We have shortlisted some potential books for Januarys BOTM. Please vote below for your favourite.
We will make the final decision at Book Club on the 3rd January!
The Bee Sting – Paul Murray
A funny, thought-provoking story of the once wealthy Barnes family whose world is falling apart post financial crash of 2008. Set in Ireland the story follows each member of the family with hilarious observations exploring each character and their hidden demons whilst ultimately asking the question of whether we can ever truly change our course in life.
Style: Realistic Fiction, shortlisted for the Booker Prize
Yellowface – Rebecca F Kuang
The story follows June Hayward, an aspiring author with a mediocre debut, and her friend Athena Liu, a literary darling who has just signed a deal with Netflix. Athena dies in a freak accident presenting June with an opportunity to steal her friends manuscript and passing it off as her own.
Style: Satirical fiction
The Fraud – Zadie Smith
The first historical novel by Zadie Smith. Housekeeper Mrs Eliza Touchet is a woman of many interests but also sceptical of England being a land of façades. Andrew Bogle meanwhile grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica. He knows that the rich deceive the poor. And that people are easily manipulated.
Set in 1873 the whole of England is captivated by the Tichborne Trial and the case of imposture. In a world of hypocrisy and self-deception, deciding what is real proves a complicated task, but as a a star witness Bogle knows his future depends on telling the right story.
Style: Historical fiction
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
The story revolves around a love triangle between Sadie, Sam, and Marx, who meet as children in a hospital where Sadie’s sister is being treated for leukaemia and Sam is recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash. The trio later develops a video game together, which becomes a smash hit. However, as their success grows, so does the complexity of their lives. The novel explores the complex technological challenges, the inherent sexism of the games business, and the compromises involved in meeting the demands of publishers.
Style: Romantic fiction
January Book of the Month
The Bee Sting
Yellowface
The Fraud
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
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