How to Be Well Read
John Sutherland
Here is a useful guide (whether bound for the loo, the bedside or the desk) to 500 great novels “and a handful of literary curiosities”, from Aaron’s Rod by D H Lawrence (1922) to Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm (1911). It’s written in John Sutherland’s usual light, erudite style and peppered with revealing personal observations, such as how, aged eight, he watched the ending of David Lean’s film of Great Expectations (1946), with the curtains of Satis House torn down just as, in real life, blackout restrictions were lifted in London.
Random House, 528pp, £20
Thirst
Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
Translated by Martin E Weir
This Iranian novel is set during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88 and focuses on troops suffering from dehydration and delusions while fighting for a water tank on “Hill Zero”. Writers from both sides are attempting to tell the soldiers’ story. An Iraqi journalist is pressured to report false accounts, while an Iranian writer is hindered by the memory of his experience of firearms. Military and literary struggles run in parallel: “The pen and the sword have always been close companions.” Thirst is a compelling portrayal of conflict both between and in individuals.
Haus, 154pp, £7.99
Summer House with Swimming Pool
Herman Koch
Translated by Sam Garrett
Koch’s second novel to be translated into English (after the bestselling The Dinner) presents the disturbing thoughts of Marc Schlosser, a GP who abuses his position by telling his famous patients what they want to hear instead of what they need to know. The shocking results of this are heightened by Koch’s delight in describing the grotesque details of the human body. Writing from the perspective of a medical brain plagued with OCD and psychotic thoughts, he confronts the unthinkable in this smart exploration of the dark side of bourgeois life.
Atlantic Books, 411pp, £12.99
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