Butter By Asako Yuzuki
You’ll have to wait until the end of February (specifically the 29th) for this one, but it will be so worth your patience. Inspired by a true story, it tells the tale of a famous female Japanese chef who was convicted as a serial killer of lonely businessmen, whom she supposedly lured in with her delicious cuisine. The story is woven in with that of an ambitious young journalist who wishes to learn the secret to gourmet cooking from her. An absolute tour de force. Pre-order it here.
Come And Get It by Kiley Reid
Landing in bookstores everywhere on 30 January comes the hotly anticipated new novel from Kiley Reid, and the follow up to her bestselling debut, Such A Fun Age. It tells the story of undergraduate, Millie, whose professor offers her an unusual opportunity to make some extra money, and Agatha, a writer who interviews the girls in Millie’s dorm about attitudes towards weddings and money for her new book, but quickly realises that the real story is happening behind closed doors. Daisy Buchanan calls it ‘a page-turning pleasure – stylish, sharp and breathtakingly smart.’ Pre-order it here.
Women Of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan
When one of the most eligible bachelors in Shanghai proposes to Lulu, she feels obliged to accept and go through with a high society wedding, despite the fact that she does not love her fiancé. And so she begins to confides in her two closest friends – Rina, who is tired of being passed over for promotion as her male colleagues are richly rewarded, and Jane, a housewife who longs to divorce her husband – and the trio cook up a plan: to steal all the gift money on the big day and run. Writing in the New York Times, Grace D. Li says, ‘A love letter to Shanghai and complicated female friendships, Women of Good Fortune is a joyous, indulgent, immensely clever debut. I loved every second.’ Out on 5 March. Pre-order it here.
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Hitting the shelves on 5 March, New York Times best-selling novelist Xochitl Gonzalez’s Anita de Monte Laughs Last tells the story of Ivy League art history student Raquel who uncovers the work of Anita, an artworld prodigy who was found dead in her New York apartment in 1985. Back then, it was the talk of the town, but by the time that Raquel is preparing her thesis in 1998, Anita has been all but forgotten. They say, ‘When Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita's story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.’ Publishers Weekly says, ‘Gonzalez crafts excoriating and whip-smart commentary on the art world's Eurocentric conceptions of beauty and the racism faced by first-generation students of colour. This is incandescent.’ Pre-order it here.
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
Elizabeth Day trumpets this book as ‘Brilliant. Riveting. Sharp. Funny. Dark. I want to give Green Dot all the adjectives but will content myself with saying it is one of the best books you will read all year'. Caitlin Moran, meanwhile, eulogises, 'I wolfed Green Dot down over two nights. An incredibly funny book about a woman having an affair that's a really bad idea. Every sentence sparkles'. Following the story of Hera, a woman in her mid-twenties who falls for an older and, alas, married colleague, it dives into the ‘terrible allure of wanting something that promises nothing and the winding, torturous, often hilarious journey we take in deciding who we are and who we want to be.’ It’s also just really funny. Out on 1 February, you can pre-order it here.
By Nancy Alsop
January 2024
