If Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin got you
thinking, you’ll likely enjoy Audrain’s dark yet poetic exploration
of motherhood. What happens if it’s not all it’s cracked up to be?
What happens when it’s everything you feared? It’s a compulsive
read; expect to race through in a few days, and for it to linger in
your mind for many more afterwards.

In the time between adolescence and menopause, many decisions a
woman makes – be it work, our weekends, our postcode, partner – are
hurried by our biological clock. This honest, laugh-out-loud memoir
of Nell (who was photographed wild swimming in Vol. 30 Health) asks us to start a more candid
conversation around the “panic” years because, spoiler, they don’t
just affect women.

What does it mean to be human? So asks Ishiguro’s first novel
since he won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. In it, an
“Artificial Friend” named Klara reflects on the world from inside a
shop, where she watches passersby and hopes that a customer will
take her home.

Dismantling racism doesn’t happen by reading alone, but it can
be a good start. From the author of Don’t Touch My Hair, this book
serves as a clear and practical guide for white people who want to
act on their allyship. No denial, no guilt, just real and
meaningful change.

Laila has had several miscarriages before she turns to the
Melancons, a Harlem family known for its protective magic. Her baby
is stillborn but little does she know that, not long after, her
niece, Amara, delivers a child which the Melancons raise as one of
their own. It’s a story about power, tradition, revenge and, above
all, our search for connection.

Stacey Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives for
11 years, became the first African-American woman nominated for
governor by a major party and was influential in flipping her state
in the 2020 US election. Oh, and she’s written books too. Nine of
them. Her first eight (under the pen name Selena Montgomery) are
romances, but her latest title is one of mystery. A young legal
clerk becomes the power of attorney for her boss who has fallen
into a coma.

This debut fiction from the author behind the bestselling Three
Women revolves around Joan. She’s a rather depraved narrator who,
between New York
and Los Angeles, finds her killer streak after enduring a lifetime
of suffering the cruelties of men.

The transgender activist and model made headlines in summer 2020
when, after a bidding war, her “gender manifesto” secured a
six-figure deal. Drawing on her own experiences, she explores
themes such as identity, relationships and race, and reflects on
change as a part of every human experience. Differences, she
writes, can be a tool to build a better community.