Published in the Sunday Times: 18/08/2019
Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer prize for his novel The Underground Railroad two years ago, and he follows it up with an equally powerful new book. The Nickel Boys (Little, Brown) is based on a true story about a reform school in Florida.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (Bloomsbury) is one of the breakout books of the year, an enthralling study of women's sexual desires. Elizabeth Gilbert and Caitlin Moran are raving, while Gwyneth Paltrow "couldn't put it down".
Sex, lies and scandal are at the centre of Liar by Israeli author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (Little, Brown). When a bored teenaged girl bends the truth about an encounter it has catastrophic consequences.
In Zimbabwe, a woman escapes an abusive polygamous marriage and becomes a domestic worker to survive. Perfect Imperfections by Makanaka Mavengere-Munsaka (Blackbird Books) follows the tangled lives of the four madams she works for.
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