BOOK OF THE MONTH
WRY AND POIGNANT
Time of the Child by Niall Williams (£16.99, HB, Bloomsbury)
An exquisite portrayal of everyday life in the rural west Ireland of 1962, this novel revolves around Dr Jack Troy. His unmarried daughter Ronnie and he secretly take in an abandoned baby, but tongues are wagging. Akin to Dickens in his observations, Williams’ descriptions of gesture hint at his characters’ interior landscapes. Kind and funny, this needs a great film director.
UNCOVERING THE TRUTH
If You Didn’t Kill Her by Annie Taylor (£8.99, PB, Penguin)
After 16 years in prison for ‘murdering’ her best friend, Chelsea is finding it hard to adapt to life on the outside. The world has changed drastically, and Chelsea is now infamous among crime podcast obsessives. But one thing hasn’t changed – her innocence. Chelsea didn’t kill Izzy, but that means someone she knows did. Taylor examines the complex nature of female friendships, and how you can