The Songs

Charles Elton Bloomsbury €19.66

Fame and the mysteries that families breed propelled Elton’s darkly funny debut, Mr Toppit, and they fuel his questing second novel, too. At its centre sits Iz Herzl, an octogenarian folk-music legend whose devoted fans have failed to plug the many gaps in his Wikipedia entry. Four points of view combine to probe elusive Iz’s true self, including those of his teenage daughter, Rose, a maths whizz caring for her terminally ill brother, and Maurice, an English schoolboy bent on rebellion. Together, they crescendo in a bittersweet melody as heartbreaking as it is droll.