Contemporary Fiction

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Catch the Rabbit

Catch the Rabbit

Lana Bastašić

Catch the Rabbit follows Lejla and Sara, two women who grew up together in Bosnia but became estranged as their lives took different directions. Years later, Lejla calls Sara and asks her to help find Armin, Lejla’s brother, who disappeared after leaving the country. Sara returns from Ireland, where she has built a new life, and the two women embark on a road trip through the former Yugoslavia. Their journey brings back memories of childhood, friendship, and the divisions created by the breakup of their country. As old grievances surface, they must confront the ways their personal histories have been shaped by ethnic identity, political violence, and the stories they tell themselves. Bastašić explores memory, belonging, and the fragility of friendship, revealing how the past can continue to govern the present even when people believe they have escaped it.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 2021

Three Apples Fell from the Sky

Three Apples Fell from the Sky

Narine Abgaryan

Set in the remote Armenian mountain village of Maran, Three Apples Fell from the Sky follows a close-knit community whose inhabitants live according to longstanding traditions, local legends, and a shared understanding of the world. When Anatolia, an elderly woman who has spent her life in the village, becomes convinced that she is about to die, an unexpected visit brings the possibility of a new beginning. Her story unfolds alongside those of other villagers, revealing old rivalries, unexpected affection, and the quiet resilience that sustains their community. Blending humour, folklore, and magical realism, Abgaryan portrays a place where hardship exists alongside everyday tenderness. The novel celebrates the strength of human connection, the importance of preserving cultural traditions, and the small miracles that can transform lives even in a community seemingly forgotten by the outside world.

No Honour

No Honour follows sixteen-year-old Abida, who lives in a small Pakistani village governed by strict traditions and expectations surrounding family honour. Determined to choose whom she loves and build a life of her own, Abida challenges the conventions that control women’s lives. When her choices place her in grave danger, she escapes to Lahore with the help of her devoted father, Jamil, who risks everything to protect her. As Jamil searches for his missing daughter, both are drawn into a world where the threats facing vulnerable women extend far beyond their village. Moving between rural Pakistan and the crowded streets of Lahore, Awais Khan explores the devastating consequences of honour-based violence, forced conformity, and gender inequality. The novel also examines the complicated relationship between parents and children, particularly the courage required to challenge deeply rooted cultural expectations. Through Abida’s struggle for survival and independence, No Honour becomes a powerful story about love, resilience, and the right to determine one’s own future.

How Beautiful We Were

How Beautiful We Were

Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, How Beautiful We Were follows a community struggling against the devastating consequences of an American oil company’s operations on its land. Pollution has contaminated the water, children are dying, and promises of compensation and environmental protection remain unfulfilled. Told through multiple perspectives across several decades, the novel traces the villagers’ resistance, from their initial protests to a younger generation’s increasingly radical efforts to demand justice. At its heart is Thula, a determined young woman whose education and political awakening inspire her to challenge corporate power and neocolonial exploitation. Through this multigenerational story, Imbolo Mbue explores environmental destruction, the legacy of colonialism, and the human cost of economic greed. The novel examines the tension between hope and disillusionment, asking what communities must sacrifice in their pursuit of justice and a better future.

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

Set during the Syrian revolution and the ensuing civil war, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow follows Salama, a young pharmacy student who becomes a medical volunteer in a hospital in Homs. Once hopeful about her future, she now witnesses the devastating effects of violence while struggling with the trauma of losing loved ones and the responsibility of protecting those who remain. Haunted by an imagined companion named Khawf, whose presence reflects her fear and inner conflict, Salama faces an agonising choice: stay in Syria to help her community or flee the country in search of safety. Her growing relationship with Kenan, a young man who dreams of a future beyond the war, offers a fragile source of hope. Katouh explores courage, grief, love, and the moral dilemmas faced by ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances.

Wahala

Wahala follows three Nigerian-British women—Ronke, Simi, and Boo—who have been friends since university and are navigating their thirties in London. Ronke longs for a family of her own, Simi is trying to balance her marriage with her ambitions, and Boo struggles with the demands of motherhood and a life that feels increasingly disconnected from her former self. Their carefully balanced friendship begins to unravel when Isobel, a glamorous woman with Nigerian roots, enters their lives. As Isobel becomes increasingly involved in their relationships, long-buried insecurities, secrets, and rivalries begin to surface. Blending dark humour with suspense, Nikki May’s novel explores the complexities of female friendship, cultural identity, race, class, and the expectations placed on women. Moving between British and Nigerian cultural influences, Wahala examines how the desire to belong—and the fear of being left behind—can make even the closest relationships vulnerable to manipulation and betrayal.

