ELLE BOOK CLUB

Literary Editor Marta Bausells picks the books to devour this month

Our literary editor picks the eight reads to devour this month

MELMOTH

By Sarah Perry

In the new novel by the author of The Essex Serpent, legend has it that Melmoth is a tall, silent woman, condemned to walk the earth forever. When protagonist Helen finds a letter recording Melmoth’s sightings, her life changes irrevocably.

BRIDGE OF CLAY

By Markus Zusak

The long-awaited new novel by the author of The Book Thief follows five orphaned brothers who raise themselves, until their father comes back with an odd request. The narrative swings masterfully back and forth, featuring lots of art, literature and animals.

THE INFINITE BLACKTOP

By Sara Gran This is the smart and gritty story of Claire DeWitt, a private investigator who is on the run. A feminist take on Raymond Chandler, it’s the last in a trilogy, but a great standalone read and the best introduction to ‘hipster noir’.

TO OBAMA

By Jeanne Marie Laskas During the Obama era, millions of letters were sent to the White House, where staff and volunteers sorted through them and selected the ten he’d read that night. The heartbreaking, hope inducing letters tell the story of a nation.

GHOST WALL

By Sarah Moss It’s Nineties Northumberland, and 17- year-old Silvie is stuck in an experimental archaeology camp, living in an Iron Age hut. As a parallel story of a Bog girl surfaces, Silvie’s summer reaches a terrifying climax.

TIRZAH AND THE PRINCE OF CROWS

By Deborah Kay Davies This coming-of- age story is tender and addictive. Teenager Tirzah lives in a religious community in Seventies Wales, but falling in love makes her consider breaking free.

KILLING COMMENDATORE

By Haruki Murakami

A new Murakami book is always an event. This sprawling novel revolves around a painter who is separating from his wife. While staying at a famous artist’s house, he discovers a mysterious painting in the attic.

XX

By Angela Chadwick Rosie and Jules take part in a revolutionary clinical trial in which two women can have a baby without the involvement of men. They try to stay discreet, but someone leaks news of Rosie’s pregnancy and they become the centre of a media storm.