Literary Scout

Category: UK Fiction

Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt (2024)

The book opens with a middle-aged librarian coming across an advertisement for the sale of a farm in the north of England where he grew up and he decides to return to the village of his childhood posing as a prospective buyer. It is the first time in twenty years that he has been there […]

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (2024)

When Lauren arrives home, quite drunk, from her best friend Eleni’s hen do, she is surprised and alarmed to find a man in her house. What’s more, the man says he is her husband, and there is evidence everywhere to suggest he is right: there are photos of them together around the flat and on her phone, he has […]

Second Place by Rachel Cusk (2021)

Set on a property in the Norfolk marshlands (where in real life Cusk lives with her third husband, a painter), the novel is narrated by M, a writer who lives there with her second husband Tony, a large silent man who is deeply connected to the land. Years ago in unhappy times, M stumbled across […]

Nothing Special

Nicole Flattery

The novel begins in 2010, with the narrator, Mae, recalling her mother’s obsession with a children’s farm animals book. Her mother, often drunk, would insist all animals were sheep, and Mae went along with it to avoid danger. They became estranged, and Mae, seeking answers about her personal problems, bombarded the book’s publishing company with […]

Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru (2024)

The narrator, a man in his forties born in the UK, finds himself working undocumented in the US during the pandemic, doing menial jobs due to a lack of documentation. The story is set in the Spring of 2020, during the global lockdown. The narrator had previously contracted COVID and still suffers from its effects, […]

Anna O. by M.J. Blake (2024)

This thriller revolves around Dr. Ben Prince, a sleep expert working at The Abbey Clinic in Harley Street, known for consulting in criminal cases. His latest challenge is treating Anna Ogilvy, a young woman who has been suffering from Resignation Syndrome, causing her to remain in a sleep-like state for four years. Anna’s condition is […]

Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021)

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, “Klara and the Sun,” we are introduced to a world where Artificial Intelligence has evolved to a point where robots like Klara and Rosa, the B2 model, are designed as companions for children. These robots are highly functional but docile, and as the story begins, they sit in a shop, eagerly […]

You Are Here by David Nicholls (2024)

David Nicholl’s new novel is a contemporary tale set in post-COVID London and the North of England, focusing on the lives of two main characters, Marnie and Michael, who are approaching mid-life. The novel takes the reader on a journey as Marnie and Michael embark on a challenging walk across the Lake District and the […]

The Fraud by Zadie Smith (2023)

A novel that follows the life of Eliza Touchet, a young widow who, in her middle age, is caught in a court case, but the story is not narrated chronologically. Eliza’s life takes various twists and turns, and the novel moves back and forth in time. The narrative explores her early memories of living with […]

Good Material by Dolly Alderton (2023)

Andy and Jen, a couple who had been together for three years, have recently broken up. Andy is struggling to cope with the separation and has moved back in with his mother, while Jen stays with her sister Miranda, who has a strong aversion to men. Their breakup has left Andy in a state of […]