With so much going on in the country and around the world, it is safe to say that everybody needs to escape from reality once in a while. What better way to escape than with these great novels for you this winter!
Gillian Flynn – Sharp Objects
The author of the very popular Gone Girl, tells a very gripping story about a reporter (Camille Preaker) who has to return home after many years, to work on a story about the murders of two preteen girls. She is forced to revisit her own past. As she opens up old wounds and unravels her own psychological past, the more she identifies with the victims the deeper she goes into her past and has to deal with her own unresolved psychological past.
Maylis de Kerangal (Translated by Sam Taylor) – The Heart (Mend The Living)
Originally written in French, winner of the Welcome Book Prize 2017, The Heart is centred around a heart transplant between a dying woman and a teenager killed in a car accident. The story looks at the lives of all those involved, including nurses, doctors and family members. The book presents grief and suffering in the most poetic way through its long sentence structures and vocabulary; however, by no means does it romanticise the idea of death or grief.
Liane Moriarty – Big Little Lies
From the author of My Husband’s Secret and Truly Madly Guilty, this book follows the lives of three mothers who become acquainted due to the fact that their youngest kids are in the same kindergarten class. They are all fighting their own demons and have their own little lies that they tell not only to themselves but to each other. Soon enough, dark secrets are brought to light and the false pretence of perfect marriages, perfect family, and perfect life is soon exposed and the lies turn lethal.
Margot Lee Shetterly – Hidden Figures
By now you have already heard of the movie, Hidden Figures, that was an adaptation of the novel by best-seller author Shetterly. This is a true story of three African-American mathematicians, Katherine G. Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan who were key players in the American space programme at the time John Glenn was sent into outer space. This is the untold story about the unsung heroes of a very important part of American history. A very inspiring read.
Sarah Dunn – The Arrangement
A take on modern-day middle-aged marriages. A hilarious, emotional and poignant story about a couple that decides to spice up their marriage and embark on an open marriage. What could possibly go wrong, you think? All your answers are in this captivating piece of work by Dunn, who is also the creator of the hit TV show, American Housewife.
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