Five new books to read this week

By Prudence Wade, Press Association

This week, a hugely popular French children’s book is translated into English…

Fiction

1. Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh is published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton. Available now

Clara and Francis are having an affair. But when they wake up in a strange city where they can live as lovers instead of hiding in the shadows, it seems, for a little while, as if their secret, silent prayers have been answered. Yet as time passes, and the cracks in their relationship begin to mirror the cracks in their apartment ceiling, they begin to ask themselves whether their idealised version of happiness has any foundation and whether they truly would give anything to remain in their transient paradise. Thoughtful and provocative, sparing yet deeply emotive, Permanence addresses the blurring of the lines between love and desire, reality and disconnect, and reminds us that the granting of wishes comes at a cost.
8/10
(Review by Hannah Colby)

2. The Body Builders by Albertine Clarke is published in hardback by Corsair. Available April 9th

Sometimes stress and trauma can make us want to depart our bodies and escape to a safe place, while those left behind continue to suffer. In The Body Builders, the debut novel from London-born Albertine Clarke – now based in New York – Ada is a lonely young adult still coming to terms with her parents’ abrupt divorce. Her father has devoted himself to bodybuilding and her relationship with her mother is deeply strained. One day Ada meets a mysterious man named Atticus at a swimming pool and their strange interactions lead to a surreal unravelling of her reality; she is eventually transported to another realm while the shell of Ada remains in limbo back on earth. Ambitious, imaginative and accomplished, this feverish tale is an allegory for the isolation of modern life and the pain felt by fractured families.
7/10
(Review by James Cann)

3. To The Moon And Back by Eliana Ramage is published in hardback by Doubleday. Available now

This densely detailed account of a girl who wants to be an astronaut, but who must fray her relationships to become one, is a somewhat difficult read. After murkily fleeing from their father, Steph and her little sister Kayla relocate to join a Cherokee community. Their mother’s stories of their heritage are designed to ground them, give them a sense of home and conceal some truths, but Steph is determined to escape to the stars regardless. Meanwhile, Della, famous for being removed from her family after opposition to the Indian Child Welfare Act, grapples with two parental worlds, the weight of her religion, her sexuality and feeling ripped from her Cherokee history. Nuanced and adept at wrangling with painful topics, Eliana Ramage’s debut is also packed with ideas and feelings, but the prose can be a slog at times.
6/10
(Review by Ella Walker)

Non-fiction

4. Talking Classics: The Shock Of The Old by Mary Beard is published in hardback by Profile Books. Available April 16th

Britain’s best-known classicist is back with a book that’s part-memoir, part-manifesto. As a child Mary Beard clamoured to see inside a glass case in the British Museum; a passing curator produced a set of keys and allowed her to see the artefact up close. Since then, Beard has championed the study of the classical world of ancient Greece and Rome. In this book she sets out the case for the continued relevance of a subject now often dismissed as old-fashioned or elitist. Drawing on decades of teaching experience and a deep affection for the topic, she discusses in exuberant style the legacy of classics in the modern world throughout politics and art, in the creation of identity, and within the power of language. In this short and engrossing book, Beard discusses how, in these times of easy AI-generated answers and polarised politics, engaging with classics means grappling with several differing viewpoints at once. We might not be able to fully understand the minds of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but through studying their world and the impact it’s had on ours, we might just understand ourselves better.
9/10
(Review by Amy Crowther)

Children’s book of the week

5. Bum Fish by Pauline Pinson, illustrated by Magali Le Huche, translated by Tim Smith-Laing, is published in paperback by Pushkin Children’s Books. Available now

It’s a rare treat to get a children’s book that is genuinely as entertaining for adults as it is kids, but that’s exactly what you get with Bum Fish. Pauline Pinson’s picture book was a hit in France, selling 135,000 copies, and now it’s making its English debut. It tells the story of a fish that looks like a bum, and gets teased about it all the time. It spurs Bum Fish to go on an adventure to the depths of the ocean, where he meets a fish who also looks a little strange. The two make fast friends and Bum Fish realises that your looks don’t define you. It’s a sweet message but by no means overly saccharine or contrived – the story is funny and quirky, with lovely illustrations from Magali Le Huche. Brilliant fun.
9/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING APRIL 4th

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. Starside by Alex Aster
2. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
3. It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh
4. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
5. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
6. The News From Dublin by Colm Toibin
7. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
8. Mother Of Death And Dawn by Carissa Broadbent
9. Son Of Nobody by Yann Martel
10. Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Enough Said by Alan Bennett
2. Rasputin by Antony Beevor
3. Betrayal by Tom Bower
4. Bloody Dangerous by Colin Bell
5. Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Sawyer Robbins
6. A Rebel And A Traitor by Rory Carroll
7. The Wisdom Of Ancient Japan by Saori Okada
8. The Shortest History Of Ireland by James Hawes
9. The Greatest Story Ever Told by Bear Grylls
10. Good Things by Samin Nosrat
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
2. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
7. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
8. Game On by Navessa Allen
9. My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
10. The Names by Florence Knapp
(Compiled by Audible)