Fiction
1) The Neighbourhood by Mario Vargas Llosa: Peruvian Nobel laureate Llosa’s latest novel features two wealthy couples in 1990s Lima embroiled in political corruption and erotic intrigues. The book is scheduled to be published this month by Faber.
2) Last Stories by William Trevor: William Trevor died in 2016, and this is a posthumous collection of 10 final stories from the Irish master of the short form. Out this month from Viking.
3) The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson: The former president of the US tells the story of the disappearance of the US President, and brings insider detail to a political thriller. Out in June. Published by Century.
4) Warlight by Michael Ondaatje: Winner of The Man Booker Prize for his book The English Patient, this is Ondaatje’s first since 2012. The novel is set in London after the blitz, as two children are apparently abandoned and left in the care of an eccentric, possibly criminal figure. The book will be out in June from Cape.
5) My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh: The pitch-black Eileen made the 2016 Man Booker shortlist; this dark new novel features a privileged woman whose alienation is exacerbated by medication and an awful shrink. The book would be out in July this year from Cape.
6) The Fruits of my Labour by Karl Ove Knausgaard: The seventh and final volume in the epic Norwegian autobiographical series My Struggle includes a long essay on Hitler and a consideration of the personal fallout from his earlier books. The book will be published in August by Harvill Secker.
7) Red Birds by Mohammed Hanif: Often considered as one the leading voices among Pakistani novelists, this is Hanif’s third novel. A teenager in a refugee camp and an American pilot who has crash-landed in the desert find their paths colliding, in a black comedy about a world in crisis. Out in September. Publisher: Bloomsbury.
8) Transcription by Kate Atkinson: Two-times Costa winning author for Life After Life and A God in Ruins, Atkinson in her new novel shows a woman who gets involved in the secret service during the second world war reaps the consequences of her idealism. September. Doubleday.
Non-fiction
1) The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli: In this book, Rovelli explores the mystery of time, inviting us to imagine a world where time is in us and we are not in time. Carlo Rovelli is the widely acclaimed author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. The Order of Time will be released this very month by Allen Lane.
2) The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing, Writers and Life by Richard Russo: The Pulitzer Prize-winning author provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend and reader. The subjects range from the commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to Mark Twain, to accompanying a friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery. The book will be published this month by Knopf Doubleday.
3) Fallout: Disasters, Lies and the Legacy of the Nuclear Age by Fred Pearce: The science and environment journalist travels the globe to investigate our complicated seven-decade relationship with nuclear technology. In Fallout, traveling from Nevada to Japan to the UK to secret sites of the old Soviet Union, along with uncovering the environmental and psychological landscapes created since the dropping of the first atomic bomb, Pearce explores the landscapes transformed by uranium and by nuclear accidents. The book will be published in June by Granta.
4) Out of My Head by Tim Parks: The British novelist, best known for his novel Europa, embarks on a quest to discover more about consciousness. The book’s introduction reads: “It invites us to see space, time, colour and smell, sounds and sensations in an entirely new way. The world will feel more real after reading it.” The book will come out in July this year; published by Harvill Secker.
5) 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari. Hard on the heels of the astonishingly successful Sapiens, which looked back, and Homo Deus, which looked forward, Harari presents lessons on the here and now. The book will be released in August. Published by Cape.
6) Thomas Cromwell by Diarmaid MacCulloch: A biography of Cromwell from the expert on the English Reformation, MacCulloch. Expect it in September from Allen Lane.
7) The Life of Saul Bellow Vol 2 by Zachary Leader: Leader comes with the story of the greatest American novelist in the mid-60s. Out in November. By Cape.
8) Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the Surveillance State by Barton Gellman: A study of “the hidden superstructure that connects government espionage with the Silicon Valley” from the journalist and author who shared the Pulitzer Prize for his role in bringing Snowden’s revelations to light. December. Bodley Head.
This article was first published in the Patriot.
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