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In Dublin author Sue Rainsford’s second novel, Redder Days, twins Anna and Adam live in an abandoned, volatile commune performing devotions to a world-ending event they believe is imminent. Adam keeps watch by day, Anna by night. Their only companion is Koan, the commune’s former leader, who exerts control however possible. When one of the former commune inhabitants returns, everything they had known to be true is shattered. Gripping.
Doubleday, approx €14.99, out now
To read Sophie White’s Corpsing: My Body and Other Horror Shows is to glean some of her most deeply personal moments in life. In the best way, it often feels as if the reader is eavesdropping – only with her permission – such is the intimacy of this vividly ambitious literary non-fiction collection on the horrors of grief and mental illness, perfectly balanced with the hilarity of life. A must-read.
Tramp Press, approx €15, out now
In Laura McKenna’s debut, Words to Shape My Name, we meet “Faithful Tony Small”, the former slave and companion of Irish revolutionary Lord Edward Fitzgerald. On the anniversary of her father’s death, Tony’s daughter Harriet is met at his graveside by the executor of the will. The papers gifted to Harriet are predominantly the words of Tony, eager to recuperate the traitorous reputation of Lord Edward. An immersive work of historical fiction.
New Island, approx €16.95, out now
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton is a kaleidoscopic fictional oral history of the rock ’n’ roll duo who shot to fame in the 1970s. Opal is an independent woman pushing against the grain discovered by British singer/songwriter Neville Charles, and the two begin to make music together, but soon after events occur that change their lives forever. Provocative, daring and a remarkable female heroine make this unforgettable.
Quercus, approx €15.99, out April 20th
You’ll find more must-reads in the Spring issue of IMAGE on newsstands now