New books to read this week

This Is Going To Hurt author Adam Kay reveals his debut novel…

Fiction

A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay is published in hardback by Orion

After his much-despised colleague drops dead in the street, maverick NHS rheumatology consultant Eitan Rose can’t ignore his gut feeling that something isn’t adding up – so decides to take matters into his own hands, going solely off his innate doctor problem-solving skills and no evidence whatsoever. As Eitan bumbles through his amateur investigation, using, at best, unconventional, and at worst, deplorable methods, there are hilarious consequences, yet we come to see the extent of Eitan’s unravelling mental state. He’s not the perfect hero – he’s flawed, and at times deeply unlikable – but it quickly becomes clear that A Particularly Nasty Case is not just a gripping crime comedy, but an eloquent and striking insight into the issues those who live with mental health issues face every day, while also touching on the UK’s deeply unfair class divide. For fans of Adam Kay’s other works, his debut novel is equally as stuffed with barbed quips, and his experience of NHS hospitals adds a layer of plausibility, resulting in a whodunit of self-conviction in the face of doubt, and the power of doing good by others.

Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern is published in hardback by HarperCollins

Cecelia Ahern, author of PS I Love You, returns with Paper Heart, which follows Pip, a 32-year-old mother to 16-year-old Bella, trying to rediscover her dreams and find love again. Set in Ireland, readers see Pip living almost like a teenager herself under the strict rule of her parents who, up until now, have controlled her every move. Whether it’s her job, who she dates and even how she parents her own daughter, Pip has never had the freedom to make her own decisions. The story weaves in poetry and the stars as Pip tries to escape from their shackles after meeting an astronomer, who gives her a new lease of life and helps her regain her confidence. With characters such as Jamie – Bella’s father and Pip’s first love – also in the mix, this book firmly pulls on the heart strings as Pip finally finds her own feet.

Picture Imperfect by Jacqueline Wilson is published in hardback by Bantam

Pitched as the adult sequel to Jacqueline Wilson’s 1999 children’s novel, The Illustrated Mum, Picture Imperfect picks up with Dolphin – who watched her mum Marigold unravel in the first book – in her early 30s. Now a tattoo artist (although not decorated to the hilt like her mum), she’s living unhappily in a bedsit, picking bad boyfriends and longing for a baby. Dol’s elder sister Star has moved away to pursue a conventional, successful life and escape the hook Dol is still on: taking care of Marigold when she switches her meds for drink and drugs. Throw in a few useless dads and a couple of love interests and you have the kind of gritty family drama Wilson is so talented at making sense of for younger readers. However, the book feels pitched at those who read The Illustrated Mum as children, and the result is, Picture Imperfect reads like a YA novel, just with extra sex and swearing, which is a bit jarring.

Non-fiction

The Genius of Trees: How Trees Mastered The Elements And Shaped The World by Harriet Rix is published in hardback by Bodley Head

Traversing the globe from Iraq to Guatemala, and digging into a wide range of eco-systems established over millennia, Harriet Rix’s The Genius of Trees is an ambitious and stunningly expansive investigation into the role trees play in shaping our natural world. Few come better qualified than Rix, a biochemist and long-time tree science consultant, whose passion for the project shines through in this immersive paean to the grandest of all plants. Split into sections which shine a light on the tree’s relationship to elements, from water to fire and fungi, The Genius Of Trees feels like a particularly timely reminder of the importance of protecting our precious natural resources. An Oxford graduate, Rix does not flinch from a deeply scientific narrative, and it is to her credit that she is able to make such a necessarily complex subject so compelling.

Children’s book of the week

There’s Nothing Funny About Bums by Gareth P Jones, illustrated by Matt Robertson, is published in paperback by Happy Yak

A teacher is adamant that bums are not remotely amusing in this picture book by Gareth P. Jones, and two young readers are fans…

This is a book about lots of things that will make you laugh! You can’t help but laugh even if you try not to! I like the way it rhymes. The illustrations are very clever and there is a lot to see in them, in fact, each time you read this book, you will spot something new. My sister and I really liked it and think that if you read it to a whole class, everyone would be laughing their heads off because you are not really meant to laugh at these things!