CULTURE CLUB
CAMBRIDGE EDITION Book Club From eclectic short story collections to compelling novels, these brilliant books are perfect companions for some winter hibernation
WORDS BY CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
Fourteen Days
BY MARGARET ATWOOD AND DOUGLAS PRESTON (AND OTHERS)
If you’re still not quite sure whether you’re ready for pandemic fiction, this could be the book that changes your mind. A collaborative work created by 36 authors including Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, John Grisham, R L Stine, Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng, Fourteen Days is effectively a connected anthology of short stories, all told on the rooftop of a dilapidated apartment block in Manhattan during the spring of 2020, where the inhabitants – left behind by their more affluent neighbours yet equally desperate for air and space – have broken onto the roof and now meet every evening to share stories. Socially distanced, of course. Our guide to this world is 1A, the building’s new superintendent, who had only just arrived in the block before lockdown hit: she has taken possession of the previous super’s apartment, which contained a mysterious guide to the building’s inhabitants, with clues to their personalities and backstories. So when they start sharing tales on the rooftop, 1A is uniquely aware of any falsehoods being told beneath the city’s skies and begins piecing together the truth. Each of the tales told by the apartments’ inhabitants is short, and (as you would expect from such a varied cast of authors) is completely different in tone, so if you don’t enjoy one, another narrator will be along in a few moments. It is much like those early days of lockdown – you truly are trapped on a rooftop alongside the building’s residents, with no entertainment other than the story being told at that moment. Each author’s identity is concealed and only accessible via a list at the end of the book, so you can choose
if you want to discover who is behind which of the tales, making this a great way to discover the work of new authors as well as read pieces by more familiar voices. Proceeds from this book go to The Authors Guild, an organisation that supports writers of all kinds at all stages of their careers: the 36 authors are all members and part of the advance for the book went to help support writers during the pandemic. This book would be the perfect accompaniment to a holiday or other retreat from the world – perhaps during a lockdown you’ve chosen for yourself, rather than one mandated by the government. PAGE TURNERS Our quartet of books take readers on fascinating journeys, covering everything from the human condition and ghosts to our love for animals
1A is aware of any falsehoods being told beneath the city’s skies
26 FEBRUARY 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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