Page turner: the books we'll be reading in 2024
Whether it’s a fast-paced thriller, an intimate coming-of-age story or a no-holds-barred exposé, these are the titles to pre-order now
Words: Aobh O'Brien-Moody
2024 is set to be a bumper year for books, with an exciting roll call of to-be-released titles by some of the moment’s most-exciting authors, both established and emerging. From thrilling spy novels to deeply moving memoirs and even the rejigging of an American classic, here are 12 must-read fiction and non-fiction books to keep an eye out for in the coming months.
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie’s Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder promises to be one of the most talked-about books of 2024. It recounts the Booker Prize winner’s harrowing experience of surviving a stabbing while on stage at the Chautauqua Institute, where he was preparing to deliver a lecture, 33 years after a fatwa calling for his death was issued by Iran’s then leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. Not only is Knife a deeply personal account of an attempt on Rushdie’s life, but it’s also a meditation on the power of art to make sense of the unthinkable.
When’s it released? 16 April
Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan
Scottish novelist Andrew O’Hagan returns with a story of one man’s epic fall from grace. Set in London, Caledonian Road follows middle-aged art history teacher and celebrity intellectual Campbell Flynn, who meets a charismatic young student and is immediately struck by the 'potential for things to get wayward'. And wayward they get…
When’s it released? 2 April
All That Glitters: A Story of Friendship, Fraud and Fine Art by Orlando Whitfield
If you need further proof that the contemporary-art world is absolutely frenzied, this’ll do the trick. All That Glitters is a dishy memoir about the greed, deceit and betrayal that belies the international art market. The page-turning exposé tells the story of Orlando Whitfield’s 15-year friendship with high-flying art dealer Inigo Philbrick, who was eventually convicted of a multimillion-dollar fraud. Whitfield may have burnt a few bridges with his naming of art world names, but it's all the better for his readers.
When’s it released? 2 May
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is already a cult bestseller in Japan, and, finally, English-speaking readers can sink their teeth into it thanks to an upcoming version translated by Polly Barton. The story revolves around two women: a serial killer who has seduced her victims with her home cooking, and a journalist intent on cracking her case. Inspired by a true story known as ‘The Konkatsu Killer’, Butter is an often unsettling yet un-put-downable exploration of appetite, gender and violence in modern Japan.
When’s it released? 29 February
James by Percival Everett
The prolific Percival Everett is back this year with his 28th work of fiction in an impressive 40-year career. James is a hilarious retelling of Mark Twain’s classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, who escapes slavery and embarks on a treacherous journey along the Mississippi with young Huck. It retains the same adventurous spirit of the original, but its fresh approach will appeal to a modern audience.
When’s it released? 19 March
How We Break: Navigating the Wear and Tear of Living by Vincent Deary
Vincent Deary, acclaimed author of How We Are, is a prominent health psychologist who has spent years helping his patients navigate through burnout, stress, fatigue and despair. Essentially, all the 'little' things that life throws at us on a daily basis. Deary’s latest book, How We Break,is an expert and empathetic guide to ‘navigating the wear and tear of living’, based on his many years of research. A must-read if 2024 already has you feeling worse for wear.
When’s it released? 25 January
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Billed as Sapiens meets Killing Eve, Rachel Kushner’s parodic spy novel, Creation Lake, is set to be a ride. Based in near-future France, it follows the striking and sexy undercover agent Sadie Smith as she infiltrates a commune of radical eco-activists and their charismatic leader Bruno Lacombe. Will she succeed in her mission, or will she be seduced by Bruno’s promise of a new dawn for humanity?
When’s it released? 5 September
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Five years after the success of his novel Night Boat to Tangier, Irish author Kevin Barry turns his attention to 1890s Montana. He tells the story of Tom Rourke, a young poet who feels like his life is going nowhere until he meets Polly Gillespie, the new bride of mine captain Long Anthony Harrington. Sparks fly and Tom and Polly strike out west to start a new life together, but hot on their heels is a posse of Cornish gunmen. It reads as a tragic and hilarious western with a whole lot of heart.
When’s it released? 9 July
A Very Private School by Charles Spencer
March, 2024 sees the much-anticipated release of Charles Spencer’s boarding-school memoir. Poignant and gripping in equal measure, it chronicles Spencer’s time as a school boy at Eton College, unpacking his childhood trauma and exposing the culture of cruelty in an antiquated system.
When’s it released? 12 March
Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
Set in modern-day Nigeria, where same-sex marriage is criminalised, Blessings, the debut novel from 23-year-old writer Chukwuebuka Ibeh, recounts the aftermath of an intimate moment between the teenage Obiefuna and his family’s apprentice. Obiefuna is banished by his father to a Christian boarding school and is alienated from the people he loves and the world he knows, thus beginning a journey of self-discovery. It’s a beautifully written tale about the heartache that occurs when politics control desire and the hope that can await. If this novel is anything to go by, Ibeh clearly has a very promising career ahead.
When’s it released? 22 February
Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang
Although it reads almost like a novel at times, Yuan Yang’s Private Revolutions tells the true stories of four women born in China in the 1980s and 1990s, offering us unprecedented access into their lives, hopes, homes, dreams and diaries. Through these women’s stories, the identity of modern Chinese society is unearthed, and we are encouraged to examine our own place in the world.
When’s it released? 9 May
The Echoes by Evie Wyld
Haunting and poetic, Evie Wyld’s words have the ability to really get under your skin and stay with you. Such is the case with the young writer’s upcoming novel The Echoes. Spanning multiple generations and set between rural Australia and London, it tells the story of a reluctant ghost watching down on his girlfriend and discovering how much of her life was invisible to him.
When’s it released? 1 August
Want more reading recommendations? Richard E. Grant reveals the literary classics that he always returns to...
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