Juniper – serie

An Amazon Best Books of 2026 So Far Pick! Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train … five minutes until someone dies. ‘Will have you glued to the page … guaranteed to shock and entertain’The Times‘Ridiculously good … darkly thrilling and unforgettable’ Chris Whitaker‘An excellent novel … Bannister has a clear gift for a razor sharp, brutal, and oftentimes hilarious writing style' FIVE star reader review ‘Dark, tense and compulsively readable, Five is a thriller that keeps you constantly questioning what you think you know' FIVE star reader review 'What a fantastic style of writing. Unique in it's telling that had me gripped from the start … I couldn't put it down' FIVE star reader review * * * * Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station. It will happen in the next five minutes when the 7:06 to London Victoria arrives. Take note of their positions. The child, the mother, the businessman, the old woman and the gambler.One of them will die despite your attachment to them. There is probably one you want to get rid of. You don’t have to admit who. But perhaps you should ask yourself why.The train has stopped.Someone is dead.Was it who you chose?It wasn’t your fault …So why, dear reader, do you feel so guilty? Five stories. Five minutes until a life ends. Unfolding in real time, FIVE doesn't just tell a story; it provokes, unsettles, and lingers. By weaving together the stories of those complex, flawed lives, Bannister creates a tapestry of human struggle, resilience, and hope. FIVE offers no easy answers, but rather a nuanced exploration of the human condition in all its messy complexity. * * * * Praise for FIVE: ‘Brilliantly propulsive … A seriously impressive novel’ Hannah Beckerman‘Original. Urgent. Disturbing. Brilliant’ Shari Lapena‘Insightful, emotionally punchy, wryly observed … I read it in one sitting’ Sarah Pinborough'This is a sharply drawn, darkly funny, and quietly devastating character study wrapped inside a ticking‑clock thriller' FIVE star reader review'Five stars for Five! … This is a sharp, unsettling and original novel that explores morality, judgement, addiction, motherhood and privilege with confidence and control. It stayed with me long after I finished' FIVE star reader review

‘[A] gorgeous exploration of romance … reminding us that even during life’s toughest moments, there’s laughter, too’ Red‘A moving story of grief, hope and friendship’ Prima‘In a novel about people rebuilding their lives there is of course some darkness, but also a huge amount of humour. I loved this book a lot’ Louise Hare, This Lovely City‘Warm, funny and deeply moving, Luan Goldie has created an uplifting story about love, resilience and second chances’ Delia Online ‘As hilarious as it is heartbreaking. I devoured this book … I grieved, laughed and fell in love alongside Zoe’ Natalie Gregory, Mother Ghost Mango Seed ***** