Lady Oracle
by Margaret Atwood
A sidestep from her more notorious genre of dystopian science fiction, Lady Oracle is another of Atwood’s great novels which delves into the complexity of what it is to be human. The story flits between the present and past of Joan Foster – a woman with a double life. How did she end up hiding in Italy? What secrets is she hiding? Who is the real Joan? A quirky and unusual read which takes you on a somewhat unexpected journey.
Hear No Evil
by Sarah Smith
Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2022 and featuring at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, Sarah Smith’s first novel is a fascinating read about a landmark case in Scottish legal history. Set in nineteenth-century Glasgow and Edinburgh, the story follows the case of a young deaf woman named Jean Campbell who is witnessed throwing a child into the river Clyde. There is more to this case than meets the eye, but the authorities are unable to communicate with their prisoner to find out the truth. With the help of Robert Kinniburgh, a teacher from the Deaf and Dumb Institution, Jean’s fate is soon to be decided – death by hanging or the insane asylum. Robert slowly uncovers the truth and steps towards investigator rather than interpreter. But is it too late?
Nothing Left Unsaid
by Janey Godley
Debut crime fiction novel from one of Scotland’s best loved comedians, Janey Godley. A slight departure from her usual realms of comedy, Godley takes us back to Glasgow’s Shettleston tenements of the 1970s in the form of a diary from a dying mother. Here the women are made of strong stuff that can weather even the harshest of situations. They learn when’s best to keep their secrets close to their chests and when it’s time to lay the truth bare. Janey Godley will be speaking about her debut novel this August at Edinburgh International Book Festival.
PODCAST PICK
Song Exploder
A perfect podcast for all music-lovers, Song Exploder, hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway, is a podcast in which each episode sees a musician take apart one of their songs and slowly put it back together through telling the listener how they wrote the song and what was going on in their lives at the time. The artists break down their sound and the ideas that went into the final product. Featuring such legends as Fleetwood Mac, Hans Zimmer and R.E.M, there is something for every musical taste. Cultural Coven has got you covered.
