Contemporary Fiction

In these masterful stories, Mary O’Donnell captures characters caught between certainties and change — from urban encounters to sun-drenched beaches, lockdown anxieties to nightclub tensions. Her walking ghosts navigate the limina…

From the writer Anthony Doerr calls 'a massive talent', The Alternatives is the story of four brilliant sisters, orphaned in childhood, who scramble to reconnect when the eldest disappears into the Irish countryside. OLWEN. NELL. …

Luke, Connor, Thea and Violet spend their first holiday together alone in their father's house in the south of France. The boys don't really know him, and they don't really know their half-sisters, either. Luke, the most easy goin…

Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka Isawa has severe spine curvature and uses an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Within the limits of her care home, her life is lived online: she studies, she tweets indignantly, she …

Family is everything, even when it falls apart.Discover the brand-new novel from the multi-million-copy bestselling author. There is a heatwave across Europe.Goose and his three sisters gather at the family's house by Lake Orta in…

'Life is a seesaw, and I am standing dead center, still and balanced: living kids on one side, living parents on the other. Nicky here with me at the fulcrum. Don't move a muscle, I think. But I will, of course. You have to...' Fo…

The bestselling Irish debut novel – a multigenerational portrait of small-town life bursting with caustic wit – for fans of Jon McGregor, Elizabeth Strout and Paul Murray. Welcome to Ballyrowan: a village built out of stories. Sto…

The affair is over - so what does she have to lose? Juliet never planned to be the other woman, but Rory was the only man she'd ever loved. Then he went and died.At his funeral, Juliet hides shamefully at the back, while his wife …

An arresting, unmissable debut novel shortlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries award - an exploration of family, grief, queer identity, and the legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Can you imagine it? I'd say to them. Ca…

The must-have sequel to Sosuke Natsukawa's bestselling The Cat Who Saved Books – an uplifting tale from Japan about a talking cat, a book-loving girl and the power of books to make a difference in the world. Nanami sees nothing wr…

A civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test whether time-travel is feasible.Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, supporting and monit…

A mystery that will take you around the world . . .Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a tragedy: every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the mov…

Six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood. The New York stories, most of which take place around the year 2000, consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters and the de…

Paulette's the kind of woman who likes the future all mapped out: the wedding to Denton, the Caribbean honeymoon, the gingham quilt on the baby's crib. Until one morning Garfield, Denton's friend, arrives at her door with the news…

Susan Ryeland has had enough of murder. She's edited two novels about the famous detective, Atticus Pund, and both times she's come close to being killed. Now she's back in England and she's been persuaded to work on a third. The …

A story about identity and place, about finding out who you are, who your people are, and what it means to be a family.Maeve Gaffney arrives in a small West Cork town in pursuit of a dream: to be reunited with Tim, the lad she fel…

Lost at sea...with your one-night stand Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn't she?Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he'll break h…

Fighting off the boredom of lockdown, acclaimed author Jim Winter decides to share his skills by setting up an anonymous online writing workshop – but his generosity will cost him more than he knows. Right away, the work of a tale…

How do you survive the unsurvivable?Rachel lives with her husband Tom and their two children: it's the comfortable family life she always thought she'd have. All of that changes in an instant - when Tom runs the family car off the…

Willy Vlautin's most personal novel yet - a poetic and deeply moving story about what it really takes to be a musician. Al Ward, an ageing musician, is living on old mining land in Nevada. One morning, a horse arrives outside his …

Imogene is young, beautiful, kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead, the legendary ghost of the Rosebud Theater. Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with a head full of big ideas and a gi…

You wait ages for The One . . . then 203 come along at once. One night Lauren finds a strange man in her flat who claims to be her husband. All the evidence – from photos to electricity bills – suggests he’s right. And then anothe…

Sometimes finding your place in the world is the greatest puzzle of all... Clayton Stumper is an enigma. He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on …

A story of sacrifice, violence and growing up different – told against the heat and claustrophobia of a seaside city in summer. After Matthew’s grandfather dies suddenly, four friends struggle to face the trauma of their pasts in…

When she’s having sex with her boss, Iris likes to have the lights on so he can see how much younger she is than his wife. She likes watching her colleagues eat unhealthy lunches at their desk while her stomach aches with emptines…

A ruthless and unflinching examination of American life in the late 1960s, from the author of The Year of Magical Thinking. Somewhere out beyond Hollywood, hollowed-out actress Maria Wyeth’s life plays out in a numbing routine of …

Renting is a nightmare...Áine should be feeling happy with her life. She's just moved in with Elliot. Their new flat is in an affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops.They even have …

It's only when we slow down that we can truly experience joy . . .  2035: In the shadow of a race-course, two sisters grow up, helping their mother at the local cafe that serves renowned ramen. Family life is fractious especially …

New York City, 1999. Lily Chen is an unpaid intern, pursuing the American Dream, when she falls for a young financier – and the life of luxury his vast fortune promises. Everything she wants seems to finally be within reach.But de…

In Edmundsbury, a small town in eastern England, fear and loathing are on the rise. Brexit has happened and the ramifications are real. Grass-roots, right-wing political party 'England Always' is fomenting hatred.The residents of …