This British debut featured in my round-up of what I was looking forward to in 2024. I thought it might be a perfect beach read and having now finished it I think I was on the right track but I do have reservations.
It is set in Hollywood in the early 1950s- a time when the studio system is still exerting an influence but the Golden Age is drawing to a close with television infringing on the movie world’s domination. Main characters are fictional but real names associated with this time including gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and such stars as Lauren Bacall, Danny Kaye, Liz Taylor, Doris Day etc. hover around in the background, with one, silent star Louise Brooks featuring in a cautionary cameo of how the studio discarded those they felt no longer fit the bill.
Into this and from the British seaside town of Morecambe comes Margaret who soon restyles herself as Loretta Darling and aims to succeed in the world of film make-up. This isn’t a bad idea on the author’s part as this role gets to see a different, more vulnerable side to the acting talent. In this male-dominated world the bully boys seem to hang around the longest and events following a fateful wedding lead Loretta onto a plan of revenge.
The theme of exploitation in the entertainment industry is still very relevant and there’s a definite aspect of the author wanting to redress the balance but when it comes down to it there’s not a lot of difference from her depiction of this world to earlier and perhaps less nobly motivated novels such as “Valley Of The Dolls” by Jacqueline Sussan (1966) and some of the work of Jackie and Joan Collins springs to mind. The trashiness is still there amongst the glamour and that’s why I’d recommend it as a holiday read. I think I was expecting something a little more literary, a little spikier and with characters I could care more about but it reads well. I’m not sure how great a commercial prospect it is in that I’m not sure who it will appeal to but probably by just saying that I’ve ensured it will be the runaway hit of the summer. I’m not totally convinced by it. There’s a couple of minor characters who seem to have their more resonant story to tell, which could be something the author could explore in the future. I didn’t dislike it by any means but it felt underdeveloped and flat which is a shame giving the potential of its setting.
Calling the main character “Unforgettable” in the title seems a little risky, the author would really need to ensure that this was the case otherwise there is an inevitability to the comments critics will make.
The Unforgettable Loretta Darling is published in hardback by Viking Books on June 20th 2024 (E-book is available from 18th June) . Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.
This is my end of year report, looking back at the 10 titles I had eagerly anticipated last year and seeing how many of them I actually got around to reading as well as picking ten more choices for 2024. Last year I got round to reading nine out of the ten titles. Let’s see if I can top that and whether they turned out to be the big-hitters of the year.
Devil’s Way- Robert Bryndza (Raven Street Publishing)
Read and rated this three stars in January which was lower than the four star rated previous three books in this author’s Devon based Private Detective Kate Marshall series. This is a strong series and I am sure this book would have not disappointed fans . I felt the plot wasn’t as rich or intense this time round but what remains strong is the relationship between the lead characters Kate and her younger gay assistant Tristan.
The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels – Janice Hallett (Viper Books)
Loved “The Appeal”, the “Twyford Code” not quite so much but this her third book seemed less suited to her quirky structure. Research material for a true crime novel provided the slant as we got two writers’ interview transcripts, emails, found materials and associated fiction on an eighteen year old ritual suicide/murder case. It was a darker piece and lacked the effervescence of her earlier works and I didn’t enjoy it as much. Shorter novel “The Christmas Appeal” pleased fans at the end of the year. I’m more likely to hold out for “The Examiner” due out in 2024 – a case involving students on a Multimedia Art Course.
My Father’s House – Joseph O’Connor (Vintage Books)
Joseph O’Connor tragically lost his sister Sinead this year. In January I was very impressed by his fictional adaptation of the wartime experiences of Monsignor Hugh O’ Flaherty, a Vatican-based priest and the build up to a rescue mission planned for Christmas Eve 1943. I said “O’Connor writes beautifully with multi-sensory descriptions being layered to build a picture of events and the tale he tells here is involving and often thrilling.” I rated it four stars which meant I wasn’t quite as bowled over as I was by his “Shadowplay” which was a Top 5 read on my 2019 list.
