Tower and Town, May 2026 (view the full edition)A Good ReadIt's a lovely positive feeling, opening a new book by a writer you like. Sometimes it's like relaxing into a warm bath, sometimes it's more like the feeling of being solicitously strapped into the (leather, heated) seats of a glossy high-performance car, then taken on a turbo-charged journey through glorious countryside by a skilled and confident driver. Francis Spufford is the 'driver' of Nonesuch, a 'daft mixture' (the author's own words) of the Blitz, the early days of television, the WW2 stock market, magic, arcane secret societies, and time travel. It's ingenious and energetic, with a marvellously chippy and exasperated heroine, and unexpected and enjoyably stroppy archangels in the mix. I know, it sounds preposterous and mad, but I loved it and was left mildly distraught at the ending. The final page says 'To Be Continued' but who knows if we can believe that? Fingers crossed. Time travel seems to be a bit of a thing at the moment (something to do with not enjoying the times we live in, perhaps?) Be careful what you wish for. In Yester Year, by Caro Claire Burke, Natalie, the protagonist is a 'tradwife' influencer, posting videos of an idyllic, wholesome country life. Adorable moppet children and handsome and rugged husband are the supporting cast in her life of baking, laundry, soap-making (!) and all-round Instagrammable domestic wonderfulness. Of course, there's a whole team behind the scenes creating the perfection which generates envy and trolling. And then one day she wakes up and it really is 1850 something, not at all pretty, grubby, painful and frightening. Gradually we learn Natalie's story, her anger, the way her life has always been about 'performance' and how money and politics drive it. Lies, social media toxicity, narcissism, marriage, motherhood, it's all there, it's all complicated and it's very nasty. The whole book reads slightly deliriously, I'm still making my mind up about it, but it's definitely compelling. I wrote last month about Elly Griffiths' time-travelling detective, and how I was being pressed to read her Dr Ruth Galloway series. Which I am now doing, and frankly, you're lucky I took time to write this piece. These days I am huffing and glaring at anyone or anything that drags me away from Dr Ruth and DCI Nelson as they wander round North Norfolk, constantly uncovering skeletons. I've nearly finished the series, and I will be bereft. Fortunately I have a couple of new books waiting to be read and they should help me deal with the loss. Debby Guest |