BOOKS OF THE WEEK
The Gallopers by Jon Ransom
Muswell Press, £14.99 (ebook £9.99) Review by Hannah Colby
Set against the bleak and unforgiving backdrop of post-war North Norfolk, The Gallopers is the tale of young man’s quest to discover the truth about his mother’s disappearance and navigate the treacherous tides of love and betrayal. When Jimmy Smart, a tight-lipped showman, arrives at the barn owned by Eli’s aunt, Eli is plunged into uncharted waters – and he finds that he is soon out of his depth Moving between the grim reality of 1953 to a fictional arena in the Aids epidemic of 1988, The Gallopers explores the social stigma of forbidden love. Jon Ransom has crafted a story of discovery and loss, the circularity of life and the shockwaves which ripple out from the centre of tragedy.
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett Jonathan Cape, £16.99 (ebook £8.99) Review by Ian Parker
Wild Houses is the debut novel of renowned short story writer Colin Barrett. Set in rural Ireland, the open countryside offers not freedom, but entrapment. Local drug dealers Gabe and Sketch choose to pursue a debt by abducting Doll, the brother of the man who owes them. There is comedy in the incompetence of how this clumsy act of criminality plays out, but what Wild Houses is really about is the interconnectedness and over-familiarity of small communities, and the impossibility of escaping judgment and escaping demons. Barrett tells this tale with his extraordinary eye for detail, which elevated his short stories, and his lyrical talent for description.
Come And Get It by Kiley Reid
Bloomsbury Publishing, £16.99 (ebook £11.89) Review by Prudence Wade
Kiley Reid’s follow-up to smash hit Such A Fun Age feels a lot more pedestrian. Like her previous book, it follows multiple perspectives – this time we have Millie, a black woman researching at a university; Agatha Paul, a white visiting professor who has just gone through a break-up; and Kennedy, a white student struggling to fit in. The loose story arc is Agatha paying Millie to listen in on some of the other students’ conversations, which she then writes up as first person-style money stories for Teen Vogue – and the two soon fall into some kind of a relationships Reid writes characters well and it’s engaging, but the plot is a bit meandering – while readable, it leaves you wondering what the point was.
Fluid: A Fashion Revolution by Harris Reed Quadrille, £35 (ebook £17.99) Review by Prudence Wade
Fluid is a stunning book, full of pictures of designer Harris Reed’s opulent clothes – worn by Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Sam Smith, Iman and more. It’s gorgeous – but is also so much more than just a coffee table book. It’s part-autobiography, part-fashion manifesto – tracking Reed’s journey discovering fashion as means of armour and creativity, while also highlighting why style shouldn’t be constrained by stereotypical ideas around gender. It dives into the history of gender fluidity in fashion, making for an infinitely readable and powerful book. Reed is fast becoming one of the most prominent names in fashion, and this is the perfect window into his world.