All The Dangerous Things – Stacy Willingham (Harper Collins
Two strong titles now from this American author who sets her twisty plots in locations bristling with Southern Gothic which gained her a second four star rating from me and I said I think I enjoyed it even more than her debut. A journalist with a son who has been missing for three years turns to a true-crime convention in the hope that more information will come forward. On the way home she meets a man who can provide the opportunity for new perspectives on the case. An intense, almost sweaty novel. It certainly warmed up January for me.
Hungry Ghosts- Kevin Jared Hosein (Bloomsbury Publishing)
At the start of the year it looked like this debut might be one of the big-hitters, I’m not sure if it lived up to expectations in terms of sales but I was certainly impressed with superb story-telling and a poetic recreation of its environment – Trinidad in the 1940s. I described it as “a haunting, impactful tale which has the feel of a modern classic whilst rooted in a historic, oral tradition.” I did acknowledge that bits were over-done and there was a queasy over-ripeness to some sections which made it at times a challenging read . I rated it four stars when I read it in February.
Fire Rush – Jacqueline Crooks (Vintage Books)
At the time I first highlighted this debut it had a good bit of buzz about it but within weeks of publication this British author found herself shortlisted by Waterstones and the Women’s Fiction Prize. I rated it five stars and placed it at number 7 on my end of year Top 10 which made it my third favourite title published in 2023. I said it is “rich and rooted in Black British Caribbean which feels poetic and powerful and often mystical and elusive.”
The Sun Walks Down -Fiona McFarlane (Sceptre)
A four star read when I read it in March. Set in 1883 in Southern Australian desert this is a tale of the search for a missing 6 year old boy. I found it “very much a character-led ensemble piece with a sizeable cast of fascinating characters.”
Death Under A Little Sky – Stig Abell (Harper Collins)
This debut crime-fiction novel certainly made an impression on me. I gave it a five star rating and it ended up at number 8 on my end of year list. As much as it has a very effective crime plot it is an escape from the rat-race story as ex-policeman Jake Jackson explores life in a rural location without close neighbours or technology and plans to devote his time to reading the former owner’s library of detective fiction. What is demonstrated so clearly here is Stig Abell’s love for the crime novel genre. I thought this was the best contemporary crime novel I read in 2023.
Arthur And Teddy Are Coming Out – Ryan Love (HQ Books)
Of the 10 books I was hotly anticipating in 2023 this is the one I felt didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I rated it three stars and recognised it as a good debut but would have liked a couple of laugh-out-loud moments amongst the feel-good atmosphere. It’s a tale of an inter-generational bond as 79 year old Arthur and his 21 year old grandson decide to reveal their sexuality to their family. The title says it all plot-wise, the unique selling point here is the way in which they deal with the obstacles and the reactions of their relatives.
The Making Of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece – Tom Hanks (Penguin Random House)
Grrr! Got to the very end of the list to discover the one that I did not get round to reading. It didn’t quite make the splash in the publishing world that might have been expected when it arrived over here in May. Reviews were generally good and applauded story-telling and an interesting structure so I might yet get round to it. This is the sort of book that could really realise its potential when published in paperback which should happen in June 2024.
Another 9 out of 10 year for this list. And now to the Looking Forward bit. Here are ten titles which have attracted my attention pre-publication which I hope to be getting around to in 2024. Will any of these make it onto my Top 10 list at the end of the year?
The Gallopers- Jon Ransom (Muswell Press) (Due out on 25th January)
Jon Ransom’s debut novel “The Whale Tattoo” won the Polari First Book Prize for LGBTQ+ representation in literature. I rated it four stars when I read it in 2022. I felt he created an “unsympathetic environment (which) had a very hypnotic pull making this an impressive, unflinching debut.” I’d be happy with more of the same with his latest once again published by the independent Muswell Press. This time we are promised a “visceral and mesmerising read” which spans thirty years from the 1950s to London at the time of AIDS.
Come And Get It – Kiley Reid (Bloomsbury) (Due out on 30th January)
Another author who made a splash with her debut “Such A Fun Age” in 2020 which ended up in the number 10 position in my Books Of The Year list where it was the only debut making the final cut that year. I felt it dealt with big issues with warmth, humanity and great characterisation and really wasn’t surprised that it became a strong seller. This, her second novel, is about “desire, consumption and bad behaviour” and concerns a writer researching college students on attitudes towards money and marriage who meets up with Millie, where “roommate theatrics, vengeful pranks and illicit intrigue” follows.
