An author’s life revisited

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LOVE

J David Simons

BackPage Press, £9.99 Tonight, Jake Tully will find out if he’s won a prestigious literary prize. In his pocket is an excoriating acceptance speech, with which he intends to settle a few scores at the televised ceremony. But before he gets there, he gashes his hand, his son is arrested and he assaults someone. Simons has created a memorable character in the brash but sensitive author, interspersing the setbacks of his big day with flashbacks revealing the wounds he carries around and those he’s inflicted on others. In an irony lost on no-one, least of all himself, the theme of Jake’s shortlisted novel is the responsibilities we have to those who love us. Simons skilfully handles the delicate balancing act of romping through the comical mishaps of Jake’s whisky and codeinefuelled day while eliciting sympathy for his wellrealised protagonist.

THE PURPOSE OF POWER

Alicia Garza

Penguin, £9.99

Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza grew up in Northern California, watched the 1992 LA riots on TV and writes here about her inspirations that led to the creation of BLM. Drawing on her 20-plus years of experience as an activist, she examines the steps needed to create a sustainable movement which can progress from protesting to acquiring political power and bringing about change. Social media is no substitute for solid organisation and community involvement, she insists, while discussing how to negotiate the pitfalls of activism, such as internal power struggles, the lack of women in leadership positions and people who are reluctant to act in their own interest. With racial and generational discontent growing worldwide, the wisdom in this book will help progressive movements function more effectively.

WELCOME TO COOPER

Tariq Ashkanani

Thomas & Mercer, £8.99 After ratting out his drug-dealing partner, Detective Thomas Levine has been transferred from Washington DC to Cooper, Nebraska, where a woman is found dead with her eyes gouged out. In a shocking twist, his new partner shoots a suspect with Levine’s gun, entrapping him into joining in the illegal activities of the town’s corrupt cops. The real killer is still out there, but Levine has to contend with his colleagues and a ruthless drug cartel. Compelling from the start, this debut novel from an Edinburgh solicitor nails the blunt, noirish prose of the hardboiled thriller. In this gritty, murky story, even the hero doesn’t come out well, haunted by his responsibility for his girlfriend’s drug-induced death, his betrayal of his old partner and the selfish streak that leads him to make fateful choices.