FICTION

The Childhood Of Jesus by JM Coetzee is published in hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.17). Available now.

Nobel Prize-winning author JM Coetzee is often considered the greatest writer of contemporary English fiction.

So, with two Man Booker Prize accolades to his name, the anticipation for his latest work is understandable.

This religious allegory tells the story of Simon and his young ward David. They arrive in Novilla to begin new lives and find the boy's mother.

However, the search for this missing parent proves difficult, as neither character remembers her or anything of their past lives.

Coetzee reflects on the role of motherhood and juxtaposes this with David's desire for knowledge.

In this unnerving utopian world, both passion and goodwill are deemed wholly appropriate.

Unfortunately, the book isn't always concise, with some backstory given little explanation.

Nevertheless, it is a thoroughly considerate work, displaying the author's talent for philosophical fiction.

An interesting study of society and human desire, this is a fitting addition to Coetzee's oeuvre.

8/10

(Review by Holly McKenzie)

 

Butter by Erin Lange is published in paperback by Faber & Faber, priced £6.99 (ebook £4.99). Available now.

Journalist by day, author by night, Erin Lange's debut novel tells the story of a 16-year-old, 423lb American schoolkid who is battling obesity.

A freak show among his peers, Butter - as he is known - dreams of being popular.

But believing this will never be, he plots to end it all by eating himself to death - live over the internet.

It's a plan that brings unimaginable consequences. Set around subject matters that affect us all, Butter addresses our desire to fit in and the gross nature of pack mentality.

A story for our time, Butter looks at the power of the internet and how it can be misused.

It is an instant page-turner that begs the question: are we looking out for our hero, or unwittingly partaking in his undoing?

Here's to the next read.

10/10

(Review by Victoria Burt)

 

The Lost Boy by Camilla Lackberg is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £12.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now.

Scandinavian crime thrillers have been dominating the best-seller charts in this country for a while now but if you haven't read Camilla Lackberg, you are missing a treat.

Her 12 novels, which include The Stonecutter and The Ice Princess, are all set in her home town of Fjallbacka and feature police officer Patrik Hedstrom and his novelist wife Erica.

The Lost Boy finds Patrik and his team investigating the murder of local accountant Matts, but the more they dig into his personal life, the more strangely hidden it seems.

Against the backdrop of the cold, beautiful Swedish landscape, they discover his former girlfriend Nathalie returned to the area shortly before his death, while other inquiries lead them to a women's refuge.

Meanwhile, Nathalie is hiding with her five-year-old son on mysterious Ghost Island, clearly having run from something terrible.

As Patrik battles to find the truth, we are drawn into the complications of his home life, where Erica is dealing with the chaos of caring for new-born twins and family bereavement.

An intelligently written novel, this is packed with deftly drawn and believable characters who are allowed real-life foibles.

Meanwhile, Lackberg steers us calmly through more grisly discoveries until we reach the chilling conclusion.

8/10

(Review by Gill Oliver)

 

Burden Of The Desert by Justin Huggler is published in paperback by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, priced £12.99 (ebook £2.99). Available now.

The Iraq war churns up a lot of emotions for people, including their opinions on whether it was justified in the first place.

For some, this is mixed with fear for loved ones on acts of duty. But for the vast majority, it is something witnessed only on the TV screen, which can disappear at the press of a button.

However, Justin Huggler manages to make you feel as if you are there, among the dirt and chaos.

Books told from various perspectives can sometimes be confusing, but Huggler's characters have a clear persona.

From the British journalist to the Iraqi driver, they are all fighting their emotional battles among the physical battle occurring in 'Hell City'.

Burden Of The Desert epitomises the side of war not visible on our TV screens, leaving behind much more than physical wounds.

9/10

(Review by Rebecca Flitton)