'Little Face' | Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah is a bestselling thriller novelist but is equally recognised for her poetry. Thriller novels aren’t generally my go-to choice of reading but when they combine a brilliant idea with clever execution I do love them.

Little Face opens straight into the action and the plot of the novel – Alice Fancourt, a new mother, returns home from some errands and is convinced that the baby with her husband, David, isn’t hers. David is confused and shocked at first, reassuring her that it is the same baby and doing everything he can to prove it. But he quickly becomes a bully, turning against Alice and claiming she is psychotic and deranged.

Alice tries to convince the police that baby Florence has been abducted and to start a search, but for a long time they are adamant there’s not enough evidence in favour of Alice’s arguments. But as they look deeper into the Fancourt family background, they find disturbing issues going back several years, to David’s relationship with his ex-wife, who was killed long before Florence was born. To complicate the dynamic further, Alice’s immaculate but interfering mother-in-law, and Darren, the man charged with the murder of David’s ex-wife, are interrogated by the police yielding surprising results.

I have to say that I initially found Little Face – there’s no other way to put it – annoying. With a concept as chilling as Hannah’s is here, I thought there was far more potential for drama and terror – and that’s saying something, as I’m definitely not a big horror fan. Sadly the lack of rhythm and suspense, and a lack of awareness of the importance of timescale and pace, meant the novel wasn’t off to a good start in my book (no pun intended…)

But Hannah surprised me in the second half of the book where I felt much more drawn in by the events unfolding and started to feel that Hannah had finally got a good grasp of her own characters. The psychological torment becomes poignant and exciting, particularly as David grows ever more brutal and degrading. The ending has just the right mixture of fear, rush and resolution – but I couldn’t possibly give away the liar and spoil it!

I’d love to know your thoughts on this one if you’ve read I – are you a fan of thriller fiction?

'Starter for Ten' | David Nicholls

I picked this up on a charity shop book haul the other week over in Belfast, but I’ve been meaning to read it ever since finishing Nicholls’ One Day, which I loved. I'll admit that another reason I was looking forward to this is that I'm secretly  a bit of a University Challenge keeno myself!

Set in 1985, Starter for Ten begins at something of an end – as awkward, unpopular Brian Jackson is leaving school to go to university. On his first night away, two life-changing events happen. One, Brian meets the rich and glamorous Alice Harbinson, whom he falls hopelessly and unrequitedly in love with. Two, he makes the decision to try out for the Bristol University Challenge team, as a fan of the programme since childhood. At first he doesn’t make the team – though only because of giving answers to Alice – but joins when another member becomes ill.

The novel follows Brian’s uncomfortable and unsettled first year at university, flitting between cringe-inducing social/romantic encounters and Brian’s attempts to show off his academic prowess. Nicholls pulls this off superbly and often I felt like laughing, wincing and feeling sorry all at once in response to Brian’s embarrassing escapades. There’s a real sense of friction in the story, I think –image and reality; class difference; friends and enemies.

Nicholls’ depiction of Alice is equally vibrant, and of course she is a total contrast to Brian – beautiful, desirable, and wealthy. She is clearly not attracted to Brian but is happy to lead him on. For me one of the most important parts of the novel is the description of Brian’s birthday, where he takes Alice on a date, spending a huge chunk of his student grant he can’t afford to try and impress her, all the while ignoring foul-mouthed but likeable Rebecca Epstein, a socialist law student.

My brother accidentally told me the main twist in the tale, which I won’t repeat for you here (though you may well have seen the film)! But there’s so much more to the plot that it didn’t spoil it for me really – I was still absorbed by Nicholls. Starter for Ten is both hilarious and observant.

Find out about David Nicholls' latest projects here.

'The Universe versus Alex Woods' | Gavin Extence

A very (late) happy new year to you all! I hope you’ve all had a lovely holiday and that it’s not too much of a struggle settling back into the usual routine – I for one have a lot of work to undo the overindulgence of food and drink alone!

I have been a terrible blogger over the last month or so with exams and catching up with everyone over Christmas so intend to make more of an effort now to make up for it.

So, without further ado, I’ll move on to one of the books I read over the festive period. The Universe versus Alex Woods, winner of the Waterstones 11 literary prize, is Gavin Extence’s impressive and quirky debut novel. At a superficial level, I don’t think the little blurb on the back of the book gives enough credit to the novel itself:

“A tale of an unlikely friendship, an unexpected hero and an improbable journey, Alex’s story treads the fine line between light and dark, laughter and tears.”

For me this was all very clichéd and cringe worthy, but I assure you the novel is nothing like this when you start reading. Alex Woods, the young hero of the story, has had a very unconventional start in life, with a clairvoyant single mother, constant bullying and an extremely unlikely event marking his life and future. Sometimes naïve, sometimes perceptive, Extence’s depiction of Alex is warm and lifelike.

Alex, by chance, befriends an elderly neighbour and the two share their different stories, learn from one another and form an unlikely bond. Mr Peterson is an American war veteran and Kurt Vonnegut enthusiast who helps Alex start a rather philosophical book club and introduces him to new ideas about morality and values. But Mr Peterson starts to suffer from ill health and the two outsiders help each other in the riskiest of ways. *SPOILER ALERT* It is at this late point in Extence’s narrative that we realise the primary theme is not bullying, friendship or innocence, but assisted suicide.

Of course from here the writing adopts a much more sombre tone, but is still characterised by light-hearted moments and amusing dialogue – my favourite part is where Alex essentially kidnaps Mr Peterson from hospital in order to drive him to Switzerland.

Look past the lukewarm blurb on the cover on this book and you will be rewarded – The Universe versus Alex Woods is charming, dark, eccentric and profound all at once.