Check out my four favourite novels read in July:
Liz Hyder’s children’s book Bearmouth won the Waterstones Children’s Book Older Fiction Award 2020 so I was ecstatic to get my hands on an early copy of her adult debut (out on 17th February I’m afraid but you can pre-order now!). A woman is fleeing through a Shropshire forest as a set of wings rip out from her shoulders. She is not the only ‘fallen angel’ and the women affected find themselves pursued by those who would use them to amplify their own fame and ambition. Set in 1840, this is a wide-ranging novel shared across five different perspectives and weaving together themes of wonder, nature and science.
Another book I read early, but this is out on 2nd September. Kia Abdullah is the queen of setting unthinkable scenarios and showing that wrong and right isn’t always that simple. I love her Zara Kaleel novels but this is a standalone. A busy single woman helps out her brother-in-law by giving her baby nephew a lift to nursery. It isn’t until hours later, after a panicked phone call, that she realises that, distracted, she forgot and the baby has been left in her car on the hottest day of the year… Tragic and gripping plus, as ever with Kia’s books, not all is as it seems.
We Begin at the End – Chris Whittaker
Winner of many awards, this is a crime novel that isn’t just about the crime itself but about the community itself. Thirty years ago, Vincent King was sent to prison for the death of a young girl. Newly released and back in his hometown, not everyone is happy to see him. Recommended for anyone who loves literary crime.
Full Dark House – Christopher Fowler
This is the first in the Bryant and May series which I’ve been vaguely aware of for years without really understanding why I should bother with them! After reading this recent article in The Guardian, celebrating the twentieth and final book in the series, I decided they actually sounded right up my street. Plus I love any book set in a London theatre!