Sharlene Teo’s debut novel Ponti was critically acclaimed on release in 2018, winning the inaugural Deborah Rogers Writers’ Award and being nominated for a number of other literary prizes. It is set in Singapore (Teo is Singaporean, though based in the UK), and follows the lives of three women as their relationships become closely entangled. A fascinating and strange novel, it showcases a writer of talent and inventiveness as it evokes the suffocating world of teenage girlhood.
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Elizabeth Finch is not a book that everyone will like. I admit that seems a strange way to open a review that’s supposed to recommend a book, but I thought it was best to get that out of the way first. It’s wilfully resistant to interpretation, and freely abandons plot in favour of philosophical speculation, and digressions into history and religion. Readers who like clear narrative structure and all loose ends to be tied up by the end will find themselves frustrated by the book’s elusiveness and refusal to play by the rules. However, I think what Barnes is trying to here is very interesting, and I found myself throughout wanting to engage with whatever puzzle it was setting me.
Guadalupe Nettel is a Mexican writer who has so far published four novels. Her latest is Still Born, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023. It’s an incredible work that examines themes of motherhood, disability, and the ethics surrounding childbirth. I’m not sure I’ve read another book that tackles these kinds of issues in the way it does, and with such detail and skill.
Arthur C. Clarke’s novels are often philosophical, exploring complex ideas through the lens of science fiction. A Fall of Moondust is somewhat different. Written several years before the moon landings, when huge seas of dust on the lunar surface were a real worry for scientists, it’s a straightforward man vs nature story, reminiscent of classic disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure. What elevates it is Clark’s imagination and intelligence, bringing realism and depth to what could have been a hokey sci-fi romp.
Frankie Boyle is best known for his caustic and often controversial comedy. His debut novel, Meantime, is very much cut from the same cloth. A rambling murder mystery set in Glasgow just after the 2015 Scottish Independence referendum, it features a protagonist who is near-constantly high on Valium and many bleak but funny one-liners. It also delves into AI, simulation theory, and the history of colonialism, while achieving moments of genuine poignancy.
Fantasy often deals with sprawling, epic narratives, stories about quests and magic and daring acts of heroism. Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes is not that. Despite being set in a Lord of the Rings/Dungeons and Dragons-style fantasy-verse, it’s deliberately small scale, with much lower stakes than the works that inspired it. It’s the story of an orc barbarian who decides to hang up her sword and open a coffee shop, and remarkably, that is quite literally that.
Sid Smith has so far written three novels about China, despite never having been there. A House by the River is his second, and the world it evokes is so convincing that by the end, it feels like you've taken a trip there yourself. A literary adventure story with touches of magical realism, A House by the River encompasses theology, linguistics, and history, in a lyrical and strange journey through an antique land.
Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings is a wild ride. Her previous novel, Convenience Store Woman, catapulted her to international success, but fans of that book will be surprised by her follow-up. It delves into fears about pregnancy, marriage, and sex, refusing to shy away from ugly and often violent truths. Some readers may be put off by the graphic content and themes of trauma and abuse, but anyone brave enough to venture into the mind of Sayaka Murata will be taken on a fascinating and compelling journey, with twists and turns you’d never expect in a million years.
The Unlimited Dream Company is unusual for a J.G. Ballard novel in its sense of optimism. Rather than detailing social collapse, it is an exploration of possibility: what we as human beings could achieve without limitations. It delves fully into the fantastical, without any semblance of scientific justification, though this is contrasted with the setting of Shepperton, the village outside London famous for its film studios. In this urban environment, nature becomes a powerful force, transforming the place and the people into something new.
Our Friends from Frolix 8 is semi-unusual for a Philip K. Dick novel in that’s it’s a relatively straightforward science fiction story. There are none of his trademark interrogations of the nature of reality, or philosophical digressions. However, there is still much food for thought: government control, social inequality, and alien intervention in human affairs. While not a masterpiece, it’s nevertheless a fascinating and enjoyable look into his unique mind.
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