In this week's rundown of the best reads out in shops now, the Mirror Book Club's reviewers look at an ambitious novel spanning 2,000 years and 50 countries.
An outstanding novel contains a heartwarming story of community and connection.
Meanwhile, the king of horror himself Stephen King is back, with a suitably King-esque tale about psychic children kidnapped to become the subject of horribly painful experiments.
For all that and more - have a read, and remember to join the Mirro Book Club.
A Traveller At The Gates Of Wisdom, by John Boyne
Doubleday, £16.99
The ambitious new novel from John Boyne takes place across more than 2,000 years and 50 countries.
It begins in Palestine in the year AD1 with the narrator recalling his childhood and the participation of his soldier father Marinus in Herod’s slaughter of the Innocents.
In Chapter Two, the story continues, but we are in Turkey 40 years later and the narrator’s father is now called Marek. This may sound confusing but the story is easy to follow and immersive.
For example, in one chapter the narrator is a Cypriot, recalling his wedding day when his new wife drowned in a tsunami.
In the next chapter, he is Guatemalan, mourning a bride killed by a falling stone during an earthquake.
And so it goes on until we reach the 21st century. The narrator tells us his life story from childhood to middle age with the central thread of a revenge plot, as he vows to track down the former friend who betrayed his family.
Whatever era he’s in, the father despairs of his son who prefers artistic pursuits to fighting, such as making a dress for his sister’s wedding to Attila the Hun, touring the Vatican with Michelangelo, or being seduced by Lady Macbeth.
An original read and a feat of good old-fashioned storytelling.
BY JAKE KERRIDGE
Miss Benson’s Beetle, by Rachel Joyce
Doubleday, £16.99
It’s England in 1950 and teacher Margery Benson is lonely, disappointed in love and haunted by the loss of her father who killed himself after the death of all her brothers in the First World War.
Recalling her childhood love of insects and her passion for a mysterious golden beetle, she heads to an island in the Pacific to find it, employing the irrepressible, amoral Enid Pretty as her assistant.
The unlikely duo embark on a grand, haphazard adventure. A glorious novel about second chances, heartfelt friendships and emotional courage.
BY EITHNE FARRY
All The Lonely People, by Mike Gayle
Hodder, £14.99
In this outstanding novel, Hubert Bird speaks to his daughter in Australia every week and regales her with tales of a very busy life.
But in truth, he’s a lonely old widower who doesn’t want to burdenher.
So, when she announces she is coming to visit, Hubert needs to make drastic changes.
As he eases himself from isolation, some colourful characters begin to change his life while we learn about the hard days when he arrived from Jamaica in the 1950s.
Despite heartbreak and pain, this is a heartwarming story of community and connection.
BY ANNE CATER
The Institute, by Stephen King
Hodder & Stoughton, £8.99
The residents of The Institute are psychic children kidnapped to become the subject of horribly painful experiments.
The punishments for resistance are worse, and the Institute is presided over by a terrifying headmistress figure called Mrs Sigsby.
Luke Ellis, 12, who has mild telekinetic powers, wakes up there and a catalogue of cruelty unfolds.
But the novel is also a testament to the power of friendship as Luke and the others plot their escape.
The Institute will make you laugh, cry and howl in outrage.
BY JAKE KERRIDGE
Join the Mirror Book Club
There’s never been a better time to get lost in a good book… so we’d love you to join the friendly Mirror Book Club community on Facebook.
Members share thoughts on the current book of the month, post other recommendations and exchange book news and views. There are regular giveaways too.
Mirror Book Club members have chosen The Dutch House by Ann Patchett as the latest book of the month.
Danny grew up in The Dutch House with big sister Maeve who has been a surrogate mother since their real mother walked out.
Then their father dies and Andrea, their wicked stepmother, forces the siblings out of the house. But they never shake off their obsession with the family home and the woman who wronged them.
We follow their fortunes over decades as Maeve’s life stalls and Danny’s flourishes.
But their unbreakable bond is tested when the past comes back to haunt them. We’d love you to give The Dutch House a read and let the Mirror Book Club know what you think at facebook.com/groups/mirrorbookclub. We’ll print your feedback on August 21.
