guardian book reviews october 2021

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Here Are the 8 New Books You Should Read in October

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

T he best new books arriving this month dive deep into a range of topics, from a wrenching portrait of homelessness and poverty in America to the dissection of a marriage and its eventual unraveling. October welcomes the return of best-selling novelist Amor Towles as well as a posthumous book from British spy master John le Carré . Between thought-provoking nonfiction, thrilling examinations of fictional relationships and more, there’s something for everyone this month. Here, the best new books to read this October.

Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City , Andrea Elliott (Oct. 5)

In her debut book, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott tells the harrowing story of a girl’s coming-of-age against the backdrop of the homeless crisis in New York City. Invisible Child traces almost a decade of Dasani Coates’ life, beginning in 2012 when she lived in a Brooklyn shelter at 11 years old. As she grows older, Dasani is forced to decide whether to keep her family intact or attend boarding school and leave them behind. Through following her journey, Elliott crafts an intimate exploration of poverty and racism in the U.S., as well as a portrait of a young person’s resilience.

Buy Now: Invisible Child on Bookshop | Amazon

Right Within: How to Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace , Minda Harts (Oct. 5)

In 2019, Minda Harts debuted The Memo , a career guidebook specifically written for women of color. Her follow up is a self-help book tailored for the same readership, this time offering actionable advice on how to heal from racial trauma that occurs in the workplace. Incorporating guidance from therapists and faith leaders, Harts takes a comprehensive look at what this trauma can look like and provides strategies for how to talk about it. Moving beyond how to heal, Harts also points toward the future and shares tactics to help women of color succeed in their workplaces.

Buy Now: Right Within on Bookshop | Amazon

Sankofa , Chibundu Onuzo (Oct. 5)

While looking through her late mother’s belongings, Anna makes some curious discoveries about her father, who has never been part of her life. His student diaries reveal his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London. She learns that he became the president of a country in West Africa—and that he’s still alive. The revelation comes amid Anna’s own identity crisis—she’s no longer with her husband, her daughter’s grown—and sends her searching to find out who and where her father really is. Author Chibundu Onuzo offers a stirring narrative about family, our capacity to change and the need to belong.

Buy Now : Sankofa on Bookshop | Amazon

The Lincoln Highway , Amor Towles (Oct. 5)

It’s June 1954 and 18-year-old Emmett Watson has just been released from a juvenile work farm. He served 15 months for involuntary manslaughter and is now back at his childhood home in Nebraska, where he’s planning to pick up his little brother and hit the road, aiming for a fresh start in California. But the brothers’ plans are quickly thwarted by the surprise arrival of two escaped inmates, and soon the group is instead off to New York City. Flipping between perspectives and taking place over just 10 days, The Lincoln Highway showcases the talent of Amor Towles , author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility , as he guides readers through a vivid and engrossing cross-country road trip.

Buy Now: The Lincoln Highway on Bookshop | Amazon

The Loneliest Americans , Jay Caspian Kang (Oct. 12)

In his nonfiction debut, writer and editor Jay Caspian Kang dissects the loneliness of the Asian American experience . The son of Korean immigrants, Kang combines his personal family history with deft reportage in a provocative and sweeping examination of racial identity, belonging and family. “There are still only two races in America: Black and white,” he writes. “Everyone else is part of a demographic group headed in one direction or the other.”

Buy Now: The Loneliest Americans on Bookshop | Amazon

Silverview , John le Carré (Oct. 12)

Arriving almost a year after his death in December 2020, John le Carré’s thriller promises to be a fitting final installment in his 60-year career as an espionage novelist. Silverview is a classic le Carré spy tale. In it, a bookseller in an English coastal town is unnerved by the presence of a new visitor to his shop, someone who knows a bit too much about his familial history. In London, news of a potential leak sends a spy chief to the same seaside town. What ensues is a story of surveillance, loyalty and betrayal.

Buy Now: Silverview on Bookshop | Amazon

The Days of Afrekete , Asali Solomon (Oct. 19)

In Asali Solomon’s searing satirical novel, two middle-aged Black women who dated in college are thrown back into each other’s orbits after losing touch for years. Liselle is planning a dinner party following her white husband’s failed bid for the state legislature. When she learns that he might be indicted for corruption, she becomes consumed with questions about everything she thought she knew and leaves a message for her old friend and ex-lover Selena, who lives across town. Solomon flips between past and present, and through describing the women’s time together and apart, interrogates the conversations and intimate moments that shape a relationship.

Buy Now : The Days of Afrekete on Bookshop | Amazon

Oh William! , Elizabeth Strout (Oct. 19)

Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout , author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name Is Lucy Barton , returns to the world of the latter in her new novel, Oh William!. Strout explores Lucy’s relationship with William, her ex-husband and the father of her two adult daughters, as a newly discovered family secret ties the divorcees closer together. It’s a story about marriage, mystery and the revelations about humanity that can arise in an instant. Like the rest of her acclaimed fiction, Strout’s latest is a quiet domestic drama that tackles the thorniness of everyday existence in incisive and at times heartbreaking terms.

