5 new books to read this week

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess and The Fire by Daniela Krien.

5 great reads (Composite/PA)

Cecilia Rabess has written one of the most highly anticipated debuts of the year…

Fiction

1. Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess is published in hardback by Picador, priced £16.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now

Cecilia Rabess’s debut novel Everything’s Fine has already caused quite a stir online. If it isn’t already at the top of your summer reading list, then it should be. To call it a romance would do the novel a disservice – it is much more complex than that. It highlights a necessary and familiar debate – how do you square the circle of having vastly different political beliefs to your loved ones? Jess – who is black – and Josh – who is white – first meet at university, and once again when they start working at Goldman Sachs. Their working relationship blossoms into a friendship and then, inevitably, a relationship. The novel attempts to reckon with America’s not too distant past and shows the polarisation experienced by American society in the dawn of the Trump age with the eventual strain in the protagonists’ relationship. Intensely readable and relatable, with snappy, smart dialogue, you will stay up to the wee hours devouring this.10/10(Review by Lauren Gilmour)

2. The Fire by Daniela Krien is published in hardback by MacLehose Press, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now

Don’t go into The Fire expecting a fast-paced, plot-driven book – instead, it’s a deeply engaging look at one woman’s experience of middle age. Set over three weeks in a remote country house in Germany, Rahel finds herself at a crossroads with her husband Peter: does she still love him? Does he still want her? This is a subdued book, but that doesn’t make it any less captivating. Through Rahel’s not always likeable but very realistic perspective, we learn about her complex relationship with her children and the changing world around her as someone who grew up in a divided Germany. It’s beautifully written, subtle and shines a light on the feelings and desires of middle-aged women – a group too often ignored.8/10(Review by Prudence Wade)

3. The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan is published in hardback by Sphere, priced £14.99 (ebook £8.49). Available now

Third-generation pilot Morag is ticking off what she’s internalised as a good life: a nice boyfriend, a well-paid promotion and the glamour of long haul. Then her Scottish roots call her home for one last job for her family-owned, island-hopping flight path. Jenny Colgan’s portrayal of the highland archipelago is beautifully done, while the characterisation has real warmth, and Morag comes alive when she finds herself off-the-grid – and at the mercy of nature – on the island of Inchborn. The Summer Skies takes at least 100 pages to draw you in but when it finally does, it’s full of comedic details, thought-provoking questions about identity, inner strength and life’s pivotal moments. The ending may have that romantic-comedy predictability but you’ll be racing through the pages to get there nonetheless – and possibly booking a holiday to the northern Scottish islands too.7/10(Review by Lauren Taylor)

Non-fiction

4. This Is Not America: Why Black Lives In Britain Matter, by Tomiwa Owolade is published in hardback by Atlantic Books, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available June 22

This Is Not America starts strongly, with a few compelling points – too long has racism in Britain seen through an American lens, which is unhelpful as the black British experience is vastly different to the black American; and the black British experience is varied and cannot be reduced to one homogenised story. Owolade then goes onto explore this in a bit more detail – looking at racism in America, where black people largely trace their roots back to violence and slavery, compared to the UK, where black communities broadly come from peaceful immigration. While Owolade makes sure to emphasise he doesn’t want to diminish racism in the UK, some readers might find certain points somewhat controversial, such as Owolade suggesting the incident at a Buckingham Palace event where Ngozi Fulani was asked repeatedly where she’s really from wasn’t necessarily racism.6/10(Review by Prudence Wade)

Children’s book of the week

5. The Family Tree By Kate Ferdinand, illustrated by Emma Randall, is published in paperback by Puffin, priced £7.99 (ebook £5.99). Available now

Ex-TOWIE star and wife of Rio, Kate Ferdinand presents her first children’s book, The Family Tree. This preschool age picture book offers a gentle introduction to the often tricky topic of blended families through a soothing story about fairies, with helpful tips at the end. Brother and sister, Ash and Willow, live harmoniously with their dad, until Dad’s new friend Hazel enters the picture and they worry she is starting to take the place of their beloved mum, who they miss greatly. Especially when Hazel wants to help them bake – the thing their mum loved most. Ferdinand has clearly reflected on her own experiences – as viewed in the BBC documentary Rio And Kate: Becoming A Stepfamily – and it’s a sensitively written book as a result. Though the ‘fairies baking’ subject matter may be a bit too saccharine (and overdone) for even a preschool audience, the book is sweet and helpful nonetheless.6/10(Review by Holly Cowell)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JUNE 17

HARDBACK (FICTION)1. The Making Of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks2. A Death In The Parish by Reverend Richard Coles3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros4. Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang5. Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch6. Happy Place by Emily Henry7. Atlas: The Story Of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker8. Killing Moon by Jo Nesbo9. The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson10. The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)1. 1964: Eyes Of The Storm by Paul McCartney2. The Extra Mile by Kevin Sinfield3. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken4. The Future Of Geography by Tim Marshall5. Surviving To Drive by Guenther Steiner6. Hitler, Stalin, Mum And Dad by Daniel Finkelstein7. Pageboy by Elliot Page8. The Wager by David Grann9. Unbreakable by Ronnie O’Sullivan10. Johnson At 10 by Anthony Seldon & Raymond Newell(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)1. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken2. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver3. Act Of Oblivion by Robert Harris4. Atomic Habits by James Clear5. Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch6. No Sweet Sorrow by Denzil Meyrick7. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus8. Spare by The Duke of Sussex9. Mythos by Stephen Fry10. Choose Your Enemies by Sandy Mitchell(Compiled by Audible)