Book Off!

• Xenobe Purvis and Gurnaik Johal

  We welcome two brilliant debut novelists to Book Off this week, who go head to head in a war of the words...Xenobe Purvis and Gurnaik Johal have both recently published their first novels - and they are both brilliant! Hear them discuss their inspirations, writing and research techniques. how to choose a good title and why reading slowly is good. In a Book Off first - Gurnaik pitches a book he hasn't even finished yet! And there are some great recommendations all round. THE BOOK OFF 'The Portrait Of A Lady' by Henry James VS'Lonesome Dove' by Larry McMurtry And here's a little more about our guests' books:The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis Many stories are told about the five Mansfield sisters. They are haughty, thinking themselves better than their neighbours in the picturesque village of Little Nettlebed. They have taken the death of their grandmother hard. They are liars, troublemakers, untamed and dangerous... Accounts of their behaviour differ, but the villagers all agree that the girls are odd.One long summer, a heatwave descends. Bloated sea creatures wash up along the parched riverbed, animals grow frenzied, ravens gather on the roofs of those about to die. As the stifling heat grips the village, so does a strange rumour: the Mansfield sisters have been seen transforming into a pack of dogs.With the witch trials only a recent memory, hysteria sets in. Slowly but surely, the villagers become convinced that something strange is taking root in Little Nettlebed. And when a bark finally leads to a bite, the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.Visceral and richly atmospheric, The Hounding plunges its reader into 18th century Oxfordshire, where the power of a man’s word is absolute, and it is safer to be a wild animal than an unconventional young woman.'Saraswadi' by Gurnaik Johal Centuries ago, the holy river Saraswati flowed through what is now Punjab. Many dismiss this as myth, but when Satnam arrives in his ancestral village for his grandmother's funeral, he finds water in the dried-up well behind her house. The discovery sets in motion a contentious scheme to unearth the lost river as an act of Hindu nationalist pride.The river changes the course of Satnam's life, and those of six others. As legends and histories resurface, the distant relatives - from a Canadian eco-saboteur to a Mauritian pest exterminator to a Bollywood stunt double - are brought together in a rapidly changing India. Ambitious, moving and brimming with folklore, Saraswati is a tour de force from one of Britain's most feted young writers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  47:27

  --------

  47:27
• Wendy Erskine and Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin

  Two debut novelists, Wendy Erskine and Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin join Joe Haddow for a war of the words!They discuss their brilliant new novels ('The Benefactors' and 'Ordinary Saints') as well as giving us some brilliant book recommendations too.They also chat about 'queer literature', the Women's Prize, how to cast a book and the joy of free writing.THE BOOK OFF'The Price Of Salt' ('Carol') by Patricia HighsmithVS'Hunchback' by Saou IchikawaHere's a little more about our guests' novels:Ordinary SaintsAn arresting, unmissable debut novel shortlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries award - an exploration of family, grief, queer identity, and the legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland.'Can you imagine it? I'd say to them. Can you imagine me there in the front row in Saint Peter's Square? The lesbian sister of a literal saint.'Brought up in a devout household in Ireland, Jay is now living in London with her girlfriend, determined to live day to day and not think too much about either the future or the past. But when she learns that her beloved older brother, who died in a terrible accident, may be made into a Catholic saint, she realises she must at last confront her family, her childhood and herself . . .The Benefactors In The Benefactors we meet Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh - very different women but all mothers to 18-year-old boys. Glamorous Frankie, now married to a wealthy, older man, grew up in care. Miriam has recently lost her beloved husband Kahlil in ambiguous circumstances. Bronagh, the CEO of a children's services charity, loves the celebrity and prestige this brings her.They do not know each other yet, but when their sons are accused of sexually assaulting Misty Johnston, whose family lacks the wealth and social-standing of their own, they'll leverage all the power of their position to protect their children.From the prize-winning author of Dance Move and Sweet Home, this is an astounding novel about intimate histories, class and money - and what being a parent means. Brutal, tender and rigorously intelligent, The Benefactors is a daring, polyphonic presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland. It is also very funny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  47:00

  --------

  47:00
• JD Kirk and MW Craven

  Bestselling crime writers, MW Craven and JD Kirk go head to head in a war of the words...They chat with Joe Haddow about their latest novels ('The Final Vow' and 'A Rock And A Hard Place'), their inspirations, meeting artists they admire and acting weird...and Terry Pratchett. There's quite a lot of Terry Pratchett chat! (Chatchett?)As ever, we have some brilliant book recommendations for you - and of course - there's the little matter of the Book Off. THE BOOK OFF 'Horror Movie' by Paul TremblayVS'Nightwatch' by Terry Pratchett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:03:41

  --------

  1:03:41
• Irvine Welsh and John Niven

  Two bestselling authors, both alike in dignity, in the fair Book Off studio - where we lay our scene...On this episode we bring together two brilliant minds, authors and Scots - Irvine Welsh and John Niven. They discuss their latest novels, nostalgia, returning characters...and the joy of writing in the pre-mobile phone era. They also chat Oasis, crime fiction, the shit that appears on instagram - and give us some great book recommendations too. *and just to warn you - there's quite a bit of fruity language throughout! THE BOOK OFF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  52:46

  --------

  52:46
• Harriet Evans and Laura Barnett

  It's our 150th episode!!! Can you believe it? No, we can't either......and celebrating our big birthday are Harriet Evans and Laura Barnett, who join Joe for a brilliant bit of Booking Off.Sadly - there's no cake or party poppers - thanks to the terrible Thameslink service which meant Joe couldn't get to the shops in time, but there's still a lot of great book chat!Harrie and Laura discuss their brilliant new novels, give us some fab book recommendations - and - there's also a surprise appearance from Harriet Harman.THE BOOK OFF'Commonwealth' by Ann PatchettVS'Expectation' by Anna HopeAnd here's a little more info on our guests' new books!The TreasuresEvery family has a story to tell. Alice and Tom's begins here . . .On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Alice Jansen collects her treasures – the keepsakes, figurines and mementoes that help her make sense of her fragile family. But the next day her heart is broken, and the final treasure, a gift from her father, is lost. Two years later, Alice answers a phone call from a stranger and runs away to New York, and tries to forget her last golden summer at the orchard on the banks of the Hudson.Tom Raven can’t understand why he keeps losing so many of the things and people that really matter to him, but he knows for certain that something important is missing from his life. One day, he remembers a forgotten letter and makes a phone call, then leaves Sevenstones, the only place that feels like home, for a strange city.Births, Deaths And Marriages Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie. Six friends who were inseparable at university, who have all had their secret or not so secret passions for each other, their hopes and fears.Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. Rob is a history teacher, with a string of broken relationships behind him. Yas is a surgeon and very much her own woman. Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur. Rachel is a stay at home mum with two children. Al, widowed young, is about to take over his father's funeral business.When Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  43:04

  --------

  43:04

More Arts podcasts

Trending Arts podcasts

About Book Off!