Books

The new page-turners you need on your next flight

THE LIFE TO COME Michelle de Kretser | Allen & Unwin | $33

Science tells us that memory is a subjective beast; that we all remember events selectively; that we’re capable of self-delusion and flawed perceptions. Ranging from Sydney to Paris to Sri Lanka, this novel explores discrepancies between the stories we choose to tell/remember and those we don’t; how the deeds of the past and fear of the future impact on the present. A woman deludes herself that her married lover actually gives a damn. A writer will say anything for success. A man uses his Sri Lankan boyhood to his advantage without acknowledging the tragedy that occurred there. By turns funny and moving, Michelle de Kretser, the winner of the 2013 Miles Franklin Literary Award (Questions

of Travel), is always acutely observant.

THE NECESSARY ANGEL C. K. Stead | Allen & Unwin | $33

Max Jackson is a New Zealander in Paris who lectures at the Sorbonne. Estranged from his French wife, Louise, he’s sleeping with a younger colleague as well as one of his students. When a Cézanne painting disappears from Louise’s apartment after Max uses the flat for an assignation, his carefully compartmentalised life implodes. Musings on literature and just

being in Paris permeate this sophisticated novel like perfume. With C.K. Stead’s eye for detail, it works as a commentary on living in a modern European city in a time of global upheaval or as an intriguing mystery with an unexpected twist.

THE CHOKE Sofie Laguna | Allen & Unwin | $33

The Choke, a narrow section of the Murray River where the opposite banks almost touch, is where 10-year-old Justine lives with her two half-brothers, her grandad and his chooks. It’s not idyllic – she’s dyslectic and lonely, her mother has run off and when her dad, the brutish Ray, makes a rare appearance, he brings danger along for the ride. Set in the impoverished backblocks of 1970s Victoria, Sofie Laguna’s third novel for adults is a confronting tale of family dysfunction. Adrift in this world of broody male violence, beer, knives and guns – a place where being female is seen as being weak – Justine survives, which is evidence of her resilient spirit. Viscerally descriptive to the point of discomfort, this is powerful writing.