Common Decency
Susannah Dickey
Doubleday, £14.99, pp310
After her excellent debut, Tennis Lessons, Susannah Dickey returns with another vivid and beautifully written novel that confirms her as one of literature’s major new talents. Once again she explores female relationships in a darkly affecting fashion as she tells the stories of Belfast neighbours Lily and Siobhán. There is something almost Highsmithian about the way in which Lily becomes obsessed with Siobhán’s life. This is no cheap thriller, its quiet despair is genuinely affecting.
A Woman’s World: 1850-1960
Marina Amaral and Dan Jones
Head of Zeus, £30, pp448
The third collaboration between the artist Marina Amaral and the historian Dan Jones turns its attention to the often under-appreciated role of women between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. It proves to be every bit as fascinating and revelatory as its predecessors. Jones’s text is authoritative and witty, but the main appeal lies in Amaral’s delicate colourisation of photographs, bringing subjects including Frida Kahlo back to life. Far from being gimmicky, this fine book is a moving testament to the power of social change.
The Pathfinders
Will Iredale
WH Allen, £9.99, pp448 (paperback)
The so-called “pathfinders” were one of the lesser-known elite units of the second world war, but, as Will Iredale reveals in this mesmeric account, their contribution to Britain’s victory was vital. Their dangerous, often deadly task was to fly ahead of allied bombing raids into Germany and drop flares illuminating the key military targets. Iredale skilfully interweaves details of the brave pilots’ lives with a weighty account of British military strategy, which, as this book details, was risky and successful.
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