Reading Radar - Fresh Of The Press
The latest novels that should be on your radar this December
This December uncover a selection of novels fresh off the press that span genres ranging from historical fiction to contemporary literary works. Each addressing themes of identity, resilience, and the complexities of human relationships.
These books offer not only compelling stories, but also deep philosophical and emotional explorations of how people navigate their lives, identities, and relationships in a world full of societal expectations and personal challenges.
Unwrap new novels steeped in folklore and myth, embroiling yourself in new mysteries with dark academia at their core. Laugh out loud to mischievous moments where flawed characters, lean into the absurd and navigate the pressures of what it means to strive for perfection.
This incredible collection of novels enable you to traverse time and uncover experiences from 1930’s Japan, Ancient Greece and Russia. So sit down and reconnect with your favourite characters over a cup of coffee - but make sure it doesn’t get cold!
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Apartment Women By Gu Byeong-mo
Gu Byeong-mo weaves a chilling and poignant tale of urban alienation and hidden lives. Set against the backdrop of a high-rise apartment complex, this psychological novel explores the often-invisible lives of women whose stories are buried beneath the veneer of modernity and conformity.
The novel shifts perspectives between Junghee and other women in the complex, painting a kaleidoscopic portrait of modern femininity. Each woman’s narrative delves into her struggles with societal expectations, gender roles, and the suffocating isolation of urban life. Beneath the surface, a web of shared traumas and whispered conspiracies emerges, forcing the women to confront the darkness they’ve long tried to suppress.
Perfect for readers of Han Kang and Sayaka Murata, this haunting novel will stay with you long after the final page.
‘When Yojin moves with her husband and daughter into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments, she's ready for a fresh start. Located on the outskirts of Seoul, the experimental community is a government initiative designed to boost the national birth rate. Like her neighbours, Yojin has agreed to have at least two more children over the next ten years.
Yet, from the day she arrives, Yojin feels uneasy about the community spirit thrust upon her. Her concerns grow as communal child care begins and the other parents show their true colours. Apartment Women traces the lives of four women in the apartments, all with different aspirations and beliefs. Will they find a way to live peacefully? Or are the cultural expectations around parenthood stacked against them from the start?’
Purchase Apartment Women By Gu Byeong-mo and add it to your #tbr list here
White Mulberry By Rosa Kwon Easton
A poignant historical fiction novel inspired by the author’s grandmother's experiences during the turbulent era of Japanese-occupied Korea and World War II Japan. The story follows Miyoung, an ambitious Korean girl who dreams of becoming a teacher but faces the harsh realities of a colonised homeland and an increasingly oppressive Japan.
The novel delves deeply into themes of identity, motherhood, and resilience, vividly portraying the Korean immigrant experience during a fraught historical period. Praised for its rich historical detail and emotional resonance, White Mulberry has drawn comparisons to works like Min Jin Lee's Pachinko.
‘1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.
In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.
As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life - and the lives of those she loves - forever.’
Purchase White Mulberry By Rosa Kwon Easton and add it to your #tbr list here
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things By Naomi Wood
A provocative and darkly humorous short story collection exploring the complexities of contemporary womanhood, motherhood, and relationships. The stories delve into the lives of women navigating the pressure to succeed as parents, professionals, and partners while facing the societal expectations placed on them.
For example, “Wedding Day” features a woman sabotaging her ex's wedding as a form of personal closure. The protagonists often display subversive and morally ambiguous behavior, reflecting their struggles with societal and personal expectations.
This debut short story collection, written during the COVID-19 lockdowns, highlights the absurdities of striving for perfection in a flawed world.
‘In my life, I had always been a good woman; controlling what it was that I wanted. But recently, I had started to notice my bad energy, and I began to follow it, wondering where it would take me . . .
A woman has an unexpected outburst at a corporate therapy session for working mothers. A couple find some long-overdue time to rekindle their relationship and make an ill-advised home movie. A pregnant film director plots revenge on the actress who betrayed her. An ex-wife deliberately causes conflict at her ex-husband's wedding.
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things illuminates the lives of malicious, subversive and untamed women. Exploring failed sisterhood, dubious parenting and the dark side of modern love, this powerful and funny collection exposes how society wants women to behave, and shows what happens when they refuse.’
Purchase This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things By Naomi Wood and add it to your #tbr list here
Daughters Of Bronze By A. D. Rhine
Delve into this rich reimagining of the Trojan War, concluding the duology that began with Horses of Fire. This historical novel focuses on the women of Troy—Andromache, Helen, Cassandra, and Rhea—whose lives and actions are often sidelined in traditional tellings.
