From a luminous novel about love, loss, and family secrets to a moving
novel from a local author that strikes to the heart of parents, these are the
books that some of our favourite independent booksellers are reading.
KATE ROGAN FROM LOVE BOOKS
Oh, William!
by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout has always been a steady seller at Love Books, and with the publication of Oh, William at the end of last year, it was time for me to finally get to grips with her. Of course, I did it back to front - Oh, William is the third book in the Lucy Barton series (the first is My Name is Lucy Barton and the second Anything is Possible). What a revelation! Strout must be one of the finest observers of the fragility of the human condition. So real, so incisive, so relatable and so beautiful. I’ll definitely be back-peddling to the other books in the series. And by the way reading Oh, William as a stand-alone novel definitely works.
ANTONIO CANTONI FROM GRAFFITI BOEKE
The Man Who Never Was
by Douglas Kruger
David a young man with a wife and a young son is killed; in the afterlife he gets the opportunity to visit one person three times. He chooses his son Chris. If you love books that change you and makes you question how you see the world, this is a novel for you, a story of the greatest kind of love. Self-sacrificing Will you sacrifice everything to save the person you love the most?
READ A Q&A WITH DOUGLAS KRUGER >>
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The Echo Chamber
by John Boyne
Is social media the great evil of our age? Is freedom of speech still relevant in the 21st century? Have we become enslaved by our social media personas? These are some of questions the Cleverley family answers in the epic novel about our time. I loved every moment I spent reading this gripping and funny novel about the times we live in. Boyne is a master “story-smith” he makes you laugh and cry at the same time.
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The Dictionary of Lost Words
by Pip Williams
Decades of Esme’s life is weaved together with beautiful words and paragraphs. Her emotions, joys, sorrows, love, relationships and experiences become a colourful tapestry, a story that fascinates and lingered in my thoughts even when I was not reading. I savoured the pages, reading some paragraphs twice. The book was one of the best I ever read and made a great gift for book loving friends.
READ A Q&A WITH PIP WILLIAMS >>
ISABEL LE ROUX FROM GRAFFITI BOEKE
The Gardener
by Salley Vickers
From the very first page Hassie personality and complexity is mirrored in Knight’s Fee, the house she buys with her sister, and its garden. With her reaching out to the village and neighbours the neglect is turned into beauty and serenity. Everyday tasks are stepping stones in the story prompting hope and curiosity as to her, and those around her, growth and healing. With her exceptional writing Salley Vickers turns something as simple as gardening into so much more.
The cover of both books prompted me to buy hard copies.
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Marilyn
deur Chanette Paul
Chanette Paul is een van my mees geliefste skrywers en Marilyn se verhaal, met ‘n ouer vrou wat nie altyd net goeie keuses maak nie, het uit haar pen ‘n boeiende verhaal geword. Te midde van die pandemie was dit ‘n warrelwind van emosies, rede vir vierings en onsekerhede. Met die mooie Kaap as agtergrond antwoord die skrywer al die vrae en gee die nodige ontknoping van Marilyn se storie.
Die boek is vooraf gegaan deur ‘n trilogie waarin sy ‘n deurlopende karakter was.
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