Buy Now : Oh William! on Bookshop | Amazon

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The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup

Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley; Birds of Paradise by Oliver K Langmead; The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey; A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel; and A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

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Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley (Solaris, £14.99) combines an intriguing, character-driven plot with great splashes of science fictional weirdness. The novel grips from the start, exploring with deceptive simplicity issues ranging from the difficulties of communicating with the people we love to colonisation on a planetary scale. It opens in a traditional English village pub, run by Jem, who has returned home from a 10-year posting to the planet Qita with a Qitan called Isley. Although there is a spaceport nearby, the villagers have nothing to do with it; they belong to the Western Protectorate, a region of Britain that chose to divorce itself from the complications of the modern world and adopt a simpler way of life. But even they cannot escape the consequences of humanity’s contact with aliens who only appear to be human, as the truth about the Qitan lifecycle, and the imported psychedelic brew served by Jem from under the bar, is gradually revealed. I was reminded of the authors who first got me hooked on science fiction with their combination of deep humanity, brilliant storytelling and wild imagination: writers such as Theodore Sturgeon, Kate Wilhelm and Ursula Le Guin. Skyward Inn feels like an instant classic of the genre.

Adam, the biblical first man, “created before death” and therefore immortal, is the hero of Birds of Paradise by Oliver K Langmead (Titan, £8.99) . By the 21st century, he has little affection for his many descendants, preferring to spend his time with other immortals: the original creatures he had the privilege of naming. Crow, Magpie, Raven, Owl, Butterfly and Pig generally hang out with him in human form, but occasionally find it useful to revert to type. He thinks about Eve, but not until the end of the book does he remember why she is no longer beside him. There is a plot about the search for immortal plants, and competing attempts to recreate the original Garden in present-day Britain, and it is all very vividly written – but I couldn’t help feeling it would make more sense as a graphic novel: fantastic and colourful, but lacking depth. I could also have done without Adam’s shooting spree: the old western trope of the good man driven to pick up his guns should have been put to rest long before now.

Sarah Gailey has been nominated for Hugo and Nebula awards; their domestic thriller The Echo Wife (Hodder, £17.99) begins as scientific superstar Evelyn discovers that her husband has been cheating on her … with her own clone. Evelyn has come up with a way to grow adult clones from a DNA sample, capable of speech and understanding, the original’s personality imprinted on their brains. Legally they are not people, merely disposable tools. The horror of a society that would allow this is never touched upon, nor are there any moral or economic arguments made for their use. The plot is even more full of holes: Evelyn is a genius, yet her husband (a mere academic) not only runs with her idea, he manages to secretly produce her clone in his spare time. Gailey’s main concern is showing how people are shaped by others, so Evelyn often recalls her cold, brutal father, and hates her clone for being the softer, gentler version her husband wanted, but the novel doesn’t rise above the banal.

Sylvain Neuvel’s A History of What Comes Next (Michael Joseph, £14.99) is alt-history with a difference. It basically traces the true story of the development of rocket science, namechecking the real people involved in the days before the space race, but adds an alien-conspiracy-theory edge in the shape of a fictional team of mother-daughter clones, reborn through the ages with three imperatives: “Preserve the knowledge; survive at all costs; take them to the stars”. Along with the usual problems faced by women trying to change the world (or at least get men to listen to them), they are threatened by a mysterious “Tracker” who has spent centuries trying to kill them. All good fun, and since this book takes us only up to 1961, we can expect more to come.

Arkady Martine’s debut, A Memory Called Empire, won the Hugo award for best novel last year; A Desolation Called Peace (Tor, £16.99) is the sequel – and obviously not the best place to start. I had no idea what the hugely significant events were that had taken place in the Teixcalaan Empire three months earlier, causing all the characters to be sad, or traumatised, or simply reflective, so it took quite a while for the story to take off. At the same time, new readers will be plunged, unprepared, into the strangeness of a space-faring empire somehow grown out of the ancient Aztec culture – a fascinating creation that soon had me hooked. This is first-class space opera, with added spycraft, diplomatic intrigue and scary aliens, along with interesting explorations of perception, ways of communicating, and what makes a person.

• This article was amended on 13 March 2021 to reflect that Sarah Gailey uses they/them pronouns.

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The Best Reviewed Books of the Month: October 2021

New books from val mcdermid, john le carré, and more..

A look at the month’s best reviewed crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers.

