The Outsider
by Stephen King
Terry Maitland is a respected townsman, high-school English teacher and Little League coach - and he's just been arrested in front of most of his small Oklahoma town's population, accused of committing a heinous crime - the rape, mutilation and murder of a young boy. Multiple witnesses say they saw him abduct the boy in his car. Only trouble is, Terry swears he was at a literary book festival an hour's drive away. And he too has multiple witnesses to back him up, and even video evidence of him at the Q&A session. Can a man really be in two places at once? And why is the town so quick to turn on Terry, who - up until now - was an incredibly popular, beloved local? King sets to explore the answers to both of these ambiguous questions as the novel unravels and, of course, exposes some shocking dark secrets behind many of the community's central characters. Brutally descriptive, this is not one for the faint-hearted, but for King fans, especially those who enjoyed his Mr. Mercedes detective series, The Outsider is a crime masterpiece that has you gripped throughout.
The Insomnia Museum
by Laurie Canciani
This is Welsh author Laurie Canciani's debut novel, but the ambition of her writing does not betray that. We first meet Anna and her father in their squalid flat as they collect and reconfigure odd items from outside. It becomes clear the father is deeply troubled, sunk in drugs and alcohol, and Anna is trapped in his world - she is not allowed to leave the flat. She loses her father in heart-rending fashion and is rescued by charismatic stranger Lucky, clearly troubled himself. Anna moves into Lucky's flat, with his wife - who has confined herself to bed - and son Tick. Tick and Anna begin to build a new life despite the circumstances, but must confront a horror story from the past that ties them together in ways they couldn't have known. Can two such young people navigate the very adult troubles they find themselves part of, or are we heading for further tragedy? Canciani has a distictive style that draws you into Anna's view of the world. She describes small details in a very tellng fashion, with some beautiful similies. That and the gritty story don't make The Insomnia Museum hard to read though. You will be gripped and deeply invested in Anna's fate.
Last Stories
by William Trevor
Released to commemorate what would have been the 90th birthday of the multiple award-winning writer, this collection of short stories shows Trevor's command of language and storytelling. The stories are at times beautiful and eerie, as in the mysterious piano-playing prodigy with a tendency to make things disappear, but also provide moving depictions of ordinary lives, such as the woman aching for romance with her former tutor, only to find it is not as she imagined. At times, Trevor leaves you aching for a resolution that will never be provided, both for reader and character, showcasing his ability to bring out the emotion and desolation in the ordinariness of life. This gorgeous collection shows a fine author with complete mastery of his craft.
White Rabbit, Red Wolf
by Tom Pollock
Tom Pollock, whose novel White Rabbit, Red Wolf represents a first foray into young adult fiction following his Skyscraper Throne trilogy, has a deep personal association with mental health issues and represents the support network TalkLife. In White Rabbit, his protagonists - twins Pete and Bel - are both afflicted with ailments that set them apart from other teenagers. When their mother is stabbed and left for dead, it befalls maths prodigy Pete to discover who is responsible, while simultaneously searching for his missing sister. What begins as a familiar tale of juvenile angst develops into a spy thriller with well-imagined science fiction elements that force the reader to re-evaluate the reality of the opening chapters. At times dark and gory and illustrated with strong language, Pollock's paranoid world has real substance thanks to his skilful development of the characters. The dialogue is often needlessly verbose and philosophical - his leads are 17 - but given the context, it works more often than not. Fans of the Bourne series, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time and all stories where everything is not as it seems will lap it up.
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