March’s GREAT READS

Our fabulous books editor Isabelle Broom gives us her picks for the month, plus bestselling author Tana French shares her writing secrets

PICK of the MoNth

If Only I Could

Tell You by hannah Beckerman (orion) it’s been 30 years since Audrey’s family was shattered by tragedy. Her daughters, Jess and lily, no longer speak. Now, however, with death galloping up to meet her, Audrey finds it impossible to ignore the past any longer. Determined to heal the rift between the sisters, Audrey attempts to right the wrongs – but is she ready to confront her own ghosts? A compelling yet tender tale.

GRIPPING DRAMA

The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood by Susan Elliot Wright (Simon & Schuster) From the very first page of this mesmerising novel, you know life has gone seriously awry for Cornelia Blackwood – and things get steadily worse from there on in. Why are her friends unable to look her in the eye, and why did her husband lie about where he was going? The truth, as it emerges, is as heartbreaking as it is captivating, and you’re left with no choice but to put life on hold while you race to the end.

sPeLLBINDING DeBUt

The Familiars by Stacey halls (Zaffre) set in 1612 against the backdrop of the Pendle witch trials, Fleetwood shuttleworth is pregnant for the fourth time but the 17-year-old is yet to become a mother. Fearing for her own and her unborn child’s life, she enlists the help of a local midwife, Alice Gray. When the young woman’s mysterious remedies bring her under suspicion of witchcraft, however, Fleetwood faces a tough choice, because saving Alice means risking herself…

eNGAGING eRotICIsM

Adèle By Leïla Slimani (Faber & Faber)

From the bestselling author of Lullaby comes this new and equally sharp-edged literary tale about love, desire and female sexuality. Adèle

appears to have it all – a loving husband, a young son and a beautiful apartment in Paris – but she is plagued by an ardent need to be wanted. This compulsion for sex leads Adèle towards a number of affairs, but the more she is gripped by her addiction, the closer she veers towards catastrophe. erotic fiction at its best.

teNDeR tALe

Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel by ruth hogan (two roads) Author Ruth Hogan’s debut The Keeper Of Lost Things was a huge hit, yet this, her third novel, resonates more enjoyably. Tilly relished every moment she spent at Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel in Brighton as a child, so when her mother moved her away to a bleak boarding school for no apparent reason, it had a marked effect on the once-bubbly girl. Now an adult, Tilda’s determined to return home, but is she ready for the truth that will follow?

MoVING MYsteRY

The Dreamers by

Karen thompson Walker (Scribner UK)

On a remote college campus in southern California, a female student falls asleep and does not wake up. Nobody can rouse her, and soon, others begin to succumb. The virus spreads rapidly and the area is quickly quarantined, leaving those trapped inside with a mystery to unravel. Told through the voices of several different characters in prose that is hauntingly beautiful, this is a story to let yourself get lost in.

WARtIMe ePIC

We Must be Brave by Frances Liardet

(Fourth Estate)

The year is 1940, and Britain is adjusting to the realities of war. When ellen finds fouryear-old Pamela abandoned on a bus, she feels compelled to take the girl into her home. As their bond strengthens, the idea of losing Pamela becomes increasingly abhorrent. But all is not fair in love and war. Be prepared to weep…