The House Of Hidden Meanings – Rupaul(4th Estate) (Due out on 5th March)
Rupaul’s first memoir “Lettin’ It All Hang Out” was published in 1995 and was a frothy, fun work which I actually enjoyed enough to read a couple of times. The pre-publication buzz suggests that this is a much more sober work offering “a profound introspection of his life, relationships and identity.” Over the three decades since his first book Rupaul has transformed the entertainment industry and how it perceives television programming concerning LGBTQ+ people and has made drag into a worldwide phenomenon. Publishers say “If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is Rupaul totally out of drag. This is Rupaul stripped bare.” There’s always been a fascinating tension between Rupaul the man and Rupaul the global brand so I think this book should be extremely illuminating and for me a must-read.
Death In A Lonely Place – Stig Abell (Harper Collins) (Due out on 11th April)
Hopefully by the time this comes out many, many more people will have discovered the talents of this writer in the crime fiction genre as “Death Under A Little Sky” will be out in paperback and hopefully riding high in best sellers list. I said it was the best contemporary crime novel I read in 2023 and it ended up at number 8 on my Best Books Of The Year list. This also features ex-policeman Jake Jackson relocated into a quiet, rural environment. The publishers are certainly whetting appetites by saying it “will challenge your detective skills and leave you craving more.”
Earth – John Boyne (Doubleday Books) (Due out on 2nd May)
Another book which is picking up on a title which made it into my current Top 10. This is the second part of Irish writer John Boyne’s elemental quartet which will hopefully delight me as much as “Water” did. I’ve read nine of his works and rated 6 of them five stars- will this be the 7th?
Cinema Love – Jiaming Tang (John Murray Press) (Due out on 9th May)
This debut novel takes in post-socialist China, 1980s Chinatown and contemporary New York we are being offered “ a tender epic about men and women who find themselves in forbidden and frustrated relatonships as they grapple with the past and their unspoken desires.” It seems a heady mix . The writer holds a Master Of Fine Arts degree from Alabama University and lives in Brooklyn.
House Of Shades – Lianne Dillsworth (Random House) (Due out on 16th May)
I really enjoyed this author’s four-star rated debut when I read in 2022. She made this very list that year as it was a title I was eagerly anticipating and the author’s vivid creation of 1840s London and the Crillick’s Variety Theatre setting was enriched by her good story-telling skills. Lianne Dillsworth has a MA in Victorian Studies and she looks like she is going to be putting this into good use again with an 1833 London setting. It concerns a Doctress, Hester who is offered a commission to up sticks and move to a creepy house in Fitzrovia to cure the ailing owner. We are promised a Gothic tale brilliantly told. I’m a sucker for tales set in London in this period so I am certainly looking forward to this.
The Secret Public – Jon Savage (Faber) (Due out on 6th June)
This is my non-fiction pick. I know of Jon Savage but have not read him before but I am fascinated to know his perspective on this which is subtitled “How LGBTQ+ Resistance Shaped Popular Culture (1955-79) which looks at key moments in music and entertainment from Little Richard through to Sylvester.
The Unforgettable Loretta Darling – Katherine Blake(Penguin) (Due out on 20th June)
A Golden Era Hollywood setting seems perfect for sitting on the beach in June (well, that’s what I imagine I will be doing by then). An Englishwoman reinvents herself as a make-up artist in a tale of secrets and revenge.
Anyone’s Ghost – August Thompson (Picador) (Due out on 11th July)
Picador have a very strong looking list of new publications in the first half of the year but you will have to wait to July for the one I want to highlight most of all. Set over two decades it features the relationship between two men. Theron is fifteen when he meets Jake who is older and cooler and likes the same things he does and is determined to live life on the fast lane. Jonathan Safran Foer convinced me with his description of it as “an overwhelmingly beautiful love story. This book will make you cry.” The rights to this book were won in a strongly contested five-way auction and it is a debut that we will surely be hearing a lot more about the closer we get to publication.
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