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CLEAR SOME SPACE for your bookshelves, because it’s going to be another whopper year for books.
We’ve already looked at some of the most exciting Irish novels and short story collections to look out for in 2025 – so here’s a peek at novels from the rest of the world.
Sweat by Emma Healey (30 January, Hutchinson Heinemann)
The author of Elizabeth is Missing returns with a book about Liam and Cassie, who once were partners in life and exercise. But their relationship turns toxic and Cassie leaves when Liam goes too far. Two years later, Cassie is stronger – and now she wants to make Liam sweat.
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (9 February, Vintage)
The latest Anne Tyler novel is about a socially awkward mother of the bride, Gail Baines, who is navigating the days before and after her daughter’s wedding. When her daughter reveals a secret she’s learned about her husband to be, it throws the wedding into question.
We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes (11 February, Penguin)
Bestselling author Jojo Moyes is back with what Marian Keyes says is the best book she’s ever written – high praise indeed. This focuses on Lila Kennedy, who has a broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. When her biological father, who she hasn’t seen since he ran off to Hollywood 35 years ago, suddenly appears, it’s the final straw. Or is it?
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld (27 February, Penguin)
The author of Romantic Comedy and American Wife is back with another short story collection. Topics she explores include old friendship, platonic relationships and school reunions. As always, expect some unexpected and precise insights into human behaviour, delivered with dry wit.
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (4 March, John Murray Press)
This is described as an epic love story with the pulse of a thriller, and looks at the question: what would you risk for a second chance at first love? The film rights to Broken Country have been acquired by Sony 3000 Pictures with Reese Witherspoon’s company, Hello Sunshine, producing, so one to pick up and enjoy before it hits the big screen.
Tilt by Emma Pattee (13 March, The Borough Press)
Emma Pattee is a climate journalist and fiction writer based in Oregon, and her debut novel sounds very intriguing. It’s about Annie, who is shopping in IKEA at nine months pregnant when a massive earthquake hits. Not a small earthquake but the long anticipated Cascadia Earthquake, dismantling Portland and the entire Pacific Northwest in a matter of minutes…
Universality by Natasha Brown (13 March, Faber & Faber)
The author of the acclaimed Assembly returns with a novel focused on an ambitious young journalist who writes a longread about a killing at an illegal rave. But she discovers that her work raises more questions than it answers.
The Best of Everything by Kit De Waal (10 April, Tinder Press)
Kit De Waal has been building up a big Irish readership since her 2016 debut novel, My Name is Leon. Now comes her latest novel, about Paulette, a woman who has her life mapped out – until a devastating loss changes everything.
Gatsby by Jane Crowther (10 April, The Borough Press)
This is a gender-flipped retelling of The Great Gatsby where Nic Carraway is a newly-graduated wannabe writer with a cheap summer lease on a small boat house in Long Island. Across the water live her charming cousin Danny and his type-A wife, Tomasina. Next door is an influencer who throws extravagant parties for the A-list, operating under the handle @Gatsby. Soon Nic finds herself tangled up in their lives.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (24 April, Viking)
Romance readers ahoy: there’s another Emily Henry on the way. In her latest, two writers compete for the chance to write the larger-than-life story of an heiress. Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson are two very different writers (Anne dreams of her big break, Hayden has won a Pulitzer), but Margaret Ives has invited them both to her home to see who she might pick to tell her story. Naturally once the pair meet, sparks fly.
What A Time To Be Alive by Jenny Mustard (24 April, Sceptre)
London-based Swedish author Jenny Mustard is back with her second novel, about student Sickan Hermansson, who has arrived aged 21 at Stockholm University to make a fresh start. Yet her lonely childhood has left her unprepared for intimacy as she tries to build a whole new version of herself. One for those who love a good modern coming-of-age story.
