NON-FICTION Simply W&H LOVES
HEARTBREAK AND HOPE
Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke, (£12.74, HB, Little, Brown) Palliative care nurse Rachel Clarke worked on COVID wards during the first wave of the pandemic, caring for the gravely ill and acting as a conduit between patients and their anxious families. This is her story of what it was like to face a contagious killer from inside the NHS, how staff coped, and the fears of those caught up in the crisis. While it is devastating, it also speaks of hope, enduring love and courage.
IDENTITY SEARCH
Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu, (£10.39, HB, Sceptre)
This is one of the best non-fiction books on the theme of identity. Nadia Owusu was two when her mother fled Tanzania, leaving her behind, and just a teenager when her father died. Owusu felt adrift and moved from country to country, mastering new languages and forging new identities. It was perhaps inevitable that she would crack. This tells how she came through the other side, and what she has learnt about the world and her place in it.
HISTORY LESSON
House Of Glass by Hadley Freeman (£8.19, PB,
Fourth Estate) Author Freeman finds a shoebox full of secrets in the back of her French grandmother’s wardrobe. What follows is a decade-long hunt for the truth about Sala Glass and her siblings, Henri, Jacques and Alex, which took Freeman from Paris to a remote farmhouse in Auvergne, to Long Island and Auschwitz, as she pieces together clues in photographs, letters, and an unpublished memoir. One of the best non-fiction books we've read.
CRISIS COMEDY
The Best Things by Mel Giedroyc (£9.09, HB, Headline Review)
As one would expect from the popular comedian, Mel’s first work of fiction is brimming with hilarious scenes and one-liners. But it is also a redemptive book, and one of hope. We meet its protagonist, Sally Parker, at a time in her life when she’s wealthy – and because of that has pressed the snooze button on her life. But what happens to an ordinary woman, wife and mum when the bottom falls out? A warm, honest and humorous look at a family and what really matters in life.
FATHER’S QUEST
Until Next Weekend by Rachel Marks (£6.15, PB, Penguin)
Noah’s biggest regret is the day his wife Kate walked out with their two boys, who he now sees only at weekends. He decides he will do whatever it takes to get her and his boys back. The problem is, she is due to get married in six weeks. This emotional story has sad moments, but Marks’ lightness of touch and authentic dialogue propel you forward.
INTERLOCKING LIVES
Love In Five Acts by Daniela Krien (£11.99, HB, MacLehose Press) This portrait of five women is utterly captivating. Each chapter is devoted to one woman and each life overlaps with another. Paula finds love after losing her child. Judith looks online for a partner, while Brida juggles writing and family life. Sisters Malika and Jorinda seek happiness against a backdrop of post-unification divisions.