Shelf Portraits
A Ladder To The Sky by John boyne is published in hardback by Doubleday, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99)
“And you’ve heard the old proverb about ambition, haven’t you?” He shook his head. “That it’s like setting a ladder to the sky.” Maurice Swift has ambition aplenty. It’s the ideas he’s lacking. But there are other people for that, and he finds that his charismatic good-looks can give him exactly what he needs to succeed. John Boyne’s psychological drama is told over Swift’s career lifetime, his soul aim to achieve the literacy acclaim he craves. Through three narrators, we see the way Swift expertly manipulates and betrays the people who love him; elderly novelist Erich Ackermann, American writer Dash Hardy, Swift’s talented wife Edith, even his son Daniel. Boyne’s narrative arc delivers a perfect balance of pace and detail to keep you gripped from beginning to end. 10/10 Review by Rebecca wilcock
early riser by Jasper Fforde is published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £20 (ebook £13.99)
With Early Riser, the master of the alternate universe Jasper Fforde returns after what he describes as a “creative hiatus” with his first standalone novel. It is set in a world gripped by icy winters that most people hibernate through. They leave just the Winter Consuls to run affairs in the lawless world that’s left. Consul novice Charlie Worthing has to learn fast how to navigate winter, while investigating a viral dream haunting a remote region of Wales. The highly inventive story comes to a swifter conclusion than the reader might like. But along the way, there are enough twists and turns and sinister corporate interests - not to mention dead bazouki players, aristocratic outlaws and an elusive murderous apparition with a love of Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes - to keep any Fforde fan happy. 7/10 Review by emily beaumont
Take nothing With you by patrick gale is published in hardback by tinder Press, priced £18.99 (ebook £13.29)
The sound of the cello resonates through Patrick Gale’s coming-of-age tale, as teenager Eustace surrenders to music and feels the shape of his nascent homosexuality. The storytelling is quietly mesmerising as Gale moves between those teenage years and Eustace in the present, where he is being treated for cancer. He has also hooked up again with his old cellist friend Naomi, whom he met during a summer school many years earlier. While Eustace’s troubled parents the mother devious and temporarily Jesus obsessed, the father meek but loving - run an old people’s home in Weston-super-mare, where Eustace grows up. The deft weaving of past and present give this story - a tale about music and the cello as much as everything else - power and intrigue. Beautifully told with understated glee and humanity, this novel raises smiles and shocked tears. 9/10 Review by Julian cole
A Very human ending: how Suicide haunts our Species by JESSE bering is published in hardback by Doubleday, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99)
Research psychologist Jesse Bering takes a scientific look at “how suicide haunts our species”, as the book’s subtitle puts it. The American writer - currently associate professor of science communication at the University of Otago, New Zealand - admits to his own suicidal thoughts from the start of his fourth book. By looking at scientific research, he tries to examine why some people are more susceptible than others to thoughts of self-destruction and what external factors might affect their decisions to act on them. Bering considers the potential role of media reports, especially the influence of reports of the deaths of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain.
He also discusses the way shows like Netflix series 13 Reasons Why have addressed suicide and the potential difficulties of encouraging people to talk about their suicidal feelings without prompting them to act on them. It is a fascinating read, although may not be for those in a precarious state of mind. 8/10 Review by beverley Rouse
The Secret deep by Lindsay galvin is published in paperback by chicken House, priced £6.99 (ebook £4.27)
It can be hard to find engaging fantasy novels for ‘tweenage’ girls - too old for rainbow unicorns, too young for moody vampires. This underwater sci-fi adventure manages to bridge the gap, with its empathetic heroine and compelling mystery. Teenage Aster and her younger sister Poppy are sent to New Zealand to live with an aunt they hardly know after the death of their mother. Taken to live in a coastal ‘ecovillage’, they find themselves part of a bizarre science experiment. Duped into taking a boat ride with her aunt, former champion swimmer Aster is rendered unconscious and wakes up under the sea, with no sign of Poppy. The bond between the pair is strong and shines through the drama. The science may not convince more sophisticated readers but the mystery will keep most youngsters guessing until the action-packed ending. 7/10 Review by emily Shelley