New books to read this week

2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s latest novel has now been translated into English…

Fiction

We Do Not Part by Han Kang is published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton

Recent events have surely punctured any casual impression of South Korea as a model of political stability. The Nobel Prize going to South Korean author Han Kang last year, followed by the English-language publication of her most recent novel, throws further light on the nation’s shrouded trauma. Kyungha, the narrator in We Do Not Part, is a journalist whose research brought her to collapse. She is asked by a hospitalised friend to pet-sit at her isolated house on the island of Jeju. A snowstorm nearly derails her journey, and her visit becomes a shivering reverie in which she learns of the terrible violence wrought there in the 1940s before the Korean War’s outbreak – and its impact on her friend’s family. The result occasionally feels like a history lesson bookended by a ghost story, but both parts are compelling and address with moving imagery the real impact the dead and missing have on the living.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson is published in hardback by Michael Joseph

This multigenerational story charts the path of a beloved jar made by an enslaved potter; from its beginnings as wet clay to the moment it shatters in horrifying circumstances in the home of a wealthy African American family, who live in an almost wholly white Connecticut neighbourhood. The jar’s life unspools around Ebby’s, whose wedding plans also shatter in spectacular public fashion. She jumps on a plane to France, planning to regroup in private, but her ex, Henry, turns up with a new girlfriend. His arrival doesn’t just throw everything into disarray again, it also raises questions around the devastating day the jar was toppled during a robbery gone wrong. Wilkerson expertly tackles grief, trauma and the drive to live as you wish, in spite of your family’s expectations and your community’s barely concealed racism. The dialogue at times is a little stilted and formal, but there are also searing chapters that push your tear ducts to the absolute limits.

To Pay The Ferryman by Pat Black is published in paperback by Polygon

Scotland is the backdrop to this classic murder mystery. A series of brutal attacks against young women share similarities with a cold case that Detective Inspector Lomond remembers from the start of his career. His efforts to find a serial killer are hampered by the secretive world of art and protests over the lack of an arrest. The victims willingly got into a car before their mobile phones were disabled and they were taken to a remote house to be killed, leading police to believe they must have known their attacker. With help from his trusty sidekick Detective Sergeant Slater, he gradually narrows down the number of suspects, without realising how close the killer is to his own family. To Pay The Ferryman is laced with traditional Scottish police humour – awful coffee, nicknames for Lomond after he fell in the river – and has the most dramatic ending. Glasgow-born Pat Black is the author of several thrillers and this is a fine addition to his expert storytelling.

Non-fiction

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates is published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton

We are utterly surrounded by information, but how many of us are willing to question the myths we’re so often fed? In The Message, readers join world-renowned author Ta-Nehisi Coates on his journey to three sites of conflict – Dakar, South Carolina and Palestine. When sharing his thoughts on these travels, Coates makes a compelling argument for why we need to educate ourselves, seek clarity, and not lose our morals. He urges us to have tough conversations, question what we read and understand the power of writing in politics. The Message is a must-read for everyone. It’s thought-provoking and a wake-up call for the world.

Children’s book of the week

Marty Moose: First Class Mischief by Claire Powell is published in paperback by Walker Books

Marty Moose is actually a mouse whose name was changed by a stray splodge of ink on his birth certificate, but it doesn’t stop him following in the footsteps of his Great Aunt Ada, known as the greatest ever postmouse. She escaped after being caught and almost cooked in a pie, but Marty has an even more dramatic adventure on his first day delivering post round Little Ditch. He bumps into a crazy rabbit called Nibbles Frizzby who unwittingly leads him into danger in the form of two scary toads who fancy a rodent for dinner.

Marty and Nibbles stage an ingenious escape and turn their attention to playing a trick on a sneaky shrew called Cyril who cheats his way to being awarded post office employee of the month. Marty celebrates his first class first day with a well earned jam sandwich to round off a charming story full of fun, surprises and lots of alliteration. Newly confident readers will love Claire Powell’s drawings which bring Marty and other animal characters to life.