THE COWS

Dawn O’Porter Harper Collins, $35

This frequently hilarious adult-fiction debut ended up in a publishing-industry bidding war and a six-figure, two-novel deal for the Los Angeles-domiciled Scottish-born novelist/ columnist/broadcaster/designer. It tells the story of three strangers: Cam, a blogger who champions the right to choose not to have children; Stella, who isn’t coping with the loss of her twin to breast cancer and her own impending mastectomy; and Tara, a single mum with a TV career. When Tara’s faux pas after a great night out goes viral, the trio is brought together. This is a chaotic confusion of a novel – a bit like life, really. Amid the mayhem, Dawn O’Porter makes points about sisterhood and the cruelty of trolling.