BOOK OF THE WEEK
REELING after the
2011 tsunami in Japan, mourners journey to a phone box in a garden to speak to loved ones lost.
Inspired by the true story of the wind phone set up in Iwate in Japan, Laura Imai Messina’s novel explores how grief and love intertwine, and the slow journey towards healing after a tragedy.
Two of those struck by loss are Yui, whose daughter and mother died in the tsunami, and Takeshi, who lost his wife.
The pair are slowly and delicately drawn together by their fascination with Bell Gardia, the mysterious garden perched on a hill, battered by the wind.
Their longing is anchored to reality by the lists of everyday things – snacks, conversations, bookmarks and clothes – with which Messina punctuates their ruminations. A quiet, elegantly told story of how life goes on after loss. by Louise Candlish, Simon and Schuster UK, £14.99 (ebook £4.99)
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IF you’re not already a Louise Candlish fan, you soon will be. Set around an unusual commute, The Other Passenger explores the complexities of money and relationships, age and ambition.
An unlikely foursome are drawn together in a little pocket of south-east London, and in doing so, fully realise the housing, wage,
TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH
By Gilly Macmillan, Century, £12.99 (ebook £7.99) HHHHH A CRIME novel narrated by a fictional crime writer, who finds herself living through the real-life murder of her husband; Gilly Macmillan’s latest is a surreal, multi-layered thriller, interlacing dark secrets, missing children and guarded neighbours.
Running two missing persons class and lifestyle divides.
Candlish’s first-person narrative plunges you bodily into the story from the start, propelled by a mounting sense of dread that swirls like an undercurrent of the meticulously layered plot. The realism of her characters makes this thriller feel more like a true-crime documentary than a work of fiction
The suspense is maddening, and the conclusion refreshing, with plenty of twists to keep you hooked until the last page.
cases alongside a fictional bestselling book series,
To Tell You The Truth looks set to blow the crime fiction genre wide open.
Lucy Harper is a relatable protagonist, haunted by her past and possessed by her alter ego/imaginary friend, Eliza. Macmillan is a master at winding up tension, but doesn’t quite deliver on the promise of an unforgettable psychological thriller.
HHHHH THE authors behind The Big Fat Activity Book For Pregnant People and The Big Activity Book for Anxious People, are back with this offering: Get Off Your Phone.
Packed with suggestions on ways to disconnect from your mobile device, this book – part journal, part colouring book – has some genuinely hilarious comments that anyone who has ever spent more time than they should on a mobile device will identify with.
The whole book won’t be relevant to everyone, but the majority of people will find something of interest, and in this age of reliance on phones and technology, it is probably a must have for some!
And for those adult-colouring addicts, the whole book is in black and white, so there’s plenty of opportunity to bust out the felt tips.