Big Reads to look out for
Surprisingly one of the big titles of this year is a debut novel. Theo of Golden is Allen Levi’s third book, the first being a children’s book and the second a memoir. He has had a number of careers first working as a lawyer, then after moving to Scotland he studied Scottish Fiction before becoming a travelling musician and storyteller across the US. Theo of Golden was inspired by a visit to a coffee shop that had a display wall of portraits of local people. With an eye for a good story he began to invent lives and back stories for these people before formulating his own plan for what became the novel Theo of Golden.
The story is of an elderly man, Theo, who moves to Golden and begins anonymous acts of kindness and generosity across all parts of the local community. The story gains traction as he befriends neighbours and makes a place for himself in the community drawing others into his circle. It is a heartwarming novel with a surprising twist as Theo’s motivation is finally revealed.
Initially self published, the novel gained such traction over time that it was picked up by a mainstream publisher and has spent 14 weeks at the top of the New York fiction list.
Ann Patchett has done it again with her new novel Whistler – a beautifully told story about chance encounters, family bonds revisited and reunions that heal hurts even after 40 years. Daphne has a chance encounter with her stepfather, Eddie in a New York Art Gallery after 40 years of misunderstood and hurtful silence. The gradual unravelling of the circumstances that led to his sudden departure from the family home result in this entertaining novel. This is storytelling at its best and is a popular choice for readers across the board.
These are just two of the great new novels coming to us this year – check out your local library for more fabulous reads this coming autumn.
