STORIES WE’RE EXCITED FOR
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow (Orbit, approx €14.99, out September 12) In 1901, seven-year-old January Scaller found a door. Years later, she forgets it, until she finds a mysterious book. She then discovers that she has the power to write words that open doors leading to other worlds. It’s very much a fantasy novel, but has real depth. The inversion commentary on race added another element to the mythology of the story: for example, in one world, there is no racism, as everyone is a person of colour. Engrossing.
The Art of the Body by Alex Allison (Dialogue Books, approx €15.99, out September 5) Sean is a talented art student living and working with cerebral palsy. His life is intertwined with his carer Janet’s, whose mornings and days are Sean’s. Both are in London away from home, and Janet struggles, not in her duties, but to actually care for Sean. Her past is marred with dark actions. This isn’t an easy read, but it is raw and powerful – both are limited in various ways when it comes to their bodies. An uncompromising look at what it means to be “able” in life.
Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke (Serpent’s Tail, approx €15.99, out September 12) African-American Texas Ranger Darren Matthews is left no choice but to investigate when the young son of an Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang captain goes missing. Matthews already has other things on his mind, thanks to the wave of racial hate sweeping the streets following the election of 2016, but as he goes deeper into the investigation, it gets more complicated, especially when an elderly man of colour is a suspect in the boy’s disappearance. A gripping portrait of Trump-era America.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (Michael Joseph, approx €17.99, out now) This saga of two suburban New York families begins when two Irish cops, Francis and Brian, become friends, even buying houses next to one another. But behind closed doors, things are different. Francis’ youngest daughter, Kate, and Brian’s only son, Peter, become close. Tensions and tragedy between the families eventually flare into violence fuelled by alcoholism and untreated mental illness. Poignant and powerful.
Doxology by Nell Zink (4th Estate, approx €15.99, out September 3) Two generations of an American family come of age – one before 9/11, one after. Pam, Daniel, and Joe are a terrible punk band, but fully functional unit together. Life has other plans when Pam and Daniel welcome a surprise daughter, Flora, and Joe has a successful solo single. After 9/11, tragedy means everything changes, and the story shifts to Flora’s perspective. An ambitious, original novel.