Every now and then we encounter a new book that we’re so excited about we want to shout it from the rooftops, so we've created a special tag to distinguish it from the rest: Tattered Cover V.I.B. (very impressive book)! That means it’s a true stand-out in a season of many excellent and compelling new books.
Our latest selection is:
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
This is the book version of what I imagine the Jordan Peele-led Twilight Zone revival might be. Or what Black Mirror is. Or a funhouse refraction of our own world, IRL. These twelve powerfully satirical stories compel us to see our anger and violence at a distance, blown up on a big screen so we can’t look away. They tackle hard truths and invite us along on flights of fierce surreality. And ultimately, they kneel down to empathy. Everyone is in awe of Adjei-Brenyah. Join the club! Read this debut! —Lainie Formby, Adult Frontlist Buyer
Purchase this and previous V.I.B.s below:
Bestselling British writer Tessa Hadley's The Past brings four middle-aged siblings and their families together for what might be their last summer holiday in the family's country home. Old family dynamics and surprising new twists make for a delightful, entertaining and thought-provoking novel. Hadley's storytelling deftly weaves the family's past, with all its ghosts and memories, jealousies and nearly unconditional love in with its present reality of squabbling and deep affection. Each player in The Past is uniquely engaging: from fading beauty Alice with her ex-boyfriend's 20 year old son Kasim, in tow, sister Frans's odd and captivating young children Ivy and Arthur, Harriet, lonely and harboring a dark and secret longing, and all the others, each with an agenda, all under one roof. The perfect storm for an utterly wonderful, brilliantly crafted novel. The Telegraph calls The Past keenly intelligent, and I certainly agree. A wonderful way to begin your reading year. -- Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Lead Buyer
