BOOKS OF THE WEEK
The Household by Stacey Halls
Manilla Press, £16.99 (ebook £12.99) Review by Eleanor Barlow
A cast of women, plucked from poverty and lives of crime are brought together under one roof in The Household, the latest offering from Stacey Halls. The residents, told to keep their past lives a secret, are offered a second chance – but when the reality of life in the isolated cottage sets in, not all are so sure it’s what they want. After the success of previous novels The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England, Halls is again inspired by real historical events. This time, the author focuses her attentions on Urania Cottage – a scheme set up in 1846 by author Charles Dickens and millionaire Angela Burdett-Coutts to offer refuge to ‘fallen’ women. Halls expertly weaves together the stories of all the women involved.
The Last Murder At The End Of The World by Stuart Turton
Raven Books, £20 (ebook £14) Review by Amanda Willard
Fans of Stuart Turton’s high-concept fiction will be familiar with his unique, carefully constructed mysteries, and this rollercoaster of a sci-fi/ detective tale might be the best one yet. On a peaceful Greek island, untouched by an apocalypse-causing fog, three scientists and a huddle of villagers uphold what’s left of humanity. But a shocking murder triggers a nail-biting countdown to save this haven from obliteration. Emory is tasked with unmasking the killer, battling to unlock motives in time to reveal the culprit. Turton’s ability to build an alluring world of detailed ideas is astounding. You’ll feel the warm breeze as you’re swept along to a showstopping conclusion.
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko Dialogue Books, £18.99 (ebook £11.49) Review by Prudence Wade
Memory Piece starts in the early 1980s with Giselle Chin – an Asian American teenager who feels out of place in New Jersey and wants more out of life. That’s a common thread throughout this moving book of three parts – first we spend time with Giselle, then we visit her friend Jackie in the Nineties, as a coder in an ever-changing world. Finally comes the third friend, Ellen, as an elderly woman in the mid-21st century – still holding on to her cooperative living despite the dystopian disaster around her. While the third part does feel like a bit of an extreme departure, Lisa Ko has crafted a touching story, exploring themes of belonging, creativity, tech and more. It’s sure to become a modern classic.
The Chain: The Relationships That Break Us, The Women Who Rebuild Us by Chimene Suleyman W&N, £18.99 (ebook £11.49) Review by Prudence Wade
The story of The Chain is shocking, made even worse in being a real story. Chimene Suleyman’s memoir centres on a failed relationship, which culminated with her getting an abortion and him brutally leaving her alone at the clinic. As the story unfolds, it turns out he was a pathological liar and manipulator, and had treated scores more women in similarly horrific ways. These women find each other through social media, and the victims form a ‘chain’ and find themselves bound together. It’s a searing look at misogyny and the treatment of women, but with a meandering and somewhat jumbled through-line.