Insider's Choice: New Scottish books to look out for in July
Next month sees the release of two life-affirming books about old age plus a flurry of genre fiction, writes Vikki Reilly
Genre fiction continues to be a strong presence in July, and there are plenty action-packed thrills and spills coming from Scottish authors including Alan Parks (Deception, Baskerville, 2 July, £22), Douglas Jackson (Blood Enemy, Canelo, 9 July, £18.99), and debutant AJ Leslie (Pretty Valuable Things, Bold Wren Press, 21 July, £11.99). Edinburgh-based DV Bishop continues his Renaissance mysteries with Shadow of Madness (Macmillan, 9 July, £20), and Jenni Daiches’ latest novel, They Know Where They’re Going (Scotland Street Press, 6 July, £12.99) is a dystopian tale of a dangerous journey through a drought-ridden future England ravaged by the effects of climate change.
For those who don’t seek the adrenaline rush of thrillers but still like an element of mystery, look no further than the cosy fantasy debut The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen (Del Rey, 7 July, £20). We’re introduced to Ainsworth Gladsly, a historian with a bad case of status anxiety, who sets out to document the explorers who take on Mount Vengeance in search of the fearsome dragon who guards its summit. At the inn in the foothills, he is served by a motley crew of creatures who in some way have been outsiders in their own communities and have found refuge and purpose with the inn’s charismatic owner, Honey. Frustratingly, Ainsworth discovers that every adventurer who stays at the inn turns away from their quest to conquer the mountain, leaving his thesis, and his ambitions, in limbo. He decides he must promote the inn to get more visitors to tackle the mountain while carrying out an investigation to see if there are malign magical forces guarding it. A a charming, warm tale about finding your tribe, and finding yourself.
For armchair travellers, meanwhile, Scotland’s independent publishing scene is full of presses bringing international stories to domestic readers. One of our newest publishers is Batis Books who specialise in writing from Scotland and Southern Africa. Their latest release is Blood’s Inner Rhyme by South African poet and activist Antjie Krog (6 July, £18.99). In a collage of letters, diary entries and nurses’ records we discover the changing relationship between Krog and her elderly and ailing mother. There is a beautiful love and respect between the pair, despite a historically difficult relationship due to their opposing ideas about their country’s history. The book doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, and the juxtaposition of the record of Krog’s mother’s physical deterioration with her lively letters cleverly shows the many truths that lie within us all.
Staying with novels tackling the end of life, Edinburgh-based Charco Press, who focus in translating Latin-American fiction, release One Hundred Guinea Pigs by the Peruvian prize-winning author Gustavo Rodríguez (14 July, £11.99). Euphrasia Vela has come to Lima from her small village in the Andean foothills and makes her living as a caregiver to two affluent neighbours with terminal illnesses, both of whom make a final request of her to ease their suffering. The novel is a tender, open-hearted exploration of aging and dying well, but it’s also about living well, with the characters sharing memories of films, food, books, sights and smells, and loving friends and family. Its humour on how our bodies fail us when our desires still exist feels celebratory in its wry acceptance of what must come to us all. Life-affirming stuff.
Vikki Reilly has worked in Scottish books for over 20 years and now works for Publishing Scotland, the trade and networking body for Scotland’s book publishing sector. She also edits BooksfromScotland.com, a website that promotes the best in Scottish writing, contemporary and classic, and supports Scottish publishers and authors to find new audiences.
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