We recommend: The best new book releases

The best of new fiction

The Future by Naomi Alderman. Naomi Alderman is back with another novel which looks at the not-so distant future and how the biggest tech billionaires are driving the world towards a certain apocalypse. In the book, we follow three big-tech giants, and a group of misfits who are hatching a plan to pull off a major heist from these companies. This group consists of people who are insiders from the companies, and are trying their best to save the world from the end of civilization. You should read this if you are interested in a tale of how structures in our society cause destruction of the natural world, and what humanity’s response is. Kirkus Reviews writes that the book is a “smart, engrossing fable about digital technology and human community”. The Times notes that this novel is “a fable of powerful middle-aged men not realising how dumb they are”. (November 7)

The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez. This book is set during the pandemic, when a 65-year-old writer moves into a friend’s luxurious apartment to take care of a parrot, Eureka, because his owner is unable to be there themself. Later, she is joined by a young man, and what follows is a meditative story about loneliness, vulnerability and ageing. We see how the writer is navigating her life amidst a global crisis, and her interactions with the parrot and the young man. The New York Times notes that this book is “short, wise, provocative, funny”. The Washington Post, writes that this Nunez “repeatedly lulls us into the comfort of her wry, ruminative voice”. (November 7)

Again and Again by Jonathan Evison. This book follows a poignant and surprising story of Geno  living out his final days in a nursing home—feeling bored and isolated— and struggling to connect with his new nursing assistant Angel. Kirkus Reviews says the book is “emotionally robust” and that the author has “demonstrated deep compassion toward hard-luck cases, the elderly, and the unwell.” (November 7) 

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park: From the Korean-American journalist and writer Ed Park who got rave reviews on his debut novel ‘Personal Days’ in 2008, comes this book which reimagines a critical piece of Korean history which split the country into two and weaves the consequences of that scenario to the present-day world. The tone is comedy and with the help of three distinct narrative voices, readers can travel to the past, present and the future. Kirkus Reviews says author Park is a “savvy and entertaining guide,” and concludes that the book is a “brash, rangy, sui generis feat of speculative fiction.” New York Times deems it “a challenging read and yet wonderfully suspenseful.” (Nov. 7) 

This month’s poetry pick

Uyghur Poems by Aziz Isa Elkun. This is a collection of poems spanning the rich 2000 year cultural legacy of the Uyghur people of Central Asia—especially since the community has a glorious history of poetry and much of it has never before been translated into English. This book also serves as a witness to Uyghur’s threatened culture in light of the religious persecution they are undergoing in China. (November 7)

The best of the non-fiction list

Being Muslim in Hindu India by Ziya Us Salam. In this book Ziya Us Salam offers a challenge to the notion that India is secular. He highlights the daily stigmatisation and struggles of being a Muslim in the country. The novel provides a deeply researched outlook on the many tactics used in the country to reduce the position of Muslims and the challenges the community faces going forward. You should read this if you want to know exactly what is happening to India’s Muslims. (November 21)

The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning With the Myth of the Good Billionaire by Tim Schwab. Tim Schwab, through this book, offers a deeply researched and powerful investigation into the Gates Foundation and asks disturbing questions about whether we should put philanthropist billionaires on a high pedestal. The book highlights the manner in which Bill Gates’ charitable funding has also purchased a degree of control of policy and political power across the world. This title will interest you if you’re looking to witness the other, lesser known side of Bill Gates. (November 14)

Question 7 by Richard Flanagan. This book is part-memoir and part-history that traverses through many aspects of the lives of Richard Flanagan and his family—including the Hiroshima bombing, his near death experience while almost drowning, a romance between HG Wells and Rebecca West and the colonisation of Tasmania. The Guardian writes that this is Flanagan’s “finest book” and notes that “it is a treatise on the immeasurability of life”.  (November 7)