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Book reviews: New Thomas Harris, Rosie Price, Jeanette Winterson...

Cari Mora by Thomas Harris
Cari Mora by Thomas Harris Cari Mora by Thomas Harris

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Cari Mora by Thomas Harris is published in hardback by Cornerstone, priced £20 (ebook £9.99)

AS FICTIONAL villains go, Hannibal Lecter is a hard act to follow, even for his creator Thomas Harris. In Cari Mora, Harris has turned his back on the book and movie world's best-known psychopath. The titular Cari is an aspirational Columbian refugee struggling to make a new life in Miami, who though no stranger to violence and death, is on the side of the angels. This time, there is a new monster, Hans-Peter Schneider. Schneider is supplementing a lucrative trade in in kidnap, torture and selling live victims and body parts to hunt for gold buried by drugs Lord Pablo Escobar at the Miami mansion now looked after by Cari. She finds herself caught in a deadly struggle between Schneider and cartel members prepared to kill to recover the lost treasure. It's pacy enough, and readers will be rooting for Cari but some characters feel slightly cliched. Cari Mora it feels more like a starter than a main course, and you're left hungry for more.

7/10

Derek Watson

What Red Was by Rosie Price is published in hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £12.99 (ebook £7.99)

THIS debut is incredibly wrought, smartly written and very, very timely – however, it is quite a harrowing read. Kate meets Max at university, and they spend four years watching films together, their lives interweaving. But Max's wealthy background is very different to Kate's, and when one of his relations assaults her at a party, she becomes tangled in silence. Alcoholism, family drama, strained friendship and trauma, as well as the power of storytelling, are all sharply expressed, with author Rosie Price drawing on her own experiences as a rape victim. There is lightness combined with uneasiness here, which is powerful, but can leave you feeling utterly wrung out.

7/10

Ella Walker

Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson is published in hardback by Jonathan Cape, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99)

WINTERSON is a giant in modern English fiction, best known for her 1985 semi-autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit. Frankissstein is set with the backdrop of Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein. The main story takes place in Brexit Britain – the protagonist, a doctor called Ry, has fallen for Victor Stein, a pioneer in AI. The tale also involves the bawdy Ron Lord – who makes hyper-realistic sex dolls – and discussion around preserving human brains through cryonics and eventually upload them to new bodies. The characters in the modern story are all retellings of those in Shelley's novel, which can feel very laboured. Even though it's refreshing to read something with a trans person at its centre, Winterson's portrayal of Ry isn't convincing. There are interesting ideas around how the future will look, but the way Winterson harks back to the past is quite contrived at times.

6/10

Prue Wade

Lost Property by Laura Beatty is published in hardback by Atlantic Books, priced £14.99 (ebook £5.69)

A WRITER finds herself in the grip of a mid-life crisis that is also a response to current events, preoccupied by humanity's greed and nationalism and the destruction of the natural world. She sets off with her partner on a camper van journey from London to Greece via France, Italy and the Balkans, looking at both the best and worst of what has happened there. At times figures from the past of the places she visits appear, like ghosts, to converse with the writer as she tries to tackle her concerns. There is violence and destruction, but also the urge to create art, buildings and towns. A timely trip through some reminders from history.

9/10

Lucy Whetman

NON-FICTION

Lowborn by Kerry Hudson is published in hardback by Chatto & Windus, priced £12.99 (ebook £9.99)

AFTER surviving a chaotic childhood blighted by poverty, Kerry Hudson became a successful writer, receiving critical acclaim for her first novel Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma. Hudson never forgot her 'Lowborn' roots, although she tried to shut away many of her memories behind a firmly closed door. This book explores what happens when Hudson opens that door and revisits the many places she once called home. This is neither poverty tourism nor is it seen through rose-tinted specs; it is a painful process which forces Hudson to confront memories of feeling hungry and unwanted. She describes difficult relationships with family members fighting losing battles for a better life, while numbing the pain with whatever they can afford. Their flaws and failings are clear, but Hudson also explains them in the context of life in a world where the odds are always stacked against you. A brave and beautifully written book.

9/10

Beverley Rouse

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

No Ballet Shoes In Syria by Catherine Bruton is published in paperback by Nosy Crow, priced £6.99 (ebook £4.74)

AS MANY dance-obsessed youngsters will know, reading about dance can feel almost as magical as a performance itself – and Catherine Bruton's latest YA/children's novel beautifully captures the wonder and spirit of ballet. But there's a deeper purpose to the story: 11-year-old Aya and her mum and baby brother are seeking asylum in England after fleeing war-torn Syria. Joining a local ballet class in Manchester connects Aya with the life she once knew in Aleppo, before the bombing started and life was turned upside down. Flashbacks hint at some of the traumas Aya has been through, including losing friends in the war, a terrifying boat journey and days spent in the back of a lorry to reach England. Bruton handles the topic gently and sensitively. There's no politics – this is all about human experience, using dance and friendship to demonstrate how, really, we're all the same, and kindness, hope and understanding make a world of difference.

8/10

Abi Jackson