CULTURE EDITION
ELEANOR CATTON BIRNAM WOOD First published in 2023, this is the third book from Cambridge-based author and Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton. Here, Birnam Wood isn’t a Scottish forest, but a collective of eco-activists focused on founding guerrilla gardens in borrowed space across their corner of New Zealand. The group finds itself at a crossroads, as Mira, the group’s passionate and charismatic founder, has discovered an abandoned homestead that’s been cut off from the world by a recent landslide, thinking it the perfect site for the collective’s next chapter. However, Robert Lemoine – an eccentric American billionaire who made his fortune in drone technology – is interested in the same property, on which he wants to build a personal fortress in the event of the end of the world. Robert and Mira think they can come to an agreement, and the collective sets off for its new home – but is either party truly being honest about its plans, and can such utterly dichotomous philosophies ever co-exist peacefully? As anyone who studied GCSE English will already be wondering: which one of the cast of characters is Macbeth, and who’s about to be vanquished by Birnam Wood’s arrival? This turns out to be a fascinating, nail-biting thriller about interpersonal relationships, finding yourself in hell despite the best intentions and the inarguable fact that no matter how secure, rich or successful you might be, no bunker in the world can protect you from yourself.
DEATH AND BANE Eleanor Catton weaves a thrilling, revealing tale about the trials of claiming land in a time of scarcity
WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION LONGLIST Great escapism served up by some of the top female authors of the year
The Ministry of Time KALIANE BRADLEY
Birding ROSE RUANE
All Fours MIRANDA JULY
A British-Cambodian civil servant has just started their job as a bridge, helping time travellers adjust to life in this century. Her first charge: Graham Gore, who died in the Arctic in 1845. It’s an office romance and a time- twisting thriller; a fantastic debut.
Two women on a seaside promenade: one an ageing pop star, uncomfortable with her past and adrift in her present, the other in a coercive relationship with her elderly mother. The once- glamorous resort is the perfect setting for this beautifully written novel.
A middle-aged artist drives across America in pursuit of creativity. But, having left her young child and husband behind, she finds the inspiration she’s been looking for closer to home. An extraordinary, bewildering novel not to be missed.
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK APRIL 2025 47
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