The best new books coming out in September 2024
The sun has finally got its hat on. So, find an open space to sunbathe, and get into the late summer spirit with the month’s most momentous page-turners
Summer in autumn? Are us Brits really that surprised? Welcome in the topsy-turvy new season – whether that’s spent lounging on a rooftop pool, finding shade under a sultry willow tree, or nestled by a fire when things inevitably change again – with a great new book. From exciting new novels by best-selling authors, such as Bella Mackie and Sally Rooney, to Japanese hits and feel-good reads, getting lost between the pages never looked so inviting. Here are the best new books for September.
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida & Emmie Madison Shimoda
A Japanese bestseller, this novel is set in the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul in Kyoto, which only a select few – those who feel genuine and overwhelming emotional pain – can find. And while the beginnings of the clinic are unusual, the treatment is even more unique: it prescribes cats as medication. There are five felines to choose from, ranging from Koyuki, a fluffy white cat that brings closure to a mother, to muscly Margot who helps a middle-aged call centre worker stay relevant. Whatever their ailment, this is a story about newfound hope, healing and self-discovery.
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
From the acclaimed author of The Mars Room, Kushner’s latest parodic spy novel has already been longlisted for the Booker Prize 2024 – and, therefore, is definitely a must-read this month. Meet protagonist Sadie Smith, a sardonic, 30-something American undercover agent of questionable morals, and is sent by her mysterious but threatening employers to France to infiltrate a commune of radical eco-activists led by the charismatic svengali Bruno Lacombe. But once she meets Lacombe, she discovers his own devastating story is impossible to ignore…
Frankie by Graham Norton
Transporting readers back to the gritty scenes of Ireland in the 1940s and then to the glamour of New York in the 1960s, Graham Norton’s latest novel, Frankie, highlights the bond between elderly Londoner Frankie and her young Irish carer, Damian. As she gradually tells him parts of her story – which takes us into a progressive, daring world of aspiring writers and artists on the brink of fame – Damian slowly realises there’s more to life than his work. A heartfelt novel spanning decades and featuring larger-than-life characters, we bet you won’t be able to put this novel down.
What A Way To Go by Bella Mackie
From the author of international bestseller How to Kill Your Family, Bella Mackie’s second novel follows Anthony Wistern: a man who is wealthier than comprehension, with a beautiful wife, gaggle of photogenic children, French chateau, Cotswold manor and a plethora of mistresses. Unfortunately for him though, he’s also dead. With each member of his family poised to inherit his fortune, the lying begins…
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
From the widely-acclaimed author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends, Sally Rooney’s latest novel is also set in her beloved Dublin, and focuses on two grieving brothers and how differently they deal with loss. Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his 30s – successful, competent but medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two very different women. His younger brother Ivan, however, is a socially-awkward chess player who meets an older woman, Margaret, and soon their lives become rapidly intertwined.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
If you’re looking for a beach read you can really sink your teeth into, Liane Moriarty is your go-to author. Her latest, publishing on 26 September, focuses on family and fate, as a mysterious old woman sows confusion and paranoia in the lives of a disparate group of individuals. Who is this woman? Is she a genuine clairvoyant? Whoever she is, one thing’s for sure: she’s an agent of chaos, plunging entire futures into doubt and causing lives to unravel in the most unexpected of ways.
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
When the pandemic-induced lockdown led busy professional Chloe to leave London and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself custodian of a baby hare. Yet when she finds it abandoned and alone, she decides to give it a chance at survival. Raising Hare is a feel-good novel, chronicling the pair’s journey preparing for the hare’s return to the wild.
Read more: The best new films and TV shows to stream in September 2024
