Five new books to read this week

By Prudence Wade, Press Association

This week’s new releases span novels from American heavyweight Ann Patchett and comedian Dawn French…

Fiction

1. Whistler by Ann Patchett is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing,. Available now

New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett has created another fantastic character-driven novel in Whistler. Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan are touring the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York when they notice an older man is trailing them. Intrigued, Daphne soon realises the man is Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who was married to her mother for a short time when Daphne was nine. The novel takes us on a tour of their happy reunion, together with flashbacks of a car accident that changed their family dynamic forever. With perfect prose, the book also examines how even brief relationships can have a profound effect on people and can lead them to question the things that anchor them to the world. As well as Eddie and Daphne, the book contains a host of other characters who are brilliantly brought to life, including Daphne’s mother. Highly recommended.
9/10
(Review by Jane Kirby)

2. Enough by Dawn French is published in hardback by Michael Joseph. Available now

The fear of ageing forms the backdrop to this darkly humorous story which sees warm, highly organised but stubborn mother and grandmother Etta, 68, gather her family together for a weekend to drop the bombshell that she intends to take her own life and this is her last weekend on earth. She’s not depressed. She’s not sick. But she doesn’t want to hang around until she can’t control her demise. It’s not as dark, however, as it first seems, as her grown-up son and daughter – who live on a diet of teasing, sarcasm and razor-sharp wit – experience a raft of emotions from anger, spending precious time they have left trying to dissuade her, to happy reminiscences and a greater awareness of family values. The story is interspersed with flashback chapters of Etta’s life and the reasoning behind her decision. Without giving the ending away, the main characters change as they realise the huge importance of family and the need to accept and nurture each other. Thought-provoking and heartfelt, it will surely provide a rich topic for debate – and contains a warning that it includes content about suicide and suicidal feelings – but ultimately, and ironically, it’s a warm hug of a novel.
8/10
(Review by Hannah Stephenson)

3. Two Sisters by Laura Dockrill is published in hardback by HQ. Available now

Leonie and Nora are two sides of the same coin. Leonie is the elder sister; she moved away from their home island Pitte to live a larger life in London. Nora is the homebody, she stayed on the island, living a smaller but outwardly more complete life as a single mum. After burning out while working hard and constantly chasing her next dopamine high, Leonie moves back to the island to live with her sister and recuperate. Stripping away the walls she has built around her heart, the elder sister provokes hatred in Nora who finds herself becoming more judgemental. Two Sisters looks at modern life and traditional values as the siblings relive their memories, build their present and face home truths. An enjoyable read for the summer.
8/10
(Review by Rachel Howdle)

Non-fiction

4. The Man Who Stole The Gods: A True Story Of War, Obsession, And The World’s Biggest Art Heist by Matthew Campbell is published in hardback by Penguin Business. Available now

Matthew Campbell delves deep into the Cambodian jungle for his meticulously researched tale of an epic art heist orchestrated by a British expatriate, Douglas Latchford, and the greed that led to his eventual downfall. Campbell’s exhilarating narrative describes how priceless relics were hacked from Cambodian temples and taken by traffickers to be sold for seven-figure sums on the international art market. That Latchford’s audacious quest started shortly before the rise of the notorious Cambodian despot Pol Pot ratchets up the drama and underscores how dealers and auction houses would stop at nothing to get their hands on such original relics. A world away from the routine stories of stolen antiquities, Campbell’s narrative is as unnerving as it is engrossing. The second section, which describes how historians and archeologists combined to lead the fightback, unfurls like a global detective novel, and makes the end result feel all the sweeter.
8/10
(Review by Mark Staniforth)

Children’s book of the week

5. The Day The Crayons Made Friends by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, is published in paperback by HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks. Available now

Duncan’s crayons have gone missing from their box again, sparking another hilarious book about their adventures as they seek new friends. Letters start arriving from the colourful crayons describing where they were and who they had met on their travels. White Crayon stops being invisible as she replaces a missing queen from a chess set, Pink Crayon bakes cupcakes in a play kitchen, Beige Crayon discovers her calling – under a fridge where she finds biscuits to feed dogs – and Blue Crayon teams up with a headless doll in Duncan’s sister’s room. Brown Crayon simply says he met a stick and fell in love. This sequel to The Day The Crayons Quit and The Day The Crayons Came Home continues the hilarious escapades of a box of crayons as they explore Duncan’s playroom in search of new adventures. Author Drew Daywalt and illustrator Oliver Jeffers have produced another gem of a book, with colourful drawings and witty comments guaranteed to delight children and adults.
9/10
(Review by Alan Jones)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 30th

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. The Midnight Train by Matt Haig
2. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
3. John Of John Stuart
4. The Ballad Of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker
5. The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
6. The Rainshadow Orphans by Naomi Ishiguro
7. A Queen Crowned In Flames by Hazel McBride
8. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
9. I Hear A New World by Alan Moore
10. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. BBQ by Jamie Oliver
2. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
3. Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai
4. The Book Of Birds by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris
5. So Good Express by Emily English
6. In Nigeria by Michael Palin
7. The Make-Believe by Hannah Murray
8. FLICK by Kate Lister
9. Famesick by Lena Dunham
10. Backtalker by Kimberle Williams Crenshaw
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
2. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
3. The Deal by Elle Kennedy
4. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
6. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
7. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
8. The Midnight Train by Matt Haig
9. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
10. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
(Compiled by Audible)