Books
The Skinny book guide – bringing you book reviews, features, events, reviews and author interviews. Find previews and on the ground reporting from festivals of literature and poetry in Scotland, England and beyond.
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Book ReviewsIslands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn
Cal Flyn weaves social history and ecological analysis into a lyrical journey through a series of spectacular uninhabited locations Read more »| 20 Jan 2021 -
Book ReviewsLuster by Raven Leilani
Raven Leilani's incisive new novel Luster takes a classic tale of suburban melodrama and renders it fierce and daring Read more »| 18 Jan 2021 -
Book ReviewsLuckenbooth by Jenni Fagan
Jenni Fagan's new novel takes us inside the walls of an Edinburgh tenement, and brings a huge array of characters to life Read more »| 05 Jan 2021 -
Book ReviewsThe Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
Robert Jones Jr.'s debut novel, chronicling the lives of two enslaved gay men in antebellum Mississippi, is historical fiction that feels essential Read more »| 05 Jan 2021 -
Book ReviewsThe Push by Ashley Audrain
The Push is an unsettling exploration of sanity and motherhood, and of expectations both personal and societal Read more »| 05 Jan 2021 -
FeaturesBryan Washington on memorials for our communities
Bryan Washington discusses his debut novel Memorial, a deep and multi-layered look at the lives and relationships of two queer men of colour in the USA Read more »| 05 Jan 2021
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Book ReviewsYou Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat
Zaina Arafat's You Exist Too Much is a fresh, witty novel which packs a heavy punch Read more »| 30 Nov 2020 -
FeaturesCategory Is, Lighthouse and Book Nook on supporting indie bookshops
"Shop indie" is a common slogan, and in a year where Amazon's profits have soared while the majority struggle, Anahit Behrooz explores exactly why independent bookshops are important, and why your support matters more than ever Read more »| 30 Nov 2020 -
Book ReviewsI Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom
This collection of personal essays from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Rachel Bloom is blisteringly funny with some insightful gut punches on the way Read more »| 30 Nov 2020 -
Book ReviewsStrange Beasts of China by Yan Ge
Yan Ge's postmodern tales of strange and unusual beasts offer ecological parables and evocative thoughts on the way we interact with the world Read more »| 27 Nov 2020 -
Book ReviewsThere's No Such Thing As An Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
Kikuko Tsumura's new novel is a deadpan look at the sometimes-mundane, often-surreal and ever-changing world of the 'easy job' Read more »| 26 Nov 2020 -
Book ReviewsTheatre of War by Andrea Jeftanovic
Chilean author Andrea Jeftanovic's debut novel, newly translated into English, is a powerful exorcism of one family’s inherited trauma Read more »| 23 Nov 2020 -
Book ReviewsXstabeth by David Keenan
David Keenan's new novel blends the metaphysical and metatextual on a journey from St Petersberg to St Andrews Read more »| 09 Nov 2020 -
Book ReviewsCat Step by Alison Irvine
Gripping and poignant, Alison Irvine's Cat Step is a refreshing representation of the complexities of motherhood Read more »| 05 Nov 2020 -
FeaturesRebecca Tamás ponders the anthropocene in Strangers
The impact of human existence on our planet is reaching its tipping point. Rebecca Tamás, whose new essay collection considers this era, ponders the true complexities of the relationship between the human and nonhuman Read more »| 04 Nov 2020