Book reviews: Climb back beneath the covers with these four new releases

With lockdown having been recently eased, book shops have been slowly reopening. New health and safety regulations have seen them welcoming customers inside once more.

Which means that if you have run out of something to read and are itching to get your hands on something that is not a university textbook, look no further. Here is a list of the latest releases so the next time you are perusing through a bookstore, keep an eye out for these titles.

‘The Stray Cats of Homs’ by Eva Nour

The Stray Cats of Homs is an unforgettable debut novel, inspired by the true story of one boy’s extraordinary life in Syria. It will suit fans of The Kite Runner, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, The Pianist of Yarmouk and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

Inspired by extraordinary true events, The Stray Cats of Homs is the story of a young man who will do anything to keep the dream of home alive, even in the face of unimaginable devastation. Tender, wild and raw, it is a novel which will stay with you for ever.

Sami’s childhood is much like any other – an innocent blend of family and school, of friends and relations and pets (including stray cats and dogs, and the turtle he keeps on the roof). 

However, growing up in one of the largest cities in Syria, a country at war with itself, means that nothing is really normal. And Sami’s hopes for a better future are ripped away when he is conscripted into the military and forced to train as a map maker. 

Sami may be shielded from the worst horrors of the war but it will still be impossible to avoid his own nightmare …

• The Stray Cats of Homs is published by Penguin Random House and may be pre-ordered online at Penguin Books.

‘Don’t Turn Around’ by Jessica Barry

Two strangers, Cait and Rebecca, are driving across America. Cait’s job is to transport women to safety. Out of respect, she never asks any questions. Like most of the women, Rebecca is trying to escape something.

But what if Rebecca’s secrets put them both in danger? There’s a reason Cait chooses to keep on the road, helping strangers. She has a past of her own, and knows what it’s like to be followed. 

And there is someone right behind them, watching their every move …

• Don’t Turn Around is available on Amazon.

‘Femicide in South Africa’ by Nechama Brodie

Why is South Africa’s femicide rate so high? Where did our violence against women start? What steps can we take to start solving these issues?

Nechama Brodie starts answering these questions by documenting and analysing stories in the media about the murders of women in order to compare reporting on femicide with the reality of femicide.

What emerges is a much broader picture of a continuum of violence against women in this country.

• Femicide in South Africa is on sale at Takealot.

‘The Other People’ by CJ Tudor

This is a gripping new thriller about a man’s quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive. CJ Tudor is the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man, The Taking of Annie Thorne and The Hiding Place.

Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window. She mouths one word: “Daddy”. It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.

He never sees her again.

Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope even though most people believe that his daughter is dead.

His search leads him to a group called The Other People.

If you have lost a loved one, The Other People want to help. Because they know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like.

There’s just one problem … they want other people to know it too.

• The Other People is on sale in store at Bargain Books and online on Takealot.