Four brilliant books that open our eyes to the wonders of the natural world.
In the latest instalment of 4th Estate’s regular video series RE4DINGS, we wanted to celebrate the paperback release of Stevan Alcock’s incredible debut novel Blood Relatives.
RE4DINGS looks to introduce viewers to the enthralling personalities behind the books we publish, and this edition is no different. Stevan’s rendition of the opening section of his novel captures perfectly the mix of nostalgia and stark, gruesome violence that permeates his writing. And he delivers it all with that unique voice: a Yorkshire lilt, as refreshing as a can of Corona cream soda. Read more…
An hour or so later, the sun coming up, Delph said, “Here’s what I think. Midnight. New Year’s Eve. It’s a good idea. We skip out before this whole Y2K thing. Meanwhile we have about six months to write that book we’ve always wanted to write. About the three generations.”
That’s how it began. We thought we’d write about Lenz and Richard and our mother. Those deaths. Not ours. Read more…
Introducing RE4DINGS: a new regular video series from 4th Estate, in which our authors read 1 to 4 pages of their choice from their latest book. You heard it here first.
A huge congratulations to Laline Paull, whose debut novel The Bees has been shortlisted for the coveted Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction!
Name: Will Smith 
Twitter: @willsmithuk
Occupation: Screenwriter
Book: Mainlander
What’s it about: ‘Jersey 1987, and the storm clouds are gathering over Colin Bygate. Sitting on a headland stewing over the discovery that his wife used to date Rob de la Haye, a brash hotelier who is everything that Colin is not, he spots a pupil near the edge of the cliff. Worried that the boy may have intended to jump, he drives him home, hoping that his gloomy imagination was playing tricks. But when the boy fails to turn up to school the next day, Colin feels duty bound to track him down, pitting him against the Island establishment who would rather there was a little less noise around this particular absence. A web of characters is spun around this mystery, each with their own secrets. For living in Jersey, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, you must become your own island.’ Read more…
Name: Scott Blackwood
Occupation: Blackwood teaches fiction writing in the MFA program at Southern Illinois University
Book: See How Small
What’s it about: One late autumn evening in a Texas town, two strangers walk into an ice cream shop shortly before closing time. They bind up the three teenage girls who are working the counter, set fire to the shop, and disappear. ‘See How Small’ tells the stories of the survivors – family, witnesses, and suspects – who must endure in the wake of atrocity. Justice remains elusive in their world, human connection tenuous.
Read more…
Because sometimes, one book just isn’t enough to tell the tale. Read more…