The narrative weaves their individual and interconnected stories. As Troy crumbles, these women emerge as key players in shaping its legacy. Andromache fights for the survival of her family, Cassandra grapples with her prophetic visions and their dismissal, Helen faces the fallout of her perceived culpability, and Rhea offers a fresh perspective tied to Troy's hidden myths. The novel reframes these iconic characters, giving voice to the unseen struggles and contributions of women in one of history's most enduring myths.
For readers who enjoyed Atalanta by Jennifer Saint & Circe By Madeline Miller.
‘After nearly ten years of grueling war and devastating siege, the Greek soldiers encamped on Troy's shores show no sign of tiring, and the Trojan people need some new source of hope. Andromache and Hector's newborn son is the sign the city needs that Troy and her people have a future.
Again, four women take center stage. Andromache, Helen, Rhea, Cassandra. Warrior, healer, spy, seer. These four women are bound together by fate and friendship, and together, they hold the fate of Troy in their hands. But they soon discover that their most dangerous enemies are not outside the gates. They are inside the city walls, in the highest seats of power, dangerous and devious, pulling the strings of the men entrusted with Trojan safety.
It is clear the devil is in in their midst, but can this unlikely alliance unmask him before his treachery brings an end to Troy?’
Purchase Daughters Of Bronze By A. D. Rhine and add it to your #tbr list here
City Of Night Birds By Juhea Kim
An evocative and complex exploration of the life of Natasha Leonova, a former world-renowned ballerina grappling with the aftermath of a devastating accident that ended her career. Set against the backdrop of the elite and competitive ballet world, the novel delves into Natasha's journey to reclaim her art, her identity, and her sense of self.
Rich with themes of art, ambition, and redemption, the novel also examines the intersections of personal truth and societal expectations, touching on Natasha’s strained familial bonds and the cost of achieving artistic excellence.
Juhea Kim vividly captures the beauty and brutality of the ballet world, infusing the narrative with symbolic imagery that deepen its emotional resonance. This sweeping story offers a meditation on love, forgiveness, and the price of living for one's passion.
‘A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love.
On a White Night in 2019, prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to St. Petersburg two years after a devastating accident that stalled her career. Once the most celebrated dancer of her generation, she now turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past.
She is unmoored in her old city as the ghosts of her former life begin to resurface: her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, and the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall.
One of those dancers, Alexander, is the love of her life, who transformed both Natalia and her art. The other is Dmitri, a dark and treacherous genius. When the latter offers her a chance to return to the stage in her signature role, Natalia must decide whether she can again face the people responsible for both her soaring highs and darkest hours.’
Purchase City Of Night Birds By Juhea Kim and add it to your #tbr list here
Before We Forget Kindness By Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The fifth instalment in the "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" series, set in a magical Tokyo café where patrons can travel through time under specific conditions. The stories revolve around individuals grappling with regrets and missed connections, seeking closure or peace through their brief time-travel experiences.
In this book, the café hosts four new visitors; A father struggling to accept his daughter’s marriage. A woman longing to deliver Valentine’s chocolates to someone special. A boy wishing to reunite his divorced parents with a smile and a mother yearning for her late husband to name their child.
Each tale examines the complex emotions tied to love, regret, and reconciliation, offering bittersweet insights into human relationships. Kawaguchi continues to blend whimsical storytelling with emotional depth, delivering another heartwarming and reflective addition to the series.
‘Curl up with the fifth book in the sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the cosy Tokyo café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:
- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
- A wife holding a child with no name . . .
They must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold.’
Purchase Before We Forget Kindness By Toshikazu Kawaguchi and add it to your #tbr list here
Graveyard Shift By M. L. Rio
Graveyard Shift is a Gothic novella that takes readers into a haunting world of mystery and suspense. Set in an ancient cemetery connected to a college campus, the story follows five night-shift workers - a bartender, a ride share driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of a decaying church, and the editor of the college paper. These individuals, each navigating their solitary nocturnal routines, stumble upon an inexplicable open grave one October evening.
As they investigate, the gravedigger returns, drawing the group into a chilling mystery linked to recent bizarre occurrences around town. The story unfolds over a single night, blending themes of camaraderie, dread, and the unsettling secrets that lurk beneath the surface of their lives.
‘Every night, in the college's ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.
One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn't there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?
Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks--and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.’
Purchase Graveyard Shift By M. L. Rio and add it to your #tbr list here
Blood Test By Charles Baxter
Blood Test is a sharp and humorous exploration of morality, identity, and free will, blending satire with heartfelt family dynamics. The protagonist, Brock Hobson, is a divorced, middle-aged insurance salesman and Sunday school teacher living in Kingsboro, Ohio. Brock’s seemingly ordinary life takes a surreal turn when he undergoes a novel blood test offered by a shady biotech firm, Generomics. This test predicts not just his health future but also behavioural tendencies—and Brock’s result labels him a future murderer.
