The best new books to read in January 2024

Fiction pick

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

The year is 412 BC, and Sicilian potters Lampo and Gelon are planning to put on a play – of Euripides’ Medea no less. Who better to cast in it than the thousands of Athenian men who lie about starving and practically boiling in the Syracuse quarry where they have been imprisoned since their failed invasion of the island? Glorious Exploits is a blinder of a book, narrated by Lampo in a modern Irish vernacular with all the wit to match. In fewer than 300 pages it also manages to pack in a heap of ideas – about war and art, brotherhood and community, love and loss. A true gem.

(Fig Tree, £16.99)

Non-fiction pick

Under the Hornbeams by Emma Tarlo

When author Emma Tarlo went out for a walk in London one day, she met Nick and Pascal. Nick is a big reader of philosophy and history, Pascal an avid lover of animals, and together they live under the hornbeam trees in Regent’s Park. Yet despite all preconceptions, they don’t identify as homeless. Over the four seasons of a single year that follows, Tarlo returns almost every day and as she slowly gets to know the pair, her own sense of freedom, community and connection is remoulded. Under the Hornbeams is an extraordinary book.

(Faber, £18.99)

Best of the rest

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

The author of the much-lauded novel Such a Fun Age returns with a story about University of Arkansas student Millie Cousins, whose path in life is irrevocably altered when visiting professor Agatha Paul makes her an offer. Smart, funny, and perceptive.

(Bloomsbury, £16.99)

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Prose’s hotel-set whodunnit The Maid became an instant hit when it was published in 2022, with the film rights being snapped up and Florence Pugh cast in the lead role. This follow-up novel, which sees a mystery writer meeting their end in the tea-room, is bound to achieve similar success.

(HarperFiction, £16.99)

My Friends by Hisham Matar

A single snap decision leaves Khaled and Mustafa, two Libyan 18-year-olds studying in the University of Edinburgh, in political exile. Together with their friend Hosam, a writer, they must face the consequences over years to come in this profound tale by the Pulitzer-prize winner.

(Viking, £18.99)

The Actor by Chris MacDonald

Extreme method acting might be the reason Adam Sealey is on the precipice of awards glory, but it also requires him to dig into a past of secrets, trauma and the truth about a dead body in drama school. Twisty, compulsive fun.

(Michael Joseph, £16.99)

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One Love by Matt Cain

Danny and Guy’s friendship begins in 2002 at Manchester University. Two decades later, when they return to the city during Gay Pride weekend, Danny divulges a secret that he has been keeping all this time in this heart-warming read.

(Headline Review, £20)

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

The eponymous Piglet (an unshakable childhood nickname) is 13 days away from marrying Kit when his terrible revelation sends her perfectly constructed life into a tailspin. A dark, weird, satisfying tale about greed and desire.

(Doubleday, £16.99)

Day by Michael Cunningham

From the Pulitzer-prize winning author of The Hours comes a tale about a Brooklyn household on a single day before, during and after lockdown. With raw and real characters – a married couple, their two children, and the wife’s younger brother – Day is an intimate and elegant read.

(4th Estate, £16.99)

Helle and Death by Oscar Jensen

Danish expat Torben Helle has reluctantly turned up at a Northumbrian country house for a 10-year reunion with university friends. As a snowstorm ensues, the host makes a series of shocking revelations over dinner – then is found dead. A spine-chilling, Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit.

(Viper, £16.99)

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett

In Ballina, a small town in Ireland’s County Mayo, feuds and long-held secrets come bubbling to the surface. Barret has won awards for his short stories and this, his debut novel, comes with ringing endorsements from the likes of Anne Enright, Sally Rooney and Jon McGregor, signaling the arrival of a great literary novelist.

(Jonathan Cape, £16.99)

Hidden Fires by Sairish Hussain

80-year-old Yusuf lives in Bradford and is haunted by childhood memories. His granddaughter, Rubi, is bullied at school. A multi-generational family story which deftly weaves in the tragic events of Partition and the Grenfell Tower fire, this is a sweeping tale of resilience.

(HQ, £16.99)

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Evie Porter has the perfect life. Except she doesn’t actually exist: it’s an alias given to her by her mysterious employer, along with the latest target, Ryan Summer. But she can sense this job is going to be different. With an Octavia Spencer-helmed TV adaptation already in development, this is the kind of jaw-droppingly twisty read you stay up all night for.

(Headline, £16.99)

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody

On the tenth anniversary of Teddy’s sister Angie’s disappearance, their father dies suddenly. When clearing out his things, Teddy discovers he had been fixated with online forums and their conspiracy theories about what happened to Angie. An excellent, book-club worthy read exploring our obsession with true crime.

(Bloomsbury, £16.99)

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

In 30s British Malaya, Cecily is seduced by Japanese general Fujiwara and the future he promises free from British colonialism. 15 years later, as the Second World War rages and Malaya is occupied by the Japanese, she must face up to decisions she made all that time years ago.

(Hodder, £16.99)

The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

A writer, a college drop-out, and a parrot named Eureka form an unlikely friendship when they are thrown together in a Manhattan apartment, hiding from a turbulent world outside. A gorgeous, funny, and totally original novel about human connection in the face of the pandemic.

(Virago, £16.99)

The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams

In this luscious debut set in the English countryside, alternating perspectives allow us to slowly piece together what has happened to a family who are broken by loss. Williams writes evocative prose, while short chapters keep you turning its pages.

