FICTION
Exit West Mohsin Hamid, Hamish Hamilton, £14.99
Hamid’s new novel opens promisingly with the meeting of Nadia and Saeed whose love blossoms amid the barbarism of Middle East civil war.
But their escape to Europe and London – via a lurch into magical realism – robs it of the physical brutality of the migrant passage. Thereafter, the characters’ travails cease to be interesting.
OUR VERDICT 5/10 The Chilbury
Ladies’ Choir Jennifer Ryan, Borough Press, £12.99
Ryan dedicates her wonderfully warm novel to her grandmother and the women of the Home Front whose incredible stories she has woven together into a beautiful life-affirming tale of the power of community spirit.
Each protagonist has her own voice through letters and diary entries in this impressively researched and tender debut.
OUR VERDICT 8/10 All Our Wrong Todays Elan Mastai, Michael Joseph, £14.99
Mastai’s debut novel has already been optioned for a large screen version.
The short chapters betray the author’s origins as a scriptwriter, but also make this sci-fi time travel adventure easy to become engrossed in. Mastai looks to have a winner, both with the novel and later, when it transfers to the cinema.
OUR VERDICT 8/10