FICTION
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James is published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton, priced £20 (ebook £9.99)
THIS is the first instalment in Marlon James's African fantasy trilogy. Hot off the heels of Booker Prize-winning A Brief History Of Seven Killings, expectations are high for James – his previous novel was hailed as a triumph of storytelling. This deals with similar themes of identity, violence and religion. Unfortunately, it just doesn't have the same magnetic power. It follows Tracker, a character with a superb sense of smell who has been employed by the King to find a lost boy. He's joined by an eclectic bunch of people to help in his quest, but the story is not straightforward – it jumps about and tells tales within the story. Instead of being an exciting adventure, though, at times it becomes tiresome to read. The sheer level of rape and violence feels increasingly unnecessary, and adds little. James's imagination is admirable – it just seems a shame all the interesting kingdoms and people he creates are lost in the noise and violence. It's been touted as the African Game Of Thrones, but it remains to be seen whether people will return for the sequels, considering how impenetrable the opening act is.
6/10
Prudence Wade
If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman is published in hardback by Orion, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99)
GUILT, secrets and misunderstandings prompt a family rift in Hannah Beckerman's second novel, a story she admits to "struggling" with during the five years since the publication of The Dead Wife's Handbook. If Only I Could Tell You flits between the viewpoints of estranged sisters Jess and Lily and their mum, Audrey, who longs to see her girls reunited. Beckerman, who recently wrote in the Financial Times about her own difficult decision to cut her alcoholic father out of her life, explores themes of sibling rivalry and death as she mixes scenes from the family's present and past. Some sections are very moving but Beckerman's attempts to build suspense can feel a little too heavy handed, leaving the reader longing to get the big reveal over with and get on with the plot. There are some genuinely surprising twists along the way, although it does seem unlikely that none of the characters would have mentioned certain things from the past during earlier pages. There is a really good book in here which could have emerged with better editing, but this version is merely satisfactory, with the frustrating hint of something much better that did not quite materialise.
6/10
Beverley Rouse
NON-FICTION
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias In A World Designed For Men by Caroline Criado Perez is published in hardback by Chatto & Windus, priced £16.99. Available March 7
WE ARE living in the Information Age, with data driving decisions all around us. And yet, Caroline Criado Perez argues in her latest book, we're using data that only tells half the story. To be precise, the men's half. It's not the first time she has focused on female absence: Perez is best known for her campaign to put a woman on Bank of England banknotes (she succeeded with Jane Austen). Now she presents a cautionary tale about what happens when we fail to take account of our own gender bias. Whether it's car design or medical research, Perez argues this failure can have grave consequences. The book is packed with jaw-dropping statistics, such as that women are 47 per cent more likely to die than their male partners in a car crash. And ironically, the book's central thesis is almost undermined by the smorgasbord of stats Perez has at her disposal. But her calls for a reevaluation of the work that women do are convincingly argued, and do ultimately ring true.
7/10
Rachel Farrow