As Brock grapples with the absurdity of the prediction, the novel delves into his struggles to maintain his identity amid societal and personal crises. His relationships with his children, his girlfriend Trey, and his ex-wife Cheryl are both humorous and poignant. The story balances screwball comedy and incisive critiques of profit-driven medicine and determinism.
Ultimately, Blood Test uses Brock’s predicament to explore themes of destiny versus choice, all while keeping readers laughing and reflecting on the complexities of human nature and modern institutions.
‘In this fresh take on love and trouble in America, Brock Hobson, an insurance salesman and Sunday-school teacher, finds his equilibrium disturbed by the results of a predictive blood test.
Baxter, a master storyteller, brings us a gradually building rollercoaster narrative, and a protagonist who is impertinent, searching, and hilariously relatable. From his good-as-gold, gentle girlfriend to the macho subcontractor guy his ex-wife left him for, not to mention his well-raised teenage kids, now exploring sex and sexuality, the secondary characters in Brock's life all contribute meaningfully to the drama, as increasing challenges to his sense of self and purpose crash over him.
The final battle—no spoilers, but there is one—couldn't be more delightful, as this quick and bracing novel reminds us to choose the best people to love, accept the ones we love even if we didn’t choose them, and love them all well.’
Purchase Blood Test By Charles Baxter and add it to your #tbr list here
Sister Snake By Amanda Lee Koe
A compelling novel that blends dark humour, emotion, and folklore to explore themes of sisterhood, identity, and societal constraints. The story revolves around two estranged sisters with a mystical secret: they were once snakes in ancient China, bound together under the light of a Tang Dynasty moon.
Inspired by the Chinese legend of the White Snake, the novel offers a modern twist, examining how societal expectations shape the ways people express their identities. The book delves into queerness, found family, assimilation, and the struggles of being authentically seen in a world demanding perfection. Its vibrant narrative moves between eras and continents, reflecting the sisters’ enduring yet fractious bond over centuries.
‘Sisterhood is difficult for Su and Emerald. Su leads a sheltered, moneyed life as the picture-perfect wife of a conservative politician in Singapore. Emerald is a nihilistic sugar baby in New York, living from whim to whim and using her charms to make ends meet. But they share a secret: once, they were snakes, basking under a full moon in Tang dynasty China.
A thousand years later, their mysterious history is the only thing still binding them together. When Emerald experiences a violent encounter in Central Park and Su boards the next flight to New York, the two reach a tenuous reconciliation for the first time in decades. Su convinces Emerald to move to Singapore so she can keep an eye on her--but she soon begins to worry that Emerald's irrepressible behavior will out them both, in a sparkling, affluent city where everything runs like clockwork and any deviation from the norm is automatically suspect.’
Purchase Sister Snake By Amanda Lee Koe and add it to your #tbr list here
The Voyage Home By Pat Barker
The third book in her reimagined Trojan War series, following The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy. This instalment continues to explore Greek myth from a feminist perspective, focusing on Cassandra, the Trojan prophetess cursed to be disbelieved, and her maid Ritsa as they navigate the perilous aftermath of Troy’s fall.
The narrative begins with Cassandra being taken to Mycenae as a concubine of King Agamemnon, with her prophetic warnings about the impending doom falling on deaf ears. Ritsa, both servant and observer, becomes central to the unfolding drama, which also includes Agamemnon’s troubled return to his wife, Queen Clytemnestra. The story delves into the haunting dynamics of power, retribution, and survival within the House of Atreus, a place marked by treachery and murder.
Barker’s writing combines historical detail and contemporary language, bringing depth to overlooked female perspectives in myth.
‘After ten blood-filled years, the war is over. Troy lies in smoking ruins as the victorious Greeks fill their ships with the spoils of battle.
Alongside the treasures looted are the many Trojan women captured by the Greeks – among them the legendary prophetess Cassandra, and her watchful maid, Ritsa. Enslaved as concubine – war-wife – to King Agamemnon, Cassandra is plagued by visions of his death – and her own – while Ritsa is forced to bear witness to both Cassandra’s frenzies and the horrors to come.
Meanwhile, awaiting the fleet’s return is Queen Clytemnestra, vengeful wife of Agamemnon. Heart-shattered by her husband’s choice to sacrifice their eldest daughter to the gods in exchange for a fair wind to Troy, she has spent this long decade plotting retribution, in a palace haunted by child-ghosts.
As one wife journeys toward the other, united by the vision of Agamemnon’s death, one thing is certain: this long-awaited homecoming will change everyone’s fates forever.’
Purchase The Voyage Home By Pat Barker and add it to your #tbr list here
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