Five of the best new novels of 2021
From buzzy must-read debuts to an edge-of-your-seat thriller
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
Filthy, funny and surprisingly moving, this novel follows a calorie-obsessed, self-loathing 20-something woman in Los Angeles, whose life transforms when she cuts off her fat-phobic mother and meets frozen-yogurt server Miriam. An astute observation of denial vs excess.
Melissa Twigg, acting fashion editor
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
I adored Ishiguro’s previous novels (Remains of the Day is an all-time favourite) and his latest more than measures up. Set in a dystopian world where children have artificial friends (AFs), it tells the story of an unwell young girl Josie and her AF Klara, exploring compassion, love and what it means to be human.