Pile by the Bed reviews How Much of These Hills Is Gold the debut novel by C Pam Zhang which gives a new perspective on the American gold rush and the myths of the West which challenges views of race, gender and class.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel which explores the impact of the global financial crisis on a range of disparate characters.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Blessed Rita by Dutch author Tommy Wieringa, who takes on rural life in modern Europe
Pile by the Bed reviews The Animals in that Country by Laura Jean McKay, an idiosyncratic pandemic novel in which people affected gain the ability to understand animals.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Slaughterman’s Daughter, a wild ride across 19th century Poland by Israeli writer Yaniv Iczkovits
Pile by the Bed reviews Small Mercies by Richard Anderson, a book that deals with big issues by focusing on the intimate story of an elderly farming couple and their relationship with each other and the land
Pile by the Bed reviews Sweetness and Light the second book by Australian author Liam Pieper, which explores the relationship between Westerners and their idea of India
Pile by the Bed reviews Mountain Road, Late at Night by Alan Rossi, a debut novel that intimately explores the aftermath of a terrible accident.
Pile by the Bed reviews Fauna by Donna Mazza, a story of a motherhood, family and the commercialisation of fertility set in a near future Australia
Pile by the Bed reviews Amnesty, the new book by Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga, a morality play featuring an illegal Sri Lankan refugee in Sydney
Pile by the Bed reviews Greenwood by Michael Christie – a compulsively readable, beautifully observed, deeply felt and rich multigenerational family saga
Pile by the Bed reviews A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes, a slightly magically realist romance of sorts that takes as its jumping off point Jamaican independence.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Subjects by Sarah Hopkins, a book which delves into the murky world of the big pharma and the use of drugs to modify behaviour.
Pile By the Bed’s top 5 picks for 2019 (with 4 honourable mentions)
Pile by the Bed reviews Your House Will Pay the debut novel by Steph Cha that explores the ongoing echoes of 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Divers’ Game by Jesse Ball, short and disturbing connected stories set in a dystopian world.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Burning Land, the debut novel by BBC journalist George Alagiah set in South Africa and finds it timely and engaging.
Pile By the Bed reviews The Nickel Boys, by Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, the story of a reformatory school in Florida in the 1960s.
Pile by the Bed reviews The Truants a campus-based coming of age debut by Kate Weinberg
Pile by the Bed reviews Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry, the story of two ageing Irish gangsters and finds it to be a cross between Samuel Beckett and Quentin Tarrantino