big Journey by Michael Rosen and Daniel Egneus is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Children’s Books, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.36). Available February 26

Michael Rosen’s sequel to The Big Dreaming, The Big Journey tells the story of Baby Bear moving away from the only place he knows to travel through mountains, forests and snow to a new home, with Big Bear. My five-year-old enjoyed the easy-to-follow story, and its sweet, heartwarming message about being brave, asking for advice and embracing change – even if you don’t know what the future holds. The story is suitable enough to read to younger children too. As an added bonus, it’s pretty to look at, with beautiful illustrations by award-winning illustrator Daniel Egneus of animals in the natural world.
7/10
(Review by Lauren Taylor)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 21

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
2. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
3. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
4. Of Blood & Fire by Ryan Cahill
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
6. Departure(s) by Julian Barnes
7. Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
8. The Barbecue at No.9 by Jennie Godfrey
9. Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
10. A Dark Forgetting by Kristen Ciccarelli
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Clean Magic by Nancy Birtwhistle
2. A Hymn To Life by Gisele Pelicot
3. Dear England by Gareth Southgate
4. The Food For Life Cookbook by Tim Spector
5. Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Sawyer Robbins
6. Always Remember by Charlie Mackesy
7. The Wisdom Of Ancient Japan by Saori Okada
8. Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
9. Everybody Loves Our Dollars – How Money Laundering Won by Oliver Bullough
10. Ikigai by Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
5. My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
6. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
7. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
8. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
9. Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
10. A Hymn To Life by Gisele Pelicot, Natasha Lehrer
(Compiled by Audible)