After a shocking family revelation, Eilish returns to Ireland, 20 years after leaving to start a new life in America, and immerses herself once again in the small town where she grew up. A magnificent, involving tale of friendship, filial ties, love and regret.
After waving goodbye to an old friend, Khaled walks across his adoptive city reflecting on the twists of fortune that have determined their lives. A beguiling novel of exceptional depth and beauty which examines the impact of exile with wisdom and compassion.
First published in 1947, this exquisite novel charts the events of one hot summer’s day as Laura and Stephen attempt to re-navigate their life together after the upheaval of war. Breathtaking writing, subtle and perceptive.
Published 28th August
Tender and deeply affecting story of a mixed race scholarship boy who yearns to become an actor, and of his mother, a single parent and talented seamstress equally determined to follow her own path.
A gripping tale of passion based on the daily letters of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, detailing his affair with the much younger Venetia Stanley, as the country slides towards the First World War.
Rocky and her husband are on their annual holiday at a house on the beach with their grown-up children and elderly parents, but this year, amid the usual chaos, there’s an added sense that they are all on the brink of change. Full of humour, warmth and emotional insight.
Helen, an art therapist at a psychiatric hospital, learns that a talented but mute artist has been living as a recluse for decades. Together with her colleague Gil, a doctor with progressive ideas and methods, she determines to uncover the artist’s story.
Subtle but stunning novel in which a woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the landscape of her childhood, seeking solace in the quiet contemplation of human relationships and the nature of friendship, forgiveness and redemption.
Published 7th August
Stunned by a revelation about her husband, Eliza is forced to reconfigure her future and start afresh. Swapping the family home for a hotel room, she sets about earning a living. A life- affirming tale of resilience set in 1960s Texas.
Lucy Barton, newly settled in Maine, meets obstinate, 90-year-old Olive Kitteridge, now in a care home, and they form a friendship trading stories of the ‘unrecorded lives’ of the people they know. Poignant, funny, full of sharp and wise observations, dramatic and emotional.
Set in 19th-century Scandinavia, a poignant story of a Sami reindeer herder and the daughter of a devout Lutheran pastor whose love throws into stark relief the differences in their cultures and the effect of religious colonialism.
In Montana, degenerate poet Tom meets Polly, a mail-order bride disappointed with her husband, and sparks fly. They steal a horse and a lot of money and head west. A lively, captivating yarn, elegantly told.
Published August 14th
50-year-old Steven, his marriage in trouble, seeks out friends, family members and former colleagues of his father, who left when he was 12, in an attempt to understand his own emotional life. Sensitive and engaging.
The Smith siblings farm quietly while troops train on the nearby beaches preparing for war in Europe. Then one night a German soldier washes up, confirming their fears that U-boats lurk offshore.
Smart, witty story of a young civil servant tasked with gathering figures from history to test whether time travel is feasible. Her particular charge is a Victorian polar explorer ready to embrace the challenges of running a time travel agency. Inventive and riotously entertaining.
Booker shortlisted debut novel which explores the Netherlands’ failure to reckon with the fate of Dutch Jews: told through the lives, secrets and complicities of two families. Eloquently written, full of passion, with surprising and chilling twists.