Fiction: narrative themes

Barry Mullins isn’t the sharpest tool in the box.

Hamasa's journey from war torn Afghanistan to Canada, from boyhood to wise old soul, from innocence to terrorist to humanist, exposes the truths of existence.

Lyrical, emotionally charged, moving and heartbreaking, Oreads is a literary treat that will keep you compelled right to the very last page and beyond.

At the crossroads of fiction and social theory, the book confronts fundamental issues facing Western civilization in the 21st century.

An investigation is opened into a series of deaths in an old workers' utopia.

The story of one man's struggle to write the book that will change the world.

Steal a few cents and they put you in jail.

Technology failed, most died.

The legacy of the Baby Boomers.

A story of art, fear and snow puddles.

Follow the strange, lustful and horrific journey of Sandy Beech as he is ensnared into the realm of African witchcraft.

A small town in Colorado experiences a series of animal attacks which are far from random.

A family’s life falls into turmoil when the parents’ timid political dissidence is discovered by their far more enterprising children.

Self-harmer Melissa fights to survive her horrific past, her suicide-attempt and the lover who wants to destroy her.

Two days, eighteen hours, fifty-eight minutes.

***'The secret to great, refreshing, stylish serves first time, every time!

For fans of Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton and Holly Bourne, ALMOST LOVE is one of the most addictive and heartbreaking reads of the year 'Compulsive' Sunday Times'Breaks another boundary' Irish Times'A must-read' Image 'Honest and poignant' Elle 'Intelligent and compelling' Daily Mail When Sarah falls for Matthew, she falls hard.

There are a lot of legends about the Arizona desert.

I hugged myself on the living room floor.

'Funny, smart and fresh' Reader review ?

** A WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH **** SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD **'One of the Scottish crime books of the year.

"e;INFORMATIVE AND ORIGINAL"e; Guardian, 'This month's best paperbacks' We've become used to thinking of plants as things for us to use: as food, tools, resources, or just as an attractive background to our own lives.

'Sarai Walker has done it again .

'This is a book about the untidy, complicated underbelly of love and love's end.

'Alison is a haunting book, complex and intimate.

'A very powerful and moving book' Margaret Drabble'What an extraordinary voice!

FROM THE #1 EBOOK BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF CALL ME MUMMY 'Gripped my throat and didn't let go until the final, searing sentence' - CAROLINE ENGLANDA nightmare jolts Debs awake.

'Engrossing, beguiling, and with an undertow of menace, Before the Ruins is a masterly debut from a richly talented author.

When her father becomes gravely ill on holiday in Budapest, Alexandra Fuller rushes to join her mother at his bedside, where they see out his last days together and then carry his ashes back to their farm in Zambia.

'A beautiful book about the best minds of a generation and the devastation of war - an outrageous voyage from the past that speaks eloquently to our present' Deborah LevyMarch 1941.

A glimpse of a mysterious stranger sends a sailor on a quest across the ocean.

Conscientious objector Bill Rowe does not want to kill Hitler's conscripts but he finds his courage deserting him in a bleak jail patrolled by indifferent guards and hungry bugs.

As William journeys through his own mind, revelations are made, relationships are broken and restored, and a faith that once seemed extinct is rediscovered and renewed.

The blood of the many for the profits of the few.

What ex-diplomat Michael Blake wanted was a quiet birding trip up the Nile – he wasn’t expecting a revolution .

Lost-and-found siblings and a burned-out English teacher embark on journeys across America to the dark heart of a murderous father.

WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH (FEBRUARY 2026) Beguiling and elegiac Lucy Steeds, author of The Artist A gritty tale of secrets, guilt and desire Observer Completely enthralling Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb An extraordinary sense of place and time, written by an exciting new voice Radio Times (Best Books 2025)____1915, the Cabrach.

Eva was once a legendary fashion designer until, mysteriously, she retired.

Following a family tragedy Emma escapes to university, but her hopes of a bright new life take a very dark turn.

A compelling and inspiring tale of one man's journey from Alpha Boy to Alpha Wolf.

A riveting novel that toys with the conventions of detective and gangster novels, giving them a sharp, philosophical twist.