Read around the world - new arrivals from diverse voices
A fiery 105-year-old Korean woman gets a mysterious letter - ten days later, she's a ghost – but not resting in peace. A decades old choice she made hangs heavy, threatening future generations. To break it, she must journey through her own past, a saga spanning colonialism, war, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood. This haunting tale mixes ghosts with family secrets, all told through the witty and unforgettable voice of a one-of-a-kind centenarian.
In futuristic Nigeria, a city called Rosewater thrives around the enigmatic alien biodome, the Wormwood. Its glow promises healing, drawing in the sick and desperate. Kaaro, a psychic with the ability to manipulate the Wormwood, investigates a string of deaths among sensitives like him, leading him down a dark path to uncover the secrets of the alien presence. Prepare for twists, chills, and a story that will stay with you long after the last page.
The Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Like cats, Japan and bookshops just somehow go together. This Japanese bestseller follows a 25-year-old woman whose world has turned upside down. A cheating boyfriend leads to a domino effect – job loss, lost friendships, and a life uprooted. When her quirky uncle, a bookstore owner, offers her a tiny room above the shop in exchange for help, she hesitantly accepts. But as weeks turn into months, the bookstore's cozy embrace offers solace, unexpected friendships, and perhaps even a chance at love.
From the red soil of her garden in Southgate 1, a crowded suburb of Harare, Nyeredzi watches the world. She knows not to venture beyond the grasses that fence them off from the bush, where the city's violent criminals and young lovers claim the night. But on this red soil, she is sovereign. It is here where she learns how to kill snakes, how to fight off a man, and how to take what she is due. It is here where Nyeredzi and her three older sisters are raised, and where they will each find a different destiny.
French author and actress Anne Berest takes a personal approach delving into her own family history. This fictionalized account follows her family's journey from 1920s Russia to their murders at Auschwitz. As a novel, The Postcard is haunting and visceral. As a history book, it's informative and revelatory, and as a memoir it's deeply personal. Put together, it's a stunning and vital piece of one of humanity's darkest moments.
Read a full review here.
A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
1914 Fiji. Disgraced policeman Akal Singh, a Punjabi Sikh yanked from Hong Kong after an embarrassing mistake, faces a grim choice. A missing Indian laborer vanished from the sugar plantation and his orders are: make it go away. A white delegation is soon to arrive, to inspect the brutal system Akal witnesses firsthand. Racism, abuse, poverty - a paradise built on suffering. Will Akal bury the truth for exile, or fight for justice and risk everything? A richly detailed historical mystery that brutal impacts of colonialism on the furthest reaches of the British Empire.
Read A Disappearance in Fiji on the Borrowbox app.
Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal
Steaming toward Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian groans under the weight of war. Crammed amongst the nervous conscripts is young Aliocha, a flicker of rebellion in his heart with dreams of escape. A stolen cigarette in a shadowy corridor brings him face-to-face with Hélène, a Frenchwoman with eyes that hold a story. A bond forms, born of necessity. Aliocha, the hunted deserter, seeks refuge in Hélène's opulent first-class carriage. Now, hurtling through the vast Siberian landscape, they are bound together, each with a past they can't outrun.
So Distant from My Life by Monique Ilboudo
Jeanphi is a young man from a middle-class family, struggling to find his place in the world. After repeated failed attempts at migrating to Europe, he's presented with a life-altering opportunity from a disillusioned French humanitarian. Ilboudo's debut, the first English translation from a Burkina Faso woman author, tackles complex issues like immigration, homophobia, and the pitfalls of "white savior" narratives.