Love on the Second Read

Love on the Second Read

Emma Morales knows everything about romance novels but remains sceptical about love in real life. As a dedicated romance editor, she suddenly finds herself working alongside Kip Alegre, the charmingly nerdy editor of science fiction and fantasy, on a manuscript that could save their publishing house from bankruptcy. Their professional rivalry quickly turns into a battle of literary references, flirtatious banter, and undeniable chemistry. But with an obsessive ex-boyfriend, a beautiful ex-fiancée, and meddling friends complicating matters, Emma and Kip must decide whether they’re willing to take a chance on a love story of their own. A witty, book-filled romantic comedy celebrating literary fandom, second chances, and the unexpected magic of falling in love.

Philippines 2023

Yellowface

Rebecca F. Kuang

How far would you go to become the writer you believe you deserve to be? June Hayward has spent years watching her university friend Athena Liu enjoy the literary success she desperately craves. When Athena dies unexpectedly, June steals her unpublished manuscript, makes a few changes, and publishes it under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. The novel becomes a sensation, bringing June fame, fortune, and the recognition she has always wanted. But as questions about authorship and cultural appropriation begin to surface, maintaining her carefully constructed identity becomes increasingly dangerous. With biting humour and escalating suspense, Yellowface exposes the darker side of the publishing industry, exploring racism, jealousy, literary ambition, and the ethics of telling stories that are not yours.

United States 2023

Enter Ghost

Isabella Hammad

What does it mean to perform a tragedy when your own life is shaped by one? After a painful love affair, British-Palestinian actress Sonia Nasir returns to Haifa to visit her sister, reconnecting with a homeland she has long kept at a distance. There, she joins a daring theatrical production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the occupied West Bank, playing Gertrude alongside a company of Palestinian actors determined to bring the play to life despite political restrictions, personal rivalries, and the daily realities of occupation. As rehearsals progress, Sonia begins to reconsider her relationship with Palestine, her family, and her own identity. Weaving Shakespearean tragedy with contemporary Palestinian experience, Isabella Hammad’s powerful novel explores displacement, resistance, and the transformative potential of art when simply telling a story becomes an act of defiance.

Discontent

Beatriz Serrano

Marisa appears to have everything she should want: a beautiful apartment in central Madrid, a promising career at an advertising agency, and a convenient arrangement with her attractive neighbour. In reality, she despises her job, finds her colleagues unbearable, and struggles to discover any meaning in her carefully constructed life. She spends her working hours hiding from coworkers, watching YouTube videos, and taking tranquillizers to cope with the relentless monotony of corporate existence. Her carefully maintained professional image, built partly on lies and other people’s work, begins to crumble when she is forced to attend a company team-building retreat. Surrounded by manipulative bosses, irritating colleagues, and artificial attempts at bonding, Marisa approaches a personal breaking point. Through biting humour and uncomfortable honesty, Beatriz Serrano captures the alienation of a generation that followed society’s promises of success only to find itself exhausted and unfulfilled. Discontent is a darkly comic exploration of workplace burnout, loneliness, and the desperate desire to escape a life that looks successful from the outside but feels empty within.

Call and Response

Call and Response

Gothataone Moeng

Call and Response is a collection of nine short stories exploring the lives of ordinary families in contemporary Botswana as they navigate love, loss, tradition, and changing social expectations. Set between the rural village of Serowe and the capital city of Gaborone, the stories portray women and families negotiating the tensions between inherited customs and the desire for independence. The collection introduces a young widow struggling with the expectations surrounding mourning, a teenage girl confronting the responsibilities of caring for a dying relative, and sisters whose romantic lives challenge their family’s expectations. Other stories explore infidelity, sibling rivalry, sexuality, and the complicated bonds that connect generations. Through intimate portraits and richly observed everyday moments, Moeng reveals how private desires often conflict with public obligations. Her characters seek love, opportunity, and autonomy while remaining deeply connected to their families and communities. The result is a nuanced portrayal of a society balancing tradition with change, where ordinary conversations and family encounters reveal deeper questions about belonging, womanhood, and the meaning of a fulfilling life.

Facing the Sun

Janice Lynn Mather

Facing the Sun follows Shani, a teenage girl growing up in the Bahamas, whose life changes after she becomes pregnant. As she navigates the physical and emotional realities of impending motherhood, she must confront the expectations of her family and community, along with her own fears about the future. Her story unfolds alongside those of other young people whose lives are shaped by questions of identity, responsibility, and belonging. Set against the beauty of the Bahamian landscape, the novel explores the challenges facing young women in a society where cultural traditions and social expectations can strongly influence personal choices. Through Shani’s experiences, Mather examines teenage pregnancy, family relationships, friendship, and the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood. The novel offers a nuanced portrayal of young people navigating uncertainty while trying to imagine different possibilities for their lives. It explores how confronting difficult circumstances can become an opportunity for self-discovery, resilience, and growth.