One Day I Shall Astonish The World by Nina Stibbe

VIKING, £14.99 (EBOOK £9.99)

Nina Stibbe’s quirky tale of long-time ‘frenemies’, Susan and Norma, provides a much-needed dose of comic relief in these unrelentingly grim times. Starting from their first meeting in their early 20s, when Susan takes a job in Norma’s parents’ haberdashery shop, it follows the pair through 30 years dotted with marriages, kids, career quandaries, vandalised caravans, outdoor sex and a landslide. As the years go by and the unspoken rivalries between the women deepen, Susan is left wondering whether they’re really friends at all. It all makes for a deeply entertaining novel with hilarious, bizarre and laugh-out-loud moments.