Extraordinary Debut novels to be reading in January: Confessions by Catherine Airey, The
Confessions by Catherine Airey (Viking £16.99, 480pp)
In September 2001, 16-year-old Cora is orphaned when her father is killed in the terror attacks on New York’s World Trade Centre where he worked. Her artist mother committed suicide a few years before. Cora believes she is now all alone in the world. Soon, however, a letter arrives from Roisin, her mother’s sister, who lives in rural Ireland.
Roisin explains that Cora’s father had appointed her as legal guardian after her mother died and she wants to honour his wishes by offering Cora a new home, because they are family.
Numb with shock, Cora books a flight with no expectations. The beautifully written narrative goes on to reveal the secrets of three generations of women. It’s an epic family saga involving a host of mysteries and I galloped to the end. I loved it.
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan (Bloomsbury £18.99, 304pp)
The Three Lives of Cate Kay is available now from the Mail Bookshop
This novel disguised as memoir is told from multiple perspectives and timelines. When something terrible happens to her best friend, Annie Marie Callahan flies into a blind panic.
She calls an ambulance but, at the last minute, drives away from the hideous
situation and the unhappy home she shared with her difficult mother.
Feeling too traumatised to return, Annie changes her name to Cass Ford and gets a job in a cafe. Cass decides she wants to be a writer and moves to New York, writing a story about two friends with big dreams who are eventually separated by disaster. Cass chooses the pseudonym Cate Kay for the book, which becomes a bestseller.
It’s not long before Kay is the most famous author in the world with a record-breaking film franchise but no one knows who she really is. It’s brilliant on identity, shame and the necessity of facing trauma head on.
How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris (The Borough Press £16.99, 304pp)
When Democrat Gabe agrees to support his husband Ethan to run for Congress as a Republican, it makes his skin crawl but he doesn’t want to crush his long-held dream. Successful political journalist Kate, Ethan’s sister, is a Democrat, too, but also wants to support her brother.
Kate’s mind is mostly on her rekindled romance with ex-girlfriend Nicole, who is now married with two children.
It’s not long before teacher Gabe finds himself an outcast at his school, constantly explaining his position. Kate, meanwhile, warns her brother about an upcoming story and watches her own career implode as a result. It’s great on the dangers of focusing on differences rather than similarities and I was invested in the characters.