John le Carré, Silverview (Viking)

Silverview, the final completed novel by the master of spy fiction, John le Carré, arrives 10 months after his passing, like light from a dead star to illuminate nothing less than the slippery nature of truth and the very concept of loyalty … In many ways Silverview is a fitting conclusion to the long career of a writer who redefined an entire genre with the deceptive ease of pure genius … In this final work le Carré has lost none of what made him remarkable: here are characters operating at the very limits of their own endurance, confronting fundamental truths that have the disturbing quality of prophecy … The novel is exquisitely poised in the present moment, set in a flat Fenland scarred with relics of past conflicts, facing a sea that threatens to sweep all away … In this concise, tightly focused novel, every reference has weight …filled with joy in the resilience of the human spirit, and with love.

–Jane Casey ( The Irish Times )

Val McDermid, 1979 (Atlantic Monthly Press) 

“… a remarkably vivid picture of the tabloid newsprint culture of 40 years ago … McDermid can do edge-of-seat suspense better than most novelists. But what really lingers in the mind is the world she has created in 1979, long before the internet and the end of the Cold War. Among other things, she reminds us how much newspapers mattered in those days … enjoy this excellent opener to what promises to be an outstanding series.”

–Andrew Taylor ( The Spectator )

Helene Tursten (transl. Marlaine Delargy), An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed (Soho Crime) 

“Tursten effectively juxtaposes a cozy, Agatha Christie–like tone against the often surprisingly dark nature of Maud’s recollections, which are rife with clever satirical jabs and delicious ironies. This absorbing dive into the mind of a ruthless pragmatist posing as a Swedish Miss Marple will please psychological-thriller fans, once they realize that Maud isn’t nearly as cozy as she looks.”

–Christine Tran ( Booklist )

John Banville, April in Spain (Hanover Square Press)

“There is no clear distinction to be made between John Banville’s crime novels and his other fiction. There is the same elegant pacing, crafted prose and detailed examination of relationships—personal, social and political—that won him the Booker Prize … The book is not a mile-a-minute crime thriller. Banville calls the reader to take time, to savour the intricate descriptions of people and place … This is a slow-burning mystery, a love story and a study of the corruption and power of the Irish political elite—quite a lot to pack into one crime novel. Banville has achieved it with grace and poise.”

–Estelle Birdy ( The Spectator )

Eric Rickstad, I Am Not Who You Think I Am (Blackstone)

“What an incredible, sad story. This is the kind of story that lingers long after you’ve finished reading. It’s dark and twisted, with no redemption for the characters. And yet, it is probably a more realistic ending than the ones we normally read about. Secrets and lies damage all those involved, seen very clearly in this story. If you enjoy dark, gritty thrillers, then I recommend you read this book. Just be warned that there are no happy endings here. If you dislike the reality of broken lives, this is not the book for you.”

–Christina Boswell ( The Portland Review of Books )

Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton, State of Terror (Simon and Schuster/St. Martin’s Press)

“When politicians write novels, I usually try to avoid reviewing them … State of Terror is a big, turbocharged, breathtaking exception: It’s one of the best political thrillers I’ve ever read … what readers might hope for but not often get: a thriller that combines the firsthand, insider knowledge of a former Secretary of State with the writing skills of a master of suspense. Bonus feature: lots of wicked humor … (You might recall that Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, has written a couple of political thrillers with megabestselling author James Patterson. They’ve done yeoman work, but the ladies outshine them) … Every new discovery is more terrifying than the last, and what adds an extra layer of dread is that we know Clinton actually held this job. As each appalling detail emerged, I found myself wondering whether it had really happened … keeps up a relentless pace, with more twists and turns and cliffhangers than I could count. Yet unlike any other thriller character I can think of, Ellen doesn’t punch anyone or shoot anyone or throw anyone out of an airplane. With her, it’s all brain work.”

–Colette Bancroft ( The Tampa Bay Times )

Anthony Horowitz, A Line to Kill (Harper)

“Like any good mystery, Anthony Horowitz’s A Line to Kill has a gripping story, quirky characters who might be devious or might be innocent, a twisty plot, an enigmatic detective and a memorable setting. But it also has something else: sly humor, most of it at the expense of the author … Horowitz (the real one) has a lot of fun with this book, dropping clues and red herrings, unraveling the story slowly, ending it — and then ending it again. Along the way he pokes fun at writers and readings and literary festivals and, most of all, at himself. Seriously, get in line for this one. It’s terrific.”

–Laurie Hertzel ( The Star Tribune )

Maria Judite de Carvalho (transl. Margaret Jull Costa), Empty Wardrobe (Two Lines Press)

“… sharp … The story concludes with a startling outcome that serves as a critique of a society that only values women for their youth and beauty. It’s a bit didactic, but de Carvalho (1921–1998) complicates things with Manuela’s unreliable narration and internalized misogyny. This unearthed story leaves readers with much to chew on.”

