Newly arrived fiction from around the world
The Café with no Name by Robert Seethaler
Robert Simon, a kind-hearted orphan who, despite his difficult past, fulfills his dream of opening a humble café on the edge of the Karmelitermarkt in 1960s Vienna. The café, never formally named, becomes a hub for a diverse cast of local characters – market traders, factory workers, a wrestler, a cheesemonger – whose lives intersect and intertwine within its walls. A gentle, bittersweet, and ultimately hopeful story about how people find warmth and meaning in shared moments and simple kindnesses.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, three young people come of age in Tanzania - Karim, a university-educated man from a privileged background; Fauzia, an intelligent woman striving for independence; and Badar, a poor servant boy whose life is shaped by abandonment and unjust accusations. Theft is a multifaceted novel that delves into familial complexities and the enduring impact of post-colonialism on life Tanzania during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, his first novel since Gurnah was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2021.
Red Dog Farm by Nathaniel Ian Miller
Orri returns home from university to his Icelandic cattle farm to help his taciturn father Pabbi, who is grappling with depression and the harsh realities of farm life. As Orri navigates the demanding physical labor and complex family dynamics, he also explores a new online romance, forcing him to confront his future choices between an academic life and the land that shapes him and the delicate balance between tradition and personal desire.
The Clues in the Fjord Satu Rämö
Hildur Rúnarsdottir, the sole detective on Iceland's remote west coast, seeks refuge from her past in her work, mentoring trainee Jakob Johanson. However, Jakob carries his own burdens, making their escape from their histories impossible. When a local man is murdered, buried by an avalanche that obscures the truth, Hildur and Jakob must confront their personal struggles to untangle the region's dark secrets and unmask a killer lurking in their isolated community. Rämö, a Finnish-Icelandic author creates a compelling whodunit plot with a deep exploration of Icelandic culture, folklore, and the stark beauty of the Icelandic fjords.
The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji
Elizabeth is the daughter of a powerful family raising her grandchild Niaz in Iran. Her daughters Seema and Shirin fled to the US after the 1979 revolution and Seema's daughter Bita is now a law student in New York City struggling to come to terms with her family's fortune and lot in life. Elizabeth, Niaz, Bita and Shirin, plus Seema from beyond the grave come together after Shirin is arrested in Aspen for accidentally soliciting a police officer. With them they bring their demons, pasts, secrets and dreams. A multilayered story of four generations of women through a tumultuous period in Iranian history.
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
On the rebound for the collapse of her long term relationship and at odds with her fundamentalist Muslim mother, Nadia takes a job with the UN in Baghdad rehabilitating ISIS brides. When she arrives in the Green Zone though, her academic paper on developing a re-education programme is scorned by the hardened UN staff and hurdles appear at every turn, in the form of colleagues, bureaucrats and Sheikhs. She also embarks on a torrid romance with her buff but dim security guy Tom. But when Nadia meets a young bride Sara, widowed 3 times before she is out of her teens and speaking with a strong East London accent, she is determined to help repatriate the young woman. Nadia is a beautifully flawed character trying her best against a broken and corrupt system, and Younis adeptly explores the pitfalls and flaws in seeking to change the minds of people. A worthy shortlister for the Women's Prize for Fiction
In 19th-century China, "golden lilies" – tightly bound feet – dictate a woman's worth. Little Flower, a poor girl with perfectly bound feet, is sold as a maidservant to Linjing, a privileged girl whose feet are unbound. Resentment simmers, but their fates intertwine when scandal forces them into the Celibate Sisterhood. There, Little Flower's embroidery skills attract attention, threatening her and testing the fragile bond with Linjing. The contrasting perspectives of Little Flower and Linjing offer a nuanced portrayal of their complex relationship, navigating rivalry and unexpected solidarity within a restrictive society undergoing modernisation.
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre
A Leopard-Skin Hat explores the intense, platonic friendship between an unnamed narrator and his complicated childhood friend, Fanny, who suffers from profound psychological disorders. Told in fragmented scenes rather than a linear narrative, the novel delves into the unknowability of others and the enduring nature of memory and grief. A complex and unique novella.
