Mysterious and thrilling, this month we delve into some of the best new novels that will keep you guessing
Words by Charlotte Griffiths
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
An absolute tour-de-force of a novel, this extraordinary work asks questions of reality, consciousness and our grip on personal narratives. It will leave you breathless: both at the scale of the stories covered and the literary skills on display within its pages.
At one point in the book, two characters fling synonyms at each other, struggling for the correct, most powerful and accurate words to describe their reality – which is neatly analogous with attempts to define The Candy House. Part-romance, part-family epic, part-science fiction thriller, part-political commentary on our image and technology-obsessed culture, Egan shifts deftly between narrative styles: at one point the tale is even picked up in a series of tweets.
The story is told as a set of connected vignettes, which gradually reveal their links over decades. The main arc follows tech mogul Bix Bouton – who appears as a minor character in Egan’s 2011 Pulitzer-winning novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, which is described as this book’s ‘sibling’ – and his fledgling service, ‘Own Your Unconscious’, which allows you to download, store and review all your memories. You can also access the memories of others, assuming you’re willing to pay the price of sharing your own thoughts, feelings and histories with the world.
Egan’s description of this service is so plausible you’d be forgiven for wondering if it already exists – or not be that surprised if Meta introduces it later this year. Those who prefer privacy and resist uploading their memories are outcast, but have they got it right? As with the moral learned from Hansel and Gretel’s cottage – which gave the novel its title – nothing in life comes for free. The links between the two books offer the perfect excuse to revisit Egan’s earlier work, then read this afterwards. Approach with a clear head, an open mind, and prepare to be blown away.
The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad
This superb debut is set in Mohalla, the ancient walled red-light district of Lahore, where highly regarded detective Faraz is suddenly reassigned to a new post, to help ‘take care of’ the murder of a young girl from the district. As well as being a young father, silently unhappy husband and rising star in the police force, Faraz is also the unacknowledged son of local dignitary Wajid, having been born out of wedlock to a dancer from the same area as the murdered girl. Despite the precariousness of his position, Faraz finds himself unable to cover up her violent death, and feels a deep sense of injustice at the attempts to hush up the crime, resolving to investigate – whatever the cost. As he questions the close-knit community surrounding the young girl, he slowly remembers more about his past in the same streets and alleyways, recalling the few short years he spent with his mother and sister before being abducted by his absent father. We also learn more about his dad’s motivations: the relentless, merciless time he spent enduring captivity in prison camps during the second world war, and why he decided to steal his son away.
Full of beautiful meditations on ageing and the importance of family – whether biological or the one you forge for yourself – this is a compelling novel that also serves as a good reminder that politics is always personal in some way.
Little Sister by Gytha Lodge
Cambridge-based Gytha Lodge is becoming one of those writers whose name on a cover instantly transforms a book into your next read. Her latest novel is another instalment in her series featuring Detective Jonah Sheens and his team of investigators: in Little Sister, the sleuth is confronted with a mysterious pair of young siblings who have recently run away from a care home. Nina is missing and Keely, who was covered with blood when she stumbled into Jonah on a rare day away from his desk, proves to be less than forthcoming with the truth. Just where is her sister, and what’s happened to her? Sheens and his squad are treated to a retelling of the sisters’ life story and experience of the care system via a series of dramatic and traumatic discoveries – yet, as usual with Lodge’s fiction, nothing is ever quite as it seems. Twisting and turning to the last, Lodge leads readers through some very uncomfortable events, tempered throughout by Sheens’ rough, but steadfast humanity. A gripping thriller that’ll keep you engaged: if you’ve not encountered Detective Sheens before, this is a good place to pick up the thread – and then immediately head back to the start to read the rest in this superb series.
Read last month’s Edition Book Club recommendations here.