–( Publishers Weekly )

Chris Hadfield, The Apollo Murders (Mulholland) 

Spectacular … His mastery of the details enables him to generate high levels of tension from just a description of a welding error, which cascades into something significant. This is an intelligent and surprising nail-biter.

L. Allison Heller, The Neighbor’s Secret (Flatiron)

“Heller excels at the complex characterization required to engage readers, resulting in a book that’s truly impossible to put down. The myriad anxieties her characters feel—fear for their children, their reputation, their community—are entirely relatable. A sense of dread and foreboding permeates the narrative … With such a wonderful buildup and a truly surprising finish, The Neighbor’s Secret is a delight to read.”

–Elyse Discher ( Bookpage )

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October, October | Book Review

By Katya Balen , with illustrations by Angela Harding (published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books )

She wanted me to go to school and spend my weekends with her far away, but then when would I ever be wild and free and climb trees and scavenge for treasure and tell stories by a fire?

I don’t want her.

She’s not wild like we are.

October and her dad live a mostly self-sustaining life in the woods. They grow their own food (some of which they trade with the local dairy farmer), they swim the lake and howl at the stars, and they take care of the trees, just the two of them. October is proud to say “we live in the woods and we are wild”.

That is until October’s eleventh birthday; until she finds the owl, and until her dad is rushed into hospital. October is pulled away from the woods, from her home, and into the care of “the woman who is her mother”. Confused and alone, trapped in a tiny house in busy London with a woman that she hasn’t seen in years (and has no interest in), October struggles to understand this new world. But maybe, if she and her mother are both willing to try, she might find that there are some good things outside of the woods after all…

I’ll admit that I was drawn to the front cover before I knew what the story was about. The beautiful lines and rich colours give a sense of what October’s world is like before it all goes wrong. The lines are almost cacophonous in places, but in a busy way rather than a messy way, which somewhat reflects October herself.

(I had to include the full fold-out version of the cover by Angela Harding as I just feel it deserves to be seen in its full glory!)

With regards to the story, although it takes a while to pick up, I never felt like the time is wasted or drags. Rather, the time is spent setting up the world as October knows it, October herself (the book is written from her perspective), her relationship with her father and her non-relationship with her mother.

October has a wonderful gift for spinning stories, and the run-on sentences that make up the book really capture the essence of her character; always moving, always interested, always looking. I admire her dedication to the woods and the charm it holds for her, though I have to admit it’s not a lifestyle I would personally choose! Still, Katya Balen describes them so vividly that they feel alive, and you can definitely see some of the appeal.

I found some of October’s behaviour a bit difficult to connect with at first but, through Balen’s depiction of her thoughts and feelings, I came to understand that she is either neurodivergent, or that her secluded lifestyle has led her to develop some similar attributes to those who are.

October, October is a very insightful read. The story does an excellent job of portraying how October views some things differently and acts out in certain ways, even before she is subjected to a sudden and upsetting change in circumstances. But it also does a good job of making October’s mother a somewhat sympathetic character. She doesn’t realise at first why October behaves the way she does, and finds some of it hurtful or frustrating. But being able to see through October’s eyes helps us understand it from the outset. By the end, I found myself sympathising with both October and her mother – and her father of course, who has been trying to bridge the gap between them.

Balen perfectly shows how easy it can be for neurotypical people like October’s mother not to understand, and that it’s (normally) due to ignorance, not malice. And although October’s situation and relationships do improve, she doesn’t “get over it”, as I imagine some stories would be tempted to end with – that wouldn’t be right. Whether she is neurodivergent or not, the story shows that it is a part of her and always will be, and shouldn’t be treated as something to be “fixed”. Balen shows us that she just requires a little more patience and consideration, which October’s mother starts to realise as the story progresses.

Without spoiling any of the story beats, I can say it has moments of sadness; I found my heart breaking for October so many times, as she feels her world slipping away, and for her mother who wants to connect with her but simply doesn’t know how. It is also uplifting and hopeful however, showing true moments of love and friendship, and the joy that can be taken in simple things.

This is a beautiful book, and one that I would thoroughly recommend not just for children, but for adults too. Any teacher, librarian, or parent who cares for neurodivergent children could benefit from the level of insight and understanding that October, October provides, and any neurodivergent child will likely appreciate reading something that reflects them (although we are getting more diverse books, we still have a bit of way to go!).

Even without that perspective though, not only is it a moving story that touches upon themes of separation, isolation, change and family that anyone can appreciate and enjoy, but it’s also a great opportunity to read outside of our own experiences, to better understand and empathise with others who see or experience things differently to ourselves.

And, as if you needed any more reasons to read it, it’s October, so the perfect time!

Katya Balen is not only the author of October, October and The Space We’re In which came out last year, but is also co-director of Mainspring Arts, a charity dedicated to increasing neurodiversity in the arts and creative sectors. You can read more about what they do, and how you can support them at their website http://www.mainspringarts.org.uk/ .

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