5 new books to read 

The Anthill by Julianne Pachico is published in hardback by Faber & Faber

€15.99 from dubraybooks.ie

Julianne Pachico’s The Anthill follows childhood friends born in Medellin, Colombia: Lina is returning after two decades away, while Matty stayed throughout the intervening period of national violence. From the start, their reunion is marked by caginess and deception: are they hiding from suspicion, or is this just the emotional impact of years apart? The mysteries gradually resolve, but Pachico is intelligent enough not to offer simple explanations. The story flirts with fantasy and horror without ever fully leaving the real world. While the characters’ emotional breakdowns are traced in all their vivid complexity, the book can also be read as a national parable for Colombia, a newly peaceful country with intense status anxiety dealing with a conflicted past. As the story skips between different scenes, Pachico’s experience as a short story writer is evident and contributes to an intense and artful read.

Second Place by Rachel Cusk is published in hardback by Faber & Faber

€15.85 from omahonys.ie

This is the new novel from Rachel Cusk; the writer of the Outline trilogy, and darling of the literary world. M is the narrator; an insecure 50-year-old, married to her second husband, Tony, and living in the marshes next to the sea. She invites L, a famous artist who she admires, to come and stay with them and use their beautiful surroundings as inspiration for his work. He arrives with his much younger companion and ends up staying, as a pandemic rumbles on in the background, rendering people unable to travel and much of his art significantly less valuable than before. Second Place is achingly aspirational and M is knowingly dislikable, but fans of Cusk’s previous work will know to expect that and won’t be disappointed. The interactions between the characters are strained and uncomfortable, but the writing flows beautifully.

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner is published in hardback by Raven Books

€13.95 from kennys.ie

Greenwich Park is a delicious thriller with twists coming thick and fast. Set against the backdrop of the beloved London park, the main characters tell their stories in a diary format – baring not only their souls but also their betrayals. Pregnant Helen has a seemingly perfect life – until she meets Rachel at her antenatal class, and soon has to figure out who she can and can’t trust. Faulkner leans on her own backstory as a journalist as she weaves in a courtroom drama to add spice to the plot. The stories of Helen and her family and friends become so intertwined they infect everyone, the venom of lies stinging even the innocent.

Non-fiction

Everybody by Olivia Laing is published in hardback by Picador

€21.99 from dubraybooks.ie

In this exploration of what it means to be free, Olivia Laing delves deep into the human body. She doesn’t just study bones and organs, but the link between the horrifying treatment bodies receive and the power they hold to cut the shackles. Drawing on influential names from the past century – including Sigmund Freud, Susan Sontag, Christopher Isherwood, Andrea Dworkin, Malcom X and Nina Simone – she assesses and compares their contributions (or damages) to various freedom movements. The life of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich is used as a structural backbone for the investigation, but the concept of the body shines through as the main character. While the book can jump from one thing to the next, the injection of Laing’s own experiences and opinions throughout keep it thought-provoking and engaging. Everybody inadvertently offers an honest history lesson with a truly specific focus, as well as a nod to present and future struggles.

Children’s book of the week

The Plesiosaur’s Neck by Dr Adam S Smith and Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Adam Larkum is published in paperback by UCLan Publishing

€9.75 from omahonys.ie

Why did plesiosaurs – kings of the ocean when dinosaurs ruled the Jurassic world – have such long necks? That remains a major mystery of science, with researchers unable to pin down one satisfactory answer: was it to scoop up schools of fish, to empty crevices of crabs, or even to electrocute would-be predators? Nottingham Natural History Museum palaeontologist Dr Adam S Smith is one such expert, and in The Plesiosaur’s Neck he and co-author Jonathan Emmett attempt to solve the seven-metre puzzle. The many possibilities are entertainingly presented and vividly illustrated, marrying the key facts with rhyming asides to keep children fully engaged.