Alison Espach
Phoenix, £20, 384 pages
When newly divorced Phoebe Stone arrives at a luxury Rhode Island hotel with the express intention of committing suicide, she finds that she is the only guest not attending the week-long, multimillion-dollar wedding of spoiled little rich girl Lila. Fearing that a suicide will ruin her perfect wedding, Lila befriends Phoebe, who gradually finds reasons to appreciate life again. Espach’s brilliant social observations and deft prose make this novel sharp, witty, and a joy to read.
Callum Robinson
Double day, £22, 320 per person
“What is it about wood that so captures our imagination – so captivates us, so speaks to us like no other material?” asks Robinson in his debut, which is both a paean to the art of woodworking and a memoir of creative endeavor. Taught by his father – himself a master woodcarver – the author takes the reader on a journey through lumberyards to demanding professional commissions and finally back to the workshop where he returns to his craft.
Penelope Campling
Elliott & Thompson, £10.99, 320 pages (Paperback)
Campling has worked as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in the NHS for four decades. During her career she has witnessed profound changes in the way we treat and talk about mental health, yet she is convinced that more needs to be done. She combines case studies with personal reflections on how mental health care could be improved. On the edge is a book full of compassion, insight and tender hope.
