THE BEST NEW FICTION

The Strays Of Paris

Jane Smiley Mantle £16.99 Bear with me when I say that Paras, the heroine of Pulitzerwinner Smiley’s latest novel, is a horse – a talking horse – because this fanciful fable is as delightful as it is surprising. A thoroughbred on the run in Paris, Paras pals up with a stray dog, a crow and a quarrelsome pair of mallards. When an orphaned eightyear-old boy takes an interest in them, the stage is set for a joyfully escapist celebration of friendship and freedom.