A twist in the tale
Strange goings-on fire the imagination in Eithne Farry’s new fiction selection
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi (Picador, £16.99)
Riffing on the fairy tale of Hansel And Gretel, Helen oyeyemi tells the strange, marvellously meandering story of Perdita Lee and her mother Harriet. Harriet makes gingerbread that tastes like “eating revenge… with darts of heat, spice and salt” while Perdita attempts to uncover the truth about her mother’s past and the identity of her father. oyeyemi’s tale features rich benefactors, changelings, imaginary countries and lifelike dolls who offer advice on uncanny situations and difficult emotions. Elegant and original.
Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-goff (Tinder Press, £12.99)
orpen is wandering the ruined landscape of post-apocalyptic Ireland with a dog called Danger and her guardian Maeve who’s been bitten by the deadly skrakes – zombielike menaces. Lonely, afraid but with a raft of survival skills learned from her dead mother, she hopes to discover the legendary city of Phoenix and a cure for Maeve before she turns into a flesh-eating zombie. This pacy debut marries glimmering prose to a gripping plot.
2. Name The Altruists by Andrew Ridker (Jonathan Cape, £16.99)
The Alters are dysfunctional and adrift. Disgruntled dad Arthur is in a testy relationship with a younger colleague and estranged from his children Ethan and Maggie who are still grieving the death of their therapist mother, Francine. Ethan is reclusive and debt ridden, Maggie is living a life of self-imposed poverty and Arthur is hoping to get their inheritance to save the old family home. This tragicomedy wittily explores old wounds, new grievances and hard-won wisdom.
The Snakes by Sadie Jones (Chatto & Windus, £14.99)
bea and Dan are recently married and in love but low on funds. So they rent out their small London flat and head to burgundy where bea’s reckless brother runs a hotel. The hotel is empty and Alex is behaving erratically. The situation deterioriates further with the arrival of the siblings’ parents who are rich, charming, abusive and secretive. Jones writes tautly on the warped emotional dynamics but when tragedy strikes, a promising premise explodes into unconvincing violent melodrama.