Autumn’s Bumper Crop Of Books

A Note From Chloe

A little over a year ago, when I decided to open Fox & King, my own independent bookshop on a remote rural high street in Wiltshire, little did I know that next 12 months would see such a wealth new releases by remarkable writers. While twin beasts of AI and Amazon are a real and genuine threat to both reading and bookselling, there is great hope in the genuine joy that the touch, smell and solace a beautifully written, human book can provide. From amazing novels by authors at the top of their game to heartfelt, elucidating non-fiction, this autumn delivers a bumper crop of great ideas and great writing; more than enough to restore one’s faith in the power of storytelling.

The Disappearers, by Marlon James

Hotly tipped as the frontrunner to win this year’s Booker Prize, Marlon James’ visceral, no-holds-barred, 640-page novel was recently hailed by The New York Times as “the novel of the decade, if not the century”. Does it live up to the hype? It is certainly an extraordinary and important read – exploring, as it does, the brutal realities of homophobia in ’80s Jamaica – but not one for those in the market for a bit of gentle escapism. I loved this book, but – like Hanya Yanigahara’s extraordinary novel A Little Life (from which I’ve barely recovered) – it can leave you feeling more than a little breathless…

The Great Dictator, by Matthew Sweet

My prediction for the non-fiction Christmas bestseller slot, this biography of the late, great Barbara Cartland has garnered rave reviews across the board. Steely and indomitable, but often (and erroneously) reduced to the status of a lazy joke, Cartland’s life was much more interesting and layered than her pink candyfloss reputation suggests. Matthew Sweet’s carefully researched biography is as enlightening as it is enjoyable.  Only Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare topped her sales of 750 million books – and you can’t get much more interesting than that.

Black coffee and Red Lipstick, by Alexandra Shulman

There’s a lot to love about the former Vogue editor, not least that she is – and always has been – her own woman. With this, her latest collection of essays, Shulman (under whose 25-year tenure, from 1992 to 2017, British Vogue was at the very top of its journalistic game) interrogates the intersection of domestic life and high fashion as only she knows how. From what to do about greying hair to why picnics are so delightful, this book – like its author – is a perceptive, down-to-earth, breath of fresh air.

Partita, by Barbara Kingsolver

Is Barbara Kingsolver the finest female author writing today? I’m certainly of the view that she is, and this – her latest novel – is arguably my favourite of her books to date (although it may be a tie with the extraordinary, Pulitzer-prize-winning Demon Copperhead). More autobiographical than most – like its heroine, Livia, Kingsolver was an accomplished concert pianist who had a complicated relationship with her own, disappointed mother – this exceptional novel is as heart-rending and engrossing as the music that flows, full of agonising beauty, through its pages.

In One Brief Moment All Eternity, by Elif Shafak

My novel of the year. With every book she writes, British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak gets better and better. After the runaway success of There Are Rivers in the Sky (over half a million copies sold, and counting), her latest novel transports us to 19th-century France and the complicated life of the author Gustave Flaubert. Best known for his controversial novel Madame Bovary, Flaubert was a born outsider and a true artist. Through the voices of the women – both real and fictional – who shaped him, Shafak creates an intimate portrait of a great artist at the same time as asking fundamental questions: who gets remembered, who gets erased and, when the world feels broken, how do we find the hope to carry on?

The Housekeeper, by Rose Tremain

Ever wonder where the inspiration for Daphne Du Maurier’s seminal novel, Rebecca, came from? In her latest book, 83-year-old Rose Tremain – arguably the doyenne of literary historical fiction – asks precisely that question. A reimagining of Du Maurier’s passionate, illicit relationship with Dani, a real-life housekeeper of Jewish descent, it brilliantly imagines the inspiration behind the sinister housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. Soon to be a film starring Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter and Caitriona Balfe, think The Remains of the Day meets Alfred Hitchcock.

The Weight of Angels, by John Boyne

They say “don’t judge a book by its cover” but this new novel is as breathtaking inside as it is out. A counterfactual story with a gorgeous title, this – Boyne’s 16th for adults – explores a single “what if?” question: what if Oscar Wilde had simply ignored the insulting calling card left by the Marquess of Queensbury in February 1895, rather than suing for libel? A superb reimagining with a pivotal ‘Sliding Doors’ moment, Boyne – with characteristic humanity – gives his literary hero a searing new voice and reimagines a second half of his life as exhilarating as the first.

Church Crawling: The Secret Lives and Hidden Stories of England’s Churches, by Rachel Morley

“Churches carry the the genes and culture of our past in a vivid and enduring way” writes building conservator and church rescuer Rachel Morley in this charming book, which takes its reader on a trip through England’s towns and villages to unearth the fascinating stories behind their humble, and often overlooked, parish churches. Elements of politics, craft, folklore and the supernatural are also explored in this holistic look at our country’s socio-religious history. It’s a wonderful romp through England’s historic countryside, and a beautifully designed book to boot.

How to Be Hopeful: My Year of Living Joyfully, by Caitlin Moran

The book we all need in our lives right now, Times columnist Caitlin Moran turns her insightful, self-deprecating gaze on 21st-century angst and asks, through the prism of her own lived experience, what can we do to navigate the choppy waters of modern-day living? The result is a genuinely funny (I laughed out loud several times on a packed train), intensely moving and inspirational call to arms: don’t just panic, do something to alter your mindset. Put down social media, pick up a litter-picker, give blood, rewild your garden. Find the beauty in life once more; it’s there for the taking.

All About My Mother, by Rachael Stirling

A funny, raw, loving memoir about her mother Diana Rigg, All About My Mother is the heart-song of actress Rachael Stirling (who, as if that weren’t cool enough, also happens to be married to Elbow frontman Guy Garvey). A Radio 4 Book of the Week, this life story – like its subject – doesn’t shy away from emotional honesty. Stirling’s aim in this biographical memoir is not simply to flatter a formidable character and a great actress; it is also to stage a reckoning with the woman who was both her harshest critic and her greatest love.

Chloe Fox is the owner of Fox & King Books in High Street, Tisbury, Salisbury, SP3 6HD.