The Gloss team got reading over the summer break – check out our recommendations for the best new books below.

Rescue 
Anita Shreve

Bestselling author Anita Shreve returns with the compelling novel Rescue.  The book centres around rookie paramedic Peter Webster, who pulls a young woman, Sheila, out of a serious car wreck that should have killed her.  Against his better judgement, he visits her in hospital, and quickly, he becomes involved in her troubled life, and they begin a tempestuous love affair.  Their relationship produces a daughter, but it’s not happily ever after for the pair.

Fast forward to 19 years later, and Sheila has long since left, and Webster is raising their daughter, Rowan, alone.  Their relationship is troubled, and things become even more complicated when disaster occurs and Sheila suddenly re-enters their lives.  Long buried questions about why a mother left her family, and why Shelia and Webster’s relationship fell apart emerge, and need answering.

The verdict? This is a gripping novel, which delves deeply into family relationships and the dynamics of love between two people – I couldn’t put it down!  Shreve creates characters that are multi-dimensional and believable, and is a master at weaving multiple layers into a story – from the father-daughter relationship, to love, to drama and suspense, this novel has it all!

Reviewed by Natalie Cosgrove

Someone Else’s Son 
Sam Hayes

This was my first experience of Sam Hayes’ books, but after this read it will not be the last. It is not often I am hooked from the first page but the opening scene in this emotional thriller set the tone for the rest of the book and I found it hard to put it down.

Someone Else’s Son is set in two worlds and is linked by Max, a fifteen year old boy from a broken marriage.  Max lives half of his time with his mother, an award winning multi millionaire British TV presenter, and half his time with his Dad a blind university professor who lives in a very violent and low class area on the outskirts of London. His parents lives are worlds apart and neither one of them knows much about Max’s life and the bullying he receives from low life gangs at his school.

Max has one friend called Dayna, a teenage girl who has been bullied her whole life by kids at school and her mum and stepdad. They understand each other and form a strong bond that melts your heart. The book is revolved around the brutal stabbing of Max and the chapters change from post and pre stabbing so you get a good idea about the characters and their lives before the terrible incident.

Hayes really knows how to draw you into the lives and feelings of her characters making you feel angry at some and deeply sorry for others. Her writing is detailed and accurate, especially about the estates and gang members that are featured heavily in this book.  You almost feel as though you are part of it. She keeps you interested with twists and turns and does not reveal who the killer is until the end but it could really be anyone of the characters she features.

A raw honest story of Britain’s toughest and roughest estates and the painful truth that sometimes parents do not always know as much as they think they do about their teenage kids. An eye opener and must read novel.

Reviewed by Laura Hodge

The Windup Girl 
Paolo Bacigalupi

I’m not normally a Science Fiction fan at all, but The Windup Girl, which falls into this category, was an intriguing read, and completely unlike anything I’ve read before.

Set in a dystopian future in Thailand, where so-called ‘Calorie Companies’ control food production through ‘genehacking’ seeds, and genetically-engineered plagues sweep the globe, global warming has raised the level of the world’s oceans, and people are terrorised by the ‘White Shirts’ – economic hitmen and Calorie Company representatives.  Natural seed stocks have been almost completely supplanted by genehacked seeds, and there is a race of ‘New People’ – genetically engineered ‘windups’ who have been designed to function as slaves, who form an illegal underclass. To add to this, political tensions are rife, and the balance of power is far too perilous to last too long. 

Confused?  I was to begin with, as there are a lot of central characters and a few sub-plots, but stick with it.  It quickly becomes a compelling, thought-provoking read about the imperfect nature of humans, and the dangers of technology.  The novel also explores themes of colonialism, war, illegitimate sexual relationships, and what can be the devastating results of human greed.  It’s not a light-hearted beach read, but if you like to be challenged, this book is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Natalie Cosgrove

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