THE Reading room
Great reads
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood, Vintage
The most anticipated book of the year is Atwood’s sequel to her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, 34 years after the original. And while it may not pack the same punch, this is racy addictive storytelling. Fifteen years have passed and Offred is out on her own. Through three narrators – brutal Aunt Lydia and Offred’s daughters Agnes and Nicole – we witness the advancement of Gilead via explosive testaments.
THE LYING ROOM by Nicci French, William Morrow
Neve Connolly has been having an affair with her boss Saul. It was meant to be a mid-life fling – a distraction from her tired marriage and motherhood. But things begin to unravel when Neve arrives at Saul’s flat one morning to find him murdered, and cleans up the crime scene to prevent anyone discovering their affair. Her lies and betrayal begin to catch up with her in devastating ways. Riveting.
THE CONFESSION by Jessie Burton, Picador
This absorbing tale of love, motherhood, friendship and secrets, from the author of features a dual time frame, flitting between 1980 and 2017. Connie, an alluring novelist of some renown, meets 20-year-old Elise by chance on Hampstead Heath in London, igniting an unexpected relationship. It is Burton’s language as much as her plot that beguiles, and soon you are lost in both.