The Names by Florence Knapp (8 May, Phoenix)
Described as a gripping sliding doors novel, this is about a woman named Cora who goes to register the birth name of her son. But Knapp brings us three potential names for this son – Bear, Julian or Gordon – and three different versions of a life to be lived. Notably, this book is also set between Ireland and the UK.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (5 June, Jonathan Cape)
The poet and author Ocean Vuong’s first novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous was a sensation. Its follow-up is about a wayward young man called Hai, living in New England, who becomes the caretaker for an 82-year-old widow living with dementia when she prevents him from taking his life.
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Do men write books anymore ?
@James Kelly: pick up your shattered masculinity and stop being outraged.
@F1rYnpWc: Grand, off ya go now and burn that bra.
@James Kelly: does it really matter whether men write books or not? If men don’t write books they don’t write books. But then 6 of the top 10 bestsellers were written by men. Check and see and then rethink your question
@James Kelly: I think the question is, do men read books anymore? imo, no. It’s far from a reliable vocation, if you have the financial supports or are genuinely committed to making it work no matter what then maybe you have a shot, but if you want a stable career that will pay for a few kids to go to college and something in retirement then this IS NOT the path to take, tho with Ai it’s about to be much easier.
Not one titillates me. Horses for courses, I suppose.
All by females yeah??
@Donal Sweeney: ocean vuong is a man
@Alan: gay men are real men.
Who picked these books???? Awful rubbish.
@Joanne Healy: you have read them have you?
@Joanne Healy: One presumes they were chosen by Aoife Barry, author of the article.
@Winklepicker: Selection not my cup of tea, but so are many other books. Many will not like many that I do. As you correctly said, this was a ‘peak’ at a selection of some international novels that the Author chose to highlight.
Like the woe betide those, that don’t like those that don’t like what I read brigade, is not my cup of Tea either..
@Winklepicker: I normally would try to avoid comments on divisive articles like this, due to the expectation of what usually transpires in the deep logical debates and all that… but seeing your simple correct factual answer, was at first shocked, then a fleeting glimmer of hope..
Maybe you’ll start a new trend :).
Happy New Year.
@Shane O’Neill: where is the variety in the choices? The author of the article chose the books she’s looking forward to reading personally.
@Winklepicker: one thinks one is right
Shocking headline of 37 women were killed in Ireland in 5 years, what’s more shocking is 160+ men were killed/murdered during the same period. Shockingly that’s not the headline or is there something we’re missing?
@Jack: all those men were killed by men. All those women were killed by men.
@Jack: indeed. Two out of every three (67%) victims of all Homicide offences in 2023 were male while 33% were females. This compared with 71% for males and 29% for females in 2022.
Nearly seven in ten (69%) victims of Murder or Manslaughter were male compared with 31% for females in 2023.
Yet headlines and media attention continue to hype a supposed ‘epidemic’ of murder against women where in fact homicides mostly affect men and are decreasing hugely pretty much every year.
In 2008 homicide rates were 1.5 per 100k. Now they are at 0.5 per 100k. It’s fear mongering. And it is a shameful way to sell advertising disguised as ‘concern’.
CSO.ie
@F1rYnpWc: correct. Yet the fact remains, men are at considerably more risk of homicide and assault than women, yet coverage would have the casual reader believing the opposite.
There is also a prevalence of describing violence against women as an ‘epidemic’ when in fact violence against everyone is declining hugely year on year.
This is fear mongering. And it is simply a despicable strategy to sell more advertising space disguised as pious concern.
@F1rYnpWc: which is shocking! And emphasises the point that there should be more focus on numbers that show the majority of involvement is male and how it should be resolved.
Is this the Chicklit section
All but one sounds tripe
Inside Job- How the CIA Tricked Me by Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
The editor may want to consider changing the header of this article… Or the individual descriptions of the books. I for one can’t see anything ‘exciting’ here.
Haven’t read fiction since Stephen King when I was a teenager. These marketplace publications are an interesting interpretation of how much time people seem to have.
@Thesaltyurchin: I lie, I read infinite Jest in a bid to embrace human thought through fantasy but while it was good I prefer more direct writing.
have your say