2024 Paperback Novels

There have been many excellent novels published in paperback this year, and Olivia and Eleanor are very good at creating piles of enticing books on the tables. Two that they have promoted which I have particularly loved are Alice Winn’s In Memoriam (even though I am not usually that keen on novels set in the First World War), and Angie Kim’s Happiness Falls which is full of interesting characters and ideas.

I have also, however, read some really good books which have been promoted less in the shop and which you may have missed. Here are some of my favourites:

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow’s All the Little Bird-Hearts was longlisted for the 2023 Booker. I greatly enjoyed this novel about an autistic woman being befriended by her neighbours and discovering that they are not entirely altruistic. A lovely protagonist and very readable.

Moving from England to Ireland, there is the highly engaging The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue. This tells us about the experiences of Rachel in her final year at university and in the years immediately after that. I especially liked the narrator’s reflections as she wrote about her younger self, and it was entertaining to read about her experiences working in a bookshop.

Amanda Craig portrays characters of all ages in the excellent Three Graces  which is set in Italy. I much appreciated the inclusion of some older women as major characters, and this novel is good at depicting both friendships and family relationships. Craig is also skilled at showing different attitudes in a sympathetic way.

There are some minor crime elements in Three Graces, but if you are looking for a psychological thriller I can recommend Una Mannion’s Tell Me What I Am which I loved. It is a very good novel about family which shows how an old crime can continue to affect people for years. I cared a lot about Ruby who grows up knowing that there is something distinctly odd about her life and her father. It is harrowing at times, but ultimately life-affirming. An impressive novel which deserved its place on the Encore prize’s shortlist, and which has been praised by many critics. Marian Keyes, for example, said: ‘The writing is beautiful, the emotions are conveyed exquisitely. There’s love here as well as pain’.

Another book with thriller elements is Bridge by Lauren Beukes in which a woman tries to find her ‘dead’ mother. This search involves short visits to parallel worlds but these worlds are very like our own so don’t be put off if you dislike fantasy/SF. This is a compelling read and I liked the way the novel moves around in time and between viewpoints. There is also some good consideration of ethics.

I could go on and on recommending books (such as Spufford’s wonderful Cahokia Jazz) but I will stop here. I am sure you can find something good to read among this year’s paperbacks.

Frances

(If you are interested in any of the books on this recommendations list, just give us an email and we’ll order them in for you!)