This month’s best books

SARRA MANNING’S FAVOURITE NEW RELEASES TAKE US FROM SHAKESPEARE’S STRATFORD TO SOHO JAZZ CLUBS AND THE STREETS OF 1980S ATLANTA

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

(4th Estate, £12.99, out 31st March) Vanessa is 15 when she’s groomed and seduced by her English teacher, Jacob Strane, and continues an often strained relationship with him into her 30s. Until, post-#metoo, other former pupils accuse Strane of sexual abuse. Vanessa is forced to confront the truth about her ‘love affair’ – that her consent was really coercion – in this staggering debut novel, which is a difficult, even triggering, but worthwhile read.

This Lovely City by Louise Hare

(HQ, £12.99, out 12th March) In 1948, Lawrie Matthews alights from HMS Windrush in a London still reeling from the aftershocks of the war and hostile to its newest citizens. Evie has lived in London all her life but the colour of her skin has always set her apart – until she meets Lawrie. Set against a backdrop of Soho jazz clubs and south London streets, it paints a vivid picture of what life was really like for the Windrush generation. Fans of Andrea Levy’s Small Island will love it.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

(Oneworld, £14.99, out 19th March) How does Tayari Jones follow up the Women’s Prize-winning An American Marriage? With an absolute belter, that’s how. Set in Atlanta, Silver Sparrow is the story of Dana and Chaurisse, the two daughters of James Witherspoon, but Dana was born to his mistress. While Dana knows all about Chaurisse, Chaurisse knows nothing of her father’s secret life until the girls meet, with devastating consequences.

Hamnet by Maggie O’farrell

(Tinder Press, £20, out 31st March) Maggie O’farrell returns with her first historical novel, Hamnet, which explores the true story behind Shakespeare’s most famous play. Before there was Hamlet, there was Hamnet, Shakespeare’s son, his twin sister Judith and their mother, the otherworldly Agnes. Weaving fact with rich imagination, Hamnet is a visceral, lushly drawn story that brings this family and their defining tragedy to life.

On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman

(Lightning Books, £8.99, out 1st March) Faith is living in challenging times. She’s bought a house where a murder may have been committed, her boyfriend, Stuart, is a free-spirited freeloader, her parents’ marriage is imploding, but at least her charming co-worker Nick has her back… and her spare room. Elinor Lipman is the best writer you’ve never heard of, and On Turpentine Lane is whimsical but also gently savages the frailties of the human condition.