Books to read

by Sana Krasikov

The story of immigrants fleeing their motherlands for the wealthier West is a pertinent one for our times. However, in The Patriots, the impressive debut novel from Sana Krasikov, the tables are turned. Florence Fein is a New Yorker, an idealist who turns her back on capitalist America and sets sail in 1934 for Stalin's Soviet Union, seduced by its classless society, gender equality, and for love. When Moscow chips at Florence's perceived idyll, it's too late to leave. Krasikov, who grew up in the Republic of Georgia and is a resident of the US, has done her history homework: The Patriots is both detailed and sweeping in its storytelling. It weaves between Florence and her son, Julian (who provides a second thread in Putin's modern-day Russia) to expose the consequences of the mother's actions on her child. Like the classic Russian novel, this is a multi-generational political thriller. It journeys through the terror and espionage of Stalin's purges to the gulags of the Cold War. But it is the nitty-gritty of life in Moscow, the doublethink and double-crossing, that shows how well researched and written The Patriots is. In fact, it is a masterclass in historical fiction.

A Natural

by Ross Raisin

Football might be our national sport, but relatively few books are dedicated to the beautiful game. Even scarcer are those set in English football's lower rungs, where the high-performance training grounds of the Premier League are replaced by school gyms, and packed stadiums give way to shed stands. It's here in League Two that acclaimed British author Ross Raisin sets his new novel, A Natural. Tom Pearman, a once-promising England youth player is coming to terms with a new life at Town, a club languishing at the bottom of the table, and with his own sexuality. This is matched with the struggles of Leah Easter, the captain's wife, who realises her own dreams have been substituted for her husband's career. Unlike his lyrical debut God's Own Country, Raisin relies on bare, stripped-back prose to allow Tom's sense of displacement to fully amplify. There are visceral moments, on and off the pitch, but A Natural's storytelling purposely avoids Messi-like flourishes, meaning it can often feel like sitting in the gods at a stadium, away from the action, instead of being immersed on the sidelines. Raisin should be applauded for tackling sexuality in football, however, and A Natural will find loyal fans across the sports and LGBQT divide.

A Simple Favour

by Darcey Bell

Hot on the heels of thrillers like Gone Girl, The Girl On The Train and Lie With Me, is another domestic thriller with unreliable narrators. This debut, written by Chicago-based pre-school teacher Bell, is based around the story of two best friends, a widow and stay-at-home mum blogger, Stephanie and a successful and glamorous PR executive, Emily, whose five-year-old sons are best friends. When Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her son from school, she agrees but she doesn't come back and Emily knows she would never leave her son. Whilst this thriller is fast-moving, readable and packed with betrayal, secrets and plenty of twists and turns, it fell short for me. Stephanie and her blog were very two-dimensional and not believable and parts of the plot felt forced and too far-fetched. With so many brilliant thrillers on the market at the moment, this was disappointing.

Common Ground: A Political Life

by Justin Trudeau

In the era of the Trump presidency in the US and with right-wing parties on the rise across Europe, the politics of fear and division have become increasingly prevalent. Yet almost at the same time, Canada elected Justin Trudeau its new Prime Minister. An advocate for liberalism, equality and tolerance, Trudeau's kinder approach to leadership has attracted a lot of interest, as well as an international fan base. His book, Common Ground, could therefore not have come at a more relevant time. Although sold as an autobiography, it is clear this is also Trudeau's attempt to reinforce his stance on immigration, as he comments that, "Canada is perhaps the only country on Earth that is strong because of our differences, not despite them". But it is also the perfect political narrative, covering Trudeau's extraordinary childhood as the son of Canada's former Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau. The politician provides frank and honest accounts of personal experiences, such as his relationship with his mother and her battle with mental health issues, as well as the tragic loss of his brother, Michel. That said, these moments of fragility are rather fleeting, and on the whole Trudeau's wholesomeness and self-assured demeanour can be a little tedious. Common Ground is certainly essential reading, but by no means a gripping page-turner.