Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
This is an unforgettable story of a woman with myotubular myopathy who lives out her explicit fantasies online and tweets provocative messages into the void. Shaka’s online presence hasn’t gone wholly unnoticed however, leading one member of staff to partake in a life-threatening dare that will change her experience as a woman forever.
I’ve probably spent more time thinking about this deadpan, subversive story of creativity, sexuality and individuality than I did reading it. This is a book about the (im)balances of power, the inherent ableism of print publishing within a printed book, the voyeurism of able eyes on the disabled body, as well as a demand for autonomy.
It’s a book of dichotomies all existing together, a messy, muddy, unflinching picture, refreshingly told. – Soffi
Universality by Natasha Brown
A razor-sharp and savagely comical portrait of modern Britain’s and its political and social landscape. Universality’s first part is an exposé written by a journalist unravelling the story behind the disappearance of a solid gold bar that a banker kept in his second home, which is now squatted by a group of radical anarchists. The gold bar was the weapon used to knock out the leader of the cult at an illegal rave held at his property but don’t be mistaken, the exposé is not about the gold.
Brown covers class, race, wealth, wokeness, victimhood and the power of words to explain the world in her punchy, thrilling second novel. After all, truth always benefits from the techniques of fiction. What is the truth anyway? Who is telling it? – Laura GM
The Boyhood of Cain by Michael Amherst
Danny, the precocious son of a school headmaster, is searching for his place in the world. Unable to make friends or fit in with his peers, he draws comfort from his family’s high status, big house, and the privileges conferred by his father’s position at school. When his father is forced into early retirement, they lose their home and the family starts to fall apart. Sent into a tailspin, Danny begins to question everything about his life and the foundations of his identity.
Michael Amherst’s writing is sharp, devastating and full of heart. This excellent debut perfectly captures the experience of childhood, warts and all. – Rohan