THE BEST NEW FICTION

Should We Stay Or Should We Go Lionel Shriver

Borough Press €19 When her father loses his battle with Alzheimer’s, a nurse and her doctor husband make a pact: they will commit suicide together when they reach 80. Needless to say, life is not that simple, and as the day of reckoning looms, the couple are hopelessly conflicted. Shriver’s typically polished novel tells a strong human story while exploring issues that have never been more pressing.

Max Davidson

Barcelona Dreaming Rupert Thomson Corsair €19

An Englishwoman’s tragic relationship with a young Moroccan immigrant; an alcoholic helping the Brazilian football star Ronaldinho to learn Spanish; a translator tormented by unrequited love. In this triptych of subtly interconnected stories, one of contemporary fiction’s most original writers makes you ponder matters of love and humanity, using the Catalan capital as an elegant backdrop.

Simon Humphreys

The Other Black Girl Zakiya Dalila Harris Bloomsbury €19

Nella has a coveted but menial job as an editorial assistant in a New York publishing firm. She’s grown accustomed to being the only black person in the room, when along comes Hazel-May: cool, poised, but is she really an ally? Before Nella can decide, she receives an anonymous note telling her to quit and promptly becomes enmeshed in a high-stakes conspiracy. Suspenseful and satirical, this bold debut lightly imparts some damning reflections.

Hephzibah Anderson

True Crime Story Joseph Knox

Doubleday €18 Knox tears up the rulebook for his new novel, the story of Manchester student Zoe Nolan: missing presumed dead. It’s told after the fashion of a true crime TV series, as a succession of interviewees gradually reveal Zoe’s troubled tale. It’s too long, and the journey is more exciting than the eventual denouement, but this is still a bravura performance; its darkness leavened by some very black humour.