The Spoiler
by Annalena McAfee
(Random House/Struik, R215)
There are two sides to every story.
Two women journalists on different ends of the journalism landscape are brought together.
The older, Honor Tait, is a renowned veteran war correspondent, while Tamara Sim is a young up-and-coming writer who compiles lists of what’s in and what’s out for a weekend entertainment supplement.
The story is set in England of 1997 – John Major’s government is approaching its demise, newspapers are fighting for survival in the light of dwindling readers and rumours that the internet is on the brink of changing the world forever, and readers are more interested in celebrity gossip.
As the different worlds of Tamara and Honor collide against this backdrop, the consequences are devastating.
It’s all about getting “the story” at any cost – something every journalist is familiar with.
And the question posed in this novel? Is compassion the first casualty in the search for a good story?
Just the unusual cover alone would get many people interested in this book.
Before I Go To Sleep
by SJ Watson
(Random House/Struik, R195)
Memories are said to define us.
So, what happens if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love.
And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.
Anything else about this book and I will spoil what promises to be a suspense-filled, intriguing read.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
by Aimee Bender
(Random House/ Struik, R195)
Nine-year-old Rose bites into a slice of her mother’s home-made lemon-chocolate cake on her ninth birthday and her life is changed forever.
She discovers she has a magical gift – she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake she is eating.
Suddenly the cheerful mother she thinks she knows becomes a woman whose real emotions are filled with despair and desperation.
From that day on food becomes a perilous looking glass into the secret knowledge that Rose’s family wants to keep hidden.
This is a tale about the heartbreak of loving people you know too much about.
When God Was a Rabbit
by Sarah Winman
(Headline, R180)
Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the incidents that shape their lives.
It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life.
Stripped down to its bare bones, it’s about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.