POIGNANT YET HOPEFUL
Water by John Boyne (£12.99, HB, Transworld)
Boyne not only opens up conversations, he writes beautifully and sensitively. Water is the first part of a novella quartet. In it Boyne unravels the past of Vanessa Carvin, a woman who arrives on a remote island having fled Dublin, cut her hair and changed her name. As Vanessa faces up to demons of the past she questions just how complicit she was in what went before. This novella feels hopeful despite the difficult subject.
A HERO RETURNS
Tackle! by Jilly Cooper (£22, HB, Transworld)
Inspired by a lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson, Cooper’s new novel tackles the money, passion and politics also revisits Rutshire characters fans will know like old friends, and introduces an array of players and WAGS.
