With summer ending, it’s time to turn to autumn reading. There’s a real range of titles here, moving from highly anticipated releases from Min Jin Lee and Audrey Niffenegger, to rediscovered classics in the form of The Well and Honey (a personal favourite of mine). A lot of them focus on the idea of a changing society, which in some cases feel more relevant than ever today, thinking about themes of war, power, and the climate crisis – but there are also really beautiful stories around the significance of human relationships, even within some of these crumbling worlds. Enjoy!
The Well by Elizabeth Jolley
A reissue from Virago, with a brand new introduction from Alice Slater, the Miles Franklin Award-winning 1986 novel The Well is a deliciously creepy, Australian set classic that explores claustrophobia, guilt, and obsession. Middle-aged Hester and her young ward Katherine live in isolation, with nobody except each other – until one night they hit a mysterious creature with their car, dumping the body in their well. When Katherine becomes overwhelmed with guilt and begins to hear a man’s voice coming from the well, Hester is determined to do whatever it takes to keep it just the two of them, forever.
The Well publishes on 24 September
Doom Painting by A.K. Blakemore
A retelling of the 1381 Peasants Revolt, and the rise and fall of Wat Tyler, Blakemore’s third novel is lyrically written, enough so that the nearly 700 pages fly by. Recounted hour by hour, with each segment narrated by a different participant, whether they be a peasant or nobility, it’s bloody, funny, and perfectly captures the beating heart of something that happened centuries ago. Fans of The Manningtree Witches and The Glutton won’t be disappointed – this is just as good, if not better, than Blakemore’s previous books.
Doom Painting publishes on 24th September
Ply by Hernan Diaz
Pulitzer Prize winner Hernan Diaz’s latest novel interrogates the role of technology in a futuristic American society, linking it to music, and what that can mean. Centuries from now, an orphan grows up to become a “pincher”, stealing electricity from the grid to sell it on the black market. It’s a risky life, and one that brings her into a rich art and music scene in which she powers underground concerts – and to a major scientific invention that could change reality itself. Thrilling yet moving, this novel is an exploration of a shifting world. It’s highly anticipated, and for good reason.
Ply publishes on 24 September
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
From the author behind the global bestseller and modern classic, Pachinko, comes a new novel. This time, Lee has written a sprawling family epic that covers years and continents as it interrogates the Korean diaspora. Moving from 1992 to 2007, we follow the lives of one family as they reckon with identity, ambition, and what it truly means to be happy. American Hagwon is poignant and memorable – and definitely worth the wait.
American Hagwon publishes on 29 September
In Out by Joe Conroy
An exploration of what masculinity, queerness, and class mean in the 21st century, In Out by debut novelist Joe Conroy is one to watch. Perfect for those who loved Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation, we meet our antihero of a narrator, for whom each day is the same – drinking, smoking, and Grindr. But after one of his dates leads to an assault, he returns to his mother’s house, sober, traumatised, and unravelling. At once darkly humorous and unsettling, In Out takes place in the runup to the Brexit referendum, and it’s a story which reflects not only a turning point for a nation, but an individual too.
In Out publishes on 1 October
The Floating World by Ben Eastham
Satirical and dystopian, The Floating World is set on a remote island in the Aegean Sea, on which a billionaire is building the (you guessed it) Floating World: a climate-controlled utopia to house the ultra wealthy in the face of an imminent climate crisis. When a struggling journalist is commissioned to cover the unveiling of this structure, he jumps at the chance – until he begins to recognise the rhythms of power and violence that are threaded through the project.
The Floating World publishes on 8 October
Honey by Elizabeth Jenkins
Described by Jilly Cooper as “wonderfully sinister”, this mid-century take on the Phaedra myth, with a brand new introduction from Monica Heisey, is biting, scandalous, and very, very funny. At once sparkling and anguished, this is a tale of lust, love, and the dangers of clinging onto your youth at all costs. Fans of Edith Wharton, Muriel Spark, and Dawn Powell are going to love this one. It’s been out of print for years – thank god it’s back now!
Honey publishes on 8 October
Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger
Another long awaited release, Life Out of Order is the sequel to Audrey Niffenegger’s heartbreaking cult classic The Time Traveler’s Wife. Intricate and enigmatic, we follow Henry and Clare’s now adult daughter, Alba, as, with the same ability as her father, she travels through time, navigating her feelings for two very different men. Expect glimpses of Henry and plenty more tears – this isn’t one to miss.
Life Out of Order publishes on 13 October
Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun
A debut that’s bound to make a splash, Public Access Afterworld is the third part of filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s Screen Trilogy, preceded by films We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021) and 2024’s I Saw the TV Glow. Opening in 2009, we follow two TV obsessed teens who, amongst high school worries, and falling in love with each other, notice something off in the transmission, only for one of them to disappear days later. And fourteen years later, history begins to repeat itself, when trans content moderator Bethany starts to see something strange in the videos she’s watching. A blend of sci-fi, queer coming of age, and literary horror, this is cinematic writing at its best.
Public Access Afterworld publishes on 27 October
The Hill by Harriet Clark
Harriet Clark’s The Hill is centred around a girl named Suzanna who is being raised by her grandparents. Suzanna’s mother has been committed to life in Hillcrest Prison, which sits at the top of a hill near their house. She visits with her grandfather, but after he dies, her grandmother becomes increasingly reluctant to visit Hillcrest, or even drive her granddaughter there. Instead, she surrounds herself with friends from her years in the Communist Party. Surreal and slow, Clark’s writing has a detached, dreamlike sense to it, giving the reading experience a totally unique effect. Paired with beautiful, intricate writing, this is a novel that will make you feel as if you’ve picked up a rediscovered classic by accident.
The Hill publishes on 5 November
