International Fiction Special Features

Doxology | Nell Zink | $29.99 | HarperCollins

Zink is one of the most unique and exciting voices in contemporary fiction. She has a style that is distinctly sly, sardonic and as sharp as a papercut. In Doxology we are propelled through thirty years of the protagonist’s lives, from the gritty punk underculture of 1990s New York, through the shattering events of September 11, and along the campaign trail of the 2016 US election. Yet Zink’s true power as a writer is her characterisations of people and their motivations, however flawed. Despite their idiosyncrasies these characters are utterly believable – in particular the childlike and all-too-trusting Joe. Zink revels in words and ideas, crafting cleverly constructed sentences that take several read-throughs to properly appreciate. Doxology is canny, perceptive and propulsively readable.

“SHARP AS A PAPERCUT.”

— DeanSupper Club | Lara Williams | $29.99 | Penguin Random House

This British debut has been recommended for fans of Sally Rooney (we are now legion) and I can see why – like Rooney, Williams successfully explores intense connections and equally intense disconnection in young adulthood. Our narrator Roberta is passive, isolated and apologetic. Her primary comfort is cooking, and eating. Men treat her poorly, to say the least. She finds her first significant female friendship with Stevie and together they start the Supper Club. These nights are devoted to a bacchanalian feast. The women eat and drink until bursting, they bloat and make a mess. They take up space and they do not apologise. For a brief time, they are free from expectations and free from fear. But when Roberta falls in love and starts settling down, her friendship with Stevie and their vision for Supper Club falters. Sometimes this novel feels too real, and there is some discomfort in that, but it is a terrific read – particularly in conjunction with Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women.

The Nickel Boys | Colson Whitehead | $32.99 | Hachette

The Nickel Boys is a historical masterpiece and Colson Whitehead is a writer you must read and keep reading. His work is urgent, important, powerful and all those adjectives you associate with books like this one. Books that you must read even though they tear holes in your universe. Even though they hurt, shock, horrify and demand action. The Nickel Academy is based on a sadistic and brutal “reform school” in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years. A place that operated until 2011. In a world that is so often racist and rotten, you need to read this, understand it and think deeply about it. — Emma Co.

Devastating and brilliant! This book destroyed me. Whitehead pulls no punches when looking at American history. This book certainly makes you feel; shame, horror, grief and empathy. Based on The Dozier School for Boys in Florida, The Nickel Boys follows two friends Elwood and Turner who grow up under the extreme violence served to the youth attending The Nickel Academy. This is an important book for our times and a history we should never forget. A must-read! — Dean