Happy’s Best New Books (14th March – 20th March)
Updated weekly by the fine folk at Happy Mag, these are the best new books that this week has to offer from Australia and around the world!
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo – When We Were Birds
In one of the most anticipated debut novels of the year, When We Were Birds takes readers to the heart of Trinidad. There we meet Darwin, who is on a path toward his destiny as a gravedigger, and Yejide, who comes from a line of women who have the ability to commune with the dead. As the two protagonist’s fates intertwine, a darkly magical tale unfolds amidst a setting so vividly rendered, you’ll feel like you’re walking those Caribbean streets.
BUY HERE
AYANNA LLOYD BANWO
WHEN WE WERE BIRDS
Robert Lukins – Loveland
In this emotionally impactful and precise novel, we trace the tale of May and her grandmother, Casey. May makes a break from Australia and the control of her husband to take ownership of a house (which she inherited from Casey) deep in the heart of America’s Midwest. Though separated by generations, the tales of these two women are unfurled in parallel, revealing a dark shared history.
BUY HERE
ROBERT LUKINS
LOVELAND
Daisy Buchanan – Careering
Daisy Buchanan’s unique talent for pulling big laughs out of readers then delivering gut-punches of hard-hitting reality is on full display within the pages of Careering. Following the trials of aspiring writer Imogen and industry veteran Harri, it gets to the heart of serious questions like: what happens when your dream becomes a nightmare? Or: can you separate yourself from your career?
BUY HERE
DAISY BUCHANAN
CAREERING
Sheila Fitzpatrick – The Shortest History of the Soviet Union
The rise and fall of the Soviet Union has repercussions that are playing out, tragically, in the current Ukraine war. Fitzpatrick’s brilliant recount of this ultimately doomed experiment lends vital historical context to contemporary events. The Shortest History of the Soviet Union details the ascent of this 20th-century superpower through its leaders, philosophies, and policies, giving readers a sophisticated understanding of a pivotal era in modern history.
BUY HERE
SHEILA FITZPATRICK
THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF THE SOVIET UNION
Rahaf Mohammed – Rebel
This heart-stopping memoir from Rahaf Mohammed details her escape from Saudi Arabia. Aged just 18 at the time, she barricaded herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room and alerted the world to the danger she was in via social media. Now living in Canada, she exposes systems that are designed to oppress women in her native country through the telling of her awe-inspiring story.
BUY HERE
RAHAF MOHAMMED
REBEL
Norman Erikson Pasaribu – Happy Stories, Mostly
From the mind of one of Indonesia’s most important contemporary writers, Happy Stories, Mostly comprises 12 stories that explore the intersection of Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s cultural backgrounds, as well as queer pathos and humour. The full gamut of Pasaribu’s imagination is on display here as he delves into absurd comic situations while probing the notion of happiness (and the exquisite pain of almost reaching it).
