The first three months of the publishing calendar for 2024 are looking very promising. I’m delighted to be reading Hisham Matar’s new novel My Friends, a moving tale of friendship and exile. Alongside this I’m eager to read a couple of new titles from Latin America: the long-awaited posthumous novel by Gabriel García Marquéz Until August, translated by Anne McLean; and Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, translated by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn. Set in Maduro’s Venezuela, Simpatía tells the story of a man tasked with looking after the abandoned dogs left behind by the exodus of Venezuelans due to the political situation.
I’m equally excited to read two new novels exploring Central American history: The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez tells the story of those who lived and laboured alongside the construction of the Panama Canal; and Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias is set in Costa Rica during the height of the US banana plantations and explores the long repercussions for one family when their plantation is burnt down.
For me, no list is complete without some new thrillers: one from Tana French, The Hunter; and Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, translated by Polly Barton, which will be my long haul flight companion, thanks to a proof Gayle shared with me.
From the publisher:
An intensely moving novel about three friends living in political exile and the emotional homeland that deep friendships can provide - from the Booker-shortlisted, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The ReturnKhaled and Mustafa meet at…
From the publisher:
Translated by Anne McLeanTHE EXTRAORDINARY LOST NOVEL FROM THE NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA AND ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDESitting alone, overlooking the still and blue lagoon, Ana Magdalena…
From the publisher:
Translated by Noel Hernández González and Daniel HahnRodrigo Blanco Calderón has established himself as one of the great voices of Latin American literature with his debut novel The Night, and his…
From the publisher:
‘A gorgeous, sweeping epic’ ANN NAPOLITANO‘One of my favourite writers' ROXANE GAYA breathtaking historical novel following the incredible construction of the Panama Canal and casting light on the unsung…
From the publisher:
A novel of love, murder and greed set in Costa Rica.Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, the future of Teresa…
From the publisher:
It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in the village. They’re coming for gold. What they bring is trouble.Cal Hooper was a Chicago detective, till he moved to the West of Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more…
From the publisher:
Translated by Polly Barton'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY'Delicious' i-D Magazine'Salivatingly well-written' RENA MATSUIThe cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the…
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