The Divorcées
Rowan Beaird
Manilla Press, £16.99, pp416
It’s 1951 and Lois Saunders has taken up a six-week residency in Reno, Nevada, to secure herself a no-fault divorce. At the Golden Yarrow boarding house, she meets a variety of soon-to-be ex-wives each with their own tale of marital strife. When Lois is befriended by glamorous Greer Lange, she feels not only seen but empowered, ignoring signs that Greer may have secrets of her own. Beaird’s impressive debut is filled with evocative period detail and populated with an intriguing tapestry of beautifully drawn characters.
Romantic Comedy
Curtis Sittenfeld
Penguin, £9.99, pp400 (paperback)
Sittenfeld’s joyously romantic novel follows Sally Milz, a successful TV scriptwriter, as she navigates modern sexual politics. Sally is frustrated that average-looking men get to date beautiful women, but that the opposite is never true. Enter Noah Brewster, a heart-throb singer-songwriter with whom Sally has immediate chemistry, but given the currency put on female attractiveness, she’s sceptical that their relationship could ever progress. Sittenfeld’s nuanced social observations, sparkling dialogue and perceptive understanding of human vulnerability make for a highly compelling read.
Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets
Kyo Maclear
Pushkin Press, £18.99, pp416
Three months after her dad’s death, a DNA test revealed that he was not Maclear’s biological father. With her mother’s health also ailing, Maclear is left to search for the answers as to her parentage. As she uncovers her family history – including previously unknown Jewish ancestry – she meditates on the nature of marriage, fidelity and familial love, while seeking an affinity with the natural world and solace in a love of gardening inherited from her mother.
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