Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott (Faber £9.99)
Originally published in the US in 1929, this breathtaking novel is set in Jazz Age New York, radiating all the fizz and vigour of The Great Gatsby. The striking heroine, Patricia, begins her narrative at the end of her failed and short-lived marriage to up-and-coming journalist Peter. Vacillating between wanting and not wanting to revive the relationship, Patricia steers the story through sharp social commentary, shockingly frank depictions of casual sex, abortion and violence, alongside descriptions of fashion and interiors that are worthy of a high-end glossy magazine. Ursula Parrott was a prolific and popular writer from the late 1920s to 1945, but her final years were spent in lean circumstances, hiding from creditors. Maybe now she can find the wider readership she so richly deserves. Claire Looby
Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children by Daniel Foxx (Monoray, £14.99)
“I’m going to pretend this sherbet is cocaine!” says Lily to her father for his Bring Your Daughter to Work Day at “The Conglomerate”, giving you a flavour of this hyper-satirical collection of short, biting stories from comedian Foxx. It features chronicles of children called Cosmo, Astrid and Camilla, and a dog named Aesop, with skewering twists of familial traditions: Easter egg hunts searching for Fabergés; a child setting off as an exotic adventurer heading to a housing estate; domestic disaster meaning the cocoa isn’t single origin, and so on. It works well, with several laugh-out-loud lines. A generously spaced 140 pages also creates laughter at the price tag, though (the illustrations by Axana Zasorina are impressive). One that will appeal to fans of the “ROCK” books. NJ McGarrigle
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty: Debut depicts troubles with a delicate brush and indelible ink
Let’s Dance by Lucy Sweeney Byrne: Cocaine, consumerism and profound loneliness
Hide Away by Dermot Bolger: Bleak subject still makes for an invigorating read
A breathtaking novel by Ursula Parrott, an author who has long deserved more readers
The Last Dynasty by Toby Wilkinson (Bloomsbury, £25)
Alexander the Great and Cleopatra are two of the most famous names from history. Yet our information about the three centuries in between, known as the Ptolemaic period, is often gleaned from the accounts of Greek and Roman commentators, who don’t give us the whole picture. In The Last Dynasty, Toby Wilkinson uses the latest archaeological discoveries and the evidence of indigenous cultures to fill in the blanks, constructing a richer portrait of a period of “Ptolemaic brilliance”. Arranged according to the four phases of the dynasty, Wilkinson details a period of Egyptian history characterised by unprecedented cultural and intellectual growth, intricate internal conflict and the uneasy but remarkably successful coexistence of ancient customs and new economic and political institutions. Written in vivid and lucid prose, The Last Dynasty brings to life “A period that shaped not only Cleopatra’s life and reign, but the world of ideas we still inhabit”. Ruby Eastwood
Company by Shannon Sanders (ONE, £16.99)
Company opens with a family tree, beginning with Opal, the matriarch, who remains on her death bed, the most beautiful of her clan. In 13 interconnected short stories, we follow the lineage of this black American family as they receive wanted and unwanted “company” into their homes. These visits serve to unearth secrets, to unsettle histories and to disrupt peace – often for the better. Sanders’s writing is at once neat and spirited; her characters drawn with both acuity and love. MacHale has “a smile like a swallow of top-shelf whiskey”, his daughters are “a storm of emotion” and his wife has “hair the colour of a well-travelled penny”. With a light hand and flare for humour, this sparkling debut, marks Sanders as one to watch. Brigid O’Dea
Her Body Among Animals by Paola Ferrante (Influx Press, £10.99)
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” This Krishnamurti quote comes to mind when reading Ferrante’s genre-bending short-story collection. A thread of dissatisfaction runs through these eerie stories. Expect sex (not sexiness), spiders, surrealism and a whole lot of ecological anxiety. The Silent Grave of Birds, the longest story in the collection, which recounts a tale of sexual assault, is both the most affecting and challenging. The author loosens her grip on metaphor in this story, which in the rest of the collection serves to choke any real sense of plot and character. If you’re feeling short on hope, this is not the book to reach for. Brigid O’Dea
The Most by Jessica Anthony (Penguin, £12.99)
What is it about tennis that makes the sport rife for romantic analogy? Is it that in tennis, love means nothing? Two seminal events occur on a warm winter Sunday in 1950s Delaware. The Soviets have launched Sputnik 2 into space, with a stray dog on board, spreading unease throughout the United States. Meanwhile in Delaware, a marriage is at breakpoint. In a run-down apartment block, Kathleen Beckett, a former tennis champion, remains in the complex’s outdoor swimming pool while she decides whether to stick with her philandering husband. The answer hinges on both parties’ ability to tell the truth. What is the best strategy to take? The Most is a solid novella with the acuity of a crisp short story. Brigid O’Dea
