5 new books to read this week

Yellowface author RF Kuang returns with a magical foray into hell…

Fiction

Katabasis by RF Kuang is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £22 (ebook £12.99). Available August 26

In 2023, RF Kuang’s satirical novel Yellowface took book clubs by storm, making it a tough act to follow – and her next offering, Katabasis, doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Alice Law is a postgrad student at Cambridge studying analytic magick (yes, magic). When her supervisor dies a grisly death, she decides to rescue him from hell as he is the only one who can secure her successful future. Unfortunately, she’s not alone in her journey and is joined by fellow postgrad and wunderkind Peter. When the plot gets going it’s infinitely readable and imaginative, with Alice and Peter travelling through all the phases of hell while grappling with their personal relationship – and that with their tyrannical supervisor. Unfortunately, all that is bogged down by philosophical discussions that make it a bit dry and stilted, and you find yourself skipping complicated passages with no real bearing on the plot to get to the good stuff.
6/10
Review by Prudence Wade

Loved One by Aisha Muharrar is published in hardback by Fourth Estate, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99). Available August 14

American TV writer Aisha Muharrar wrote for comedy shows Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, and while her debut novel, Loved One, isn’t laugh-out-loud hilarious, it definitely gives grief and heartbreak a droll twist. Aged 29, Julia’s first love and later, best friend Gabe dies suddenly, leaving her reeling and furious. She’s charged by his mother with tracking down his most beloved possessions and ends up in London, facing off with his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth, who has as many Gabe-related secrets as Julia. Sparky and guarded, Julia is tricky to get a handle-on, as is Gabe, a musician who swerves from being self-absorbed to the most incredible listener, making them a frustrating love story, but Muharrar’s writing glides bewitchingly. So, despite several unconvincing encounters and coincidences, Loved One is an absorbing contemplation of regret and the pain of unanswered questions.
8/10
Review by Ella Walker

Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbo, translated by Robert Ferguson, is published in hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £22 (ebook £10.99). Available August 14

Bestselling crime fiction writer and the king of Nordic noir, Jo Nesbo, is best known for his series featuring detective Harry Hole, but he’s back with a standalone novel that fans won’t be able to put down. This gritty thriller takes us to the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, against a backdrop of gun crime issues and political tension following the murder of George Floyd. To solve a series of puzzling murders, suspended police officer Bob Oz and Norwegian crime writer Holger Rudi conduct investigations six years apart. In true Nesbo style, his ease of storytelling hooks you in immediately, there’s an unnerving air of suspense throughout and meticulous attention to detail – the clever parallel timelines providing just enough clues to keep the pages turning. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a Nesbo novel without twists no one sees coming.
7/10
Review by Lauren Taylor

Non-fiction

Injury Time: Football In A State Of Emergency by David Goldblatt is published in hardback by Mudlark, priced £22 (ebook £12.99). Available August 14

Modern football is at a crossroads as the sport attempts to balance external pressures with an insatiable appetite for more in an ever-changing world. David Goldblatt is one of football’s finest historians, and his latest book picks apart the past decade in microscopic detail along with astute socio-economic analysis. Starting with football after the Brexit referendum, the three-part book continues with the Covid era before moving onto football’s “state of emergency” in the eponymous section ‘Injury Time’ and a thought-provoking conclusion as the beautiful game is pored over in minute detail. Goldblatt’s unmatched research and insight has led to another outstanding book like The Ball Is Round and The Game Of Our Lives.
8/10
Review by Simon Peach

Children’s book of the week

A Totally Big Umbrella by Sarah Crossan, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, is published in hardback by Walker Books, priced £12.99. Available August 28

Irish YA author and poet Sarah Crossan has a sharp, spare way with language, and tackles topics that feel overwhelming, from divorce to dementia, running away from home and even sisterhood as conjoined twins. In A Totally Big Umbrella, her debut picture book, Tallulah becomes afraid of the rain after it soaks her dress and makes her biscuit soggy. As her worries grow alongside a need for a bigger and bigger umbrella, her Grandma helps, without making her feel like she’s being unreasonable or gone barmy. It’s a slow-burn, but Rebecca Cobb’s playful illustrations and Crossan’s witty asides (like Tallulah calling her dad out on his phone use) bring lightness to a slightly serious tale of sitting with big feelings.
6/10
Review by Ella Walker

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 2

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. The Artist,The by Lucy Steeds
2. Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
3. Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh
4. Men in Love by Irvine Welsh
5. Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
6. Silvercloak by L.K Steven
7. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
8. Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
9. The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
10. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins
2. Jess and Norma by Jessica Asquith and Norma Burton
3. The Greatest Story Ever Told by Bear Grylls
4. Long Day? Cook This by Justin Tsang
5. Don’t Believe Everything You Think By Joseph Nguyen
6. To the Sea by Train:The Golden Age of Railway Travel by Andrew Martin
7. Remember When:My life with Alzheimer’s by Fiona Phillips
8. Ikigai:The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
9. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
10. Tart:Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef by Slutty Cheff
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
2. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
3. I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
4. The Names by Florence Knapp
5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Book 1 by J.K. Rowling
6. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
7. Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent
8. Atomic Habits by James Clear
9. The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson
10. A Rock and a Hard Place by JD Kirk
(Compiled by Audible)