It was brilliant to be asked by We Love This Book to briefly write about a new book that I was most looking forward to coming in 2014.
Despite a very big to-be-read pile indeed and a strong determination this year to read more of the books on said pile and focus on it, (more of that in another post), it is impossible not to notice some of the new books that are due to appear during the coming year, and to want to read one or two of them.
I'm sure there are hundreds that I don't yet know about that I'll discover this year, but the one that sprang to mind immediately, from amongst the ones I had heard about, well, actually there were two, (the other one was the new Sadie Jones novel), but in the end I had to go for this one - Road Ends by Mary Lawson, because her last book The Other Side of the Bridge was a very memorable and cherished read for me and because it has been a bit of a wait for a new novel by this author, so I'm very glad indeed that her new book is now on the way. Here's the synopsis:
The new novel from Mary Lawson, set in the frozen north of Canada, and London in the 60s, about a family which is falling apart.
On a perfect August morning in 1967, above a river just outside a small town in the north of Canada, a young man meets his death. And so begins the unravelling of his best friend Tom’s already precarious family…
Eighteen months on, and the town of Struan is in the grip of winter. Still reeling from his friend’s death, Tom has dropped out and spends his days driving a snow plough. His mother has yet another new baby and is nesting upstairs, increasingly lost in her own world. His father, Edward, retreats to his study and his diaries, unable to cope with his growing, unruly family. There are so many brothers in the house that Tom has almost lost count, but Adam, who is only four, somehow can’t be ignored… Their one sister – capable, dependable, formidable Megan – who used to run the show, has escaped to London and is finally living her own life. But then come disturbing letters from home…
In this masterful, enthralling, and tender novel, which takes us from the silver rush in Northern Ontario in the early 1900s to London in the 60s, Mary Lawson gently reveals the intricacies and anguish of family life, the push and pull of responsibility and individual desire, the way we can face tragedy and, in time, hope to start again.
If you had to pick just one new book that you are looking forward to in 2014, what would it be from those you've heard about so far?
Oooh thanks Lyns I didn't know about this list. Off to have a wee look.
ReplyDeleteLainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
Not an author or book I'm familiar with but I'll be sure to keep a look out for.
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to the third book in the Hollow Earth series by John Barrowman and his sister Carole.
Yes, the Mary Lawson is most definitely on my To Be Acquired list along with the new Sarah Waters and I'm looking forward to reading A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger, a debut historical thriller set in the 14th century - eclectic as usual!
ReplyDeleteI almost wish I hadn't clicked on that link - my TBR is under enough strain as it is without the added pressure of new 2014 books! There look to be some crackers on the way, though. I've never heard of Mary Lawson before, must look into her last book.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds very good. The characters and what they sound like they experience is of course the draw here.
ReplyDeleteI tend to not anticipate new books. Most of the fiction that I read is older. When it comes to non - fiction I do not usually know of books that interest me until they are published. With that said, there is no doubt that some great books will be published this year.
Ooh sounds promising! Looking forward to hearing what you think of The Engagements - it's next up on my reading pile!
ReplyDeleteClaie
Great review, Lindsay - will be adding this. I also like the look of Elizabeth is Missing by your namesake!
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