(Faber, £14.99)

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The Trials of Marjorie Crowe by CS Robertson

Marjorie has always been an enigma, but the residents of her Scottish town have left her alone. Until she’s the first person to discover a body in the woods, that is, and her story of what she saw doesn’t add up…

(Hodder, £20)

One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall

As much a psychological thriller as a novel packed with sharp commentary about society and gender, One of the Good Guys transports us to a coastal town where two women have gone missing. Residents and new friends Lennie and Cole are thrust into the investigation, and soon realise they know less about each other than they first thought.

(Macmillan, £16.99)

Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle

On a breathtakingly beautiful island where Laurence and Eva are about to celebrate their wedding, someone takes their last breath. Murder on Lake Garda is a delightfully glitzy murder-mystery with family rivalry, old feuds and a killer twist.

(Century, £16.99)

The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina

Messina, international bestselling author of The Phone Box at the Edge of the World, has penned a gorgeous, lyrical tale about a tranquil Japanese island where people go to record their heartbeats, and the meeting of two lonely people. This novel is good for the soul.

(Manilla, £16.99)

Confrontations by Simone Atangana Bekono

After being bullied for years without a single person intervening, Salomé snapped and now finds herself in a secure unit for young offenders. Worst of all, the counsellor she is relying on to get out is known for his racist gaffes. A sharp and powerful read.

(Serpent’s Tail, £14.99)

Why Animals Talk by Arik Kershenbaum

A delightfully entertaining journey through the science of animal communication, Why Animals Talk takes us into the oceanic world of dolphin clicks, teaches us about wolves’ accents, shows us the power of parrots’ chatter – all while shedding light on our own language and world.

(Viking, £20)

The Promised Party by Jennifer Clement

Charting the author’s early life in 60s Mexico City, where she grew up next door to Frida Kahlo’s house and lived alongside revolutionaries, through to the counterculture of 80s New York City where she inhabited the world of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, Clement’s memoir is raw, beautiful and difficult to peel yourself away from.

(Canongate, £16.99)

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes

From The Great Pyramid of Giza to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the historian author gives us both a portrait of the seven wonders of the ancient world themselves, and a paean to human imagination and capability to create.

(W&N, £25)

Our Moon by Rebecca Boyle

Over the centuries, humans have looked up at the same moon. But how many have appreciated quite how much it has shaped our world? From the Apollo landing to the way the moon has inspired writers and artists, here is the luminous read we didn’t realise we needed.

(Sceptre, £22)

I Seek a Kind Person by Julian Borger

In 1938, Jewish families fleeing Vienna placed ads in the Manchester Guardian (as it was then known) looking for readers who could care for their children. Eight decades later, Guardian journalist Borger discovers his father was one of those kids; a secret he has kept for years.

(John Murray, £20)

Reason to Be Happy by Kaushik Basu

The former Chief Economist to the World Bank might be an unlikely suspect for a manual on how to live a happier life, but on reading it makes a huge amount of sense. Basu sets out a compelling argument for why logical thinking is required in order to reach contentment – and deftly shows you how.

(Torva, £16.99)

‘It is depressing to be dragged in to culture wars’

Few books manage to be such conversation-starters quite like Sathnam Sanghera’s 2021 release Empireland was. The journalist’s interrogation of Britain’s imperial legacy became a Sunday Times bestseller, inspired a Channel 4 documentary (Empire State of Mind), and, in the process, opened up a new dialogue around the way our country’s colonial history has shaped modern Britain.

“It has been a surprise and a thrill,” he reflects, “to see the book resonate with so many other people: to see it being embraced as a teaching resource in hundreds of schools; to have students cite it as the reason they decided to read history at university; to find myself discussing it with ministers, former prime ministers and eminent historians; to have, surreally, been elected a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.”

But not all conversation was particularly positive. “It has also been depressing to have been dragged, despite intense efforts to provide nuance, into an enervating culture war on the theme of the British empire,” Sanghera says. “There is a well-funded, Government-endorsed campaign, fuelled by right-wing pressure groups and publications, to intimidate anyone exploring the full complexity of British imperial history.”

Undeterred, Sanghera has returned with an even deeper dive into colonialism. With Empireworld, the author has broadened his focus in order to trace the impact the British empire has had not just within the UK, but for the 2.6 billion people who live in former colonies across the world.

“The British empire covered a quarter of the planet, and in my discussions about Empireland I realised there were still things I did not understand, despite years of reading,” he says. “I did not know how indentured labour worked, for instance, a system which involved 1 million Indians replacing the enslaved on plantations after Abolition. I did not know how the British empire influenced legal systems across the world. I did not have a position on certain classic imperial ‘debates’ – for example, is it true that the British sowed democracy in large parts of the world? To what degree can the British empire be blamed for the rise of white supremacy? Among other places, I went to Barbados, Mauritius, Nigeria and India to answer these questions.”

It can be difficult for an author to follow up a hugely successful book. Will it sell as many copies? Will it be as well reviewed? It would come as quite a surprise if Empireworld fails on either of these counts – it is just as rigorous and fascinating and important as its predecessor. But on the month of its publication, these aren’t Sanghera’s main concerns. “My main hope is for intelligent conversation,” he says. “Hopefully there will be less shouting at events, and fewer racially abusive letters, this time around!”

Empireworld by Sathnam Sanghera is published by Viking, £20