BOOK BITES | Gabrielle Zevin, Lee Child and Andrew Child, Emilia Hart

Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow  ★★★★★
Gabrielle Zevin
Chatto & Windus

Sam was in his junior year at university when he spotted her in the subway station. “Sadie Miranda Green! You have died of dysentery!” With that, two childhood friends are reunited, igniting a creative gaming empire. Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow is an ode to friendship, a love letter to creativity, a tribute to gaming and a tale of tenacity. Flawed and endearing characters build lives and support each other through disability, depression, and heartache. Zevin’s novel captivates, bruises and lifts the spirit. A winning read. — Tiah Beautement 

No Plan B ★★
Lee Child and Andrew Child
Bantam Press

Sadly, there is indeed no plan B. It was always going to be an ambitious move. Take an enormously popular thriller series starring the laconic and iconic Jack Reacher, a modern-day Lone Ranger who drifts through the by-waters of latter-day America setting wrongs to right. Then hand over the authorship to your little brother because, though you love the rewards, you're bored with the slog. It's a unique act of literary nepotism that would be forgiven by the fans if the two could pull it off. And for the first couple of books, where the brothers worked together, it seemed they just might. But in this, the final joint-venture novel, after which Andrew is on his own, it becomes apparent that the spark is no longer there. This is a limp and tired effort, a pale imitation of past glories. For the sake of Reacher’s reputation and flinty self-respect, I suspect it may be better to just retire Jack with dignity. We shall see. — William Saunderson-Meyer 

Weyward ★★★★
Emilia Hart
The Borough Press

Kate, Violet and Altha are from the same bloodline, but centuries apart. Altha lived in 1619 and was a healer to community members. In 1942 Violet was disowned after she was raped by a rich cousin and nobody believed her. In 2019 Kate is trying to escape an abusive boyfriend and turns to an old family home for survival. It is here that she discovers the secrets of her forebears, strong women who paved the way for her to find power. Through trials of witches, murder and magic, this is a twister that enthrals. — Jessica Levitt