The Hot List - Read

5 new books to read

The Therapist 

by BA Paris is published in hardback by HQ

When Alice and Leo move into an exclusive gated community called The Circle, the house initially seems perfect. But as Alice gets to know her neighbours, she discovers a gruesome secret about the house’s past and becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what really happened two years ago. This dark family drama will have readers racing through the pages, and is the kind of book you devour in one sitting. There is a palpable sense of tension that builds to a devastating conclusion. A truly emotive read about a house that holds a shocking secret, and those who will go to extreme lengths to keep it hidden.

€15.85 from omahonys.ie

Of Women and Salt 

by Gabriela Garcia is published in hardback by Picador

€18.90 from dubraybooks.ie

Gabriela Garcia’s debut is a multi-generational family story encompassing themes of survival, addiction and storytelling. The characters, featuring five generations of mothers and daughters, traverse time and culture from present-day Miami and 1860s Cuba, and are affected by the violence of war, revolution and abuse. The narrative explores the US immigration system, the unspoken conflicts between migrant communities and their efforts to hold on to their identities in a new country. Its strengths meanwhile lie in the untold stories from often silenced and overlooked groups, but the plot feels overly eventful at times, with chapters appearing episodic – arguably lessening the emotional impact.

This One Sky Day 

by Leone Ross is published in hardback by Faber & Faber

€15.63 from kennys.ie

Set on the surreal and hugely imaginative fictional land of Popisho, This One Sky Day introduces the reader to an eccentric universe where butterflies are edible and each human is blessed with their own form of magic. With colour and eccentricity, the beauty of a Caribbean-like landscape unfolds and three characters come to the fore as their paths are followed over the span of a day. The world conjured by Leone Ross is in most ways unrecognisable from our own, but the humour, warmth and emotion of those characters is somehow completely familiar – and that is what makes this difficult to define and at times bizarre novel, so compelling.

Non-fiction

I Am A Girl From Africa 

by Elizabeth Nyamayaro is published in hardback by Scribner

€15.99 from dubraybooks.ie

Rescued from starvation during a Zimbabwean drought, a young Elizabeth Nyamayaro becomes fixated on emulating her saviour: a United Nations (UN) aid worker. Her new memoir charts that extraordinary journey, from rural village to senior adviser at the UN. Battling seemingly insurmountable hardships – poverty, prejudice and educational barriers – Nyamayaro’s compassion and determination to change lives takes her from Harare to London, Geneva, New York and beyond. A central moving thread is the love and support given by family and friends, whose sacrifices and wisdom shape her humanitarian outlook. Throughout her honest and emotional account, Nyamayaro also makes space for the voices of the victims of health inequalities she works hard to help. While sharing examples of progress, such as launching the global HeForShe movement for gender equality, Nyamayaro also highlights persistent injustices. Her remarkable story of perseverance provides ample inspiration to join the fight for change.

Weirdo 

by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, illustrated by Magenta Fox, is published in hardback by Puffin, 

€15.99 from dubraybooks.ie

It’s tough being new – as Kit’s birthday present, a judo-loving guinea pig called Maud, discovers when Kit’s other pets call her a weirdo just because she doesn’t look like them or know their routine. Will she try to change herself to fit in, or will a friendly neighbour in their block of flats show her it’s better just to be herself? This sweet first children’s book by adult novelists (and married couple) Zadie Smith and Nick Laird does not try to talk down to its young readers, and its uplifting storyline lets the beautiful pastel art of illustrator Magenta Fox do a lot of the work. Parents reading along can point out charming pictorial details to enrich the words – it’s a perfect introduction to comic-book style stories for three to seven-year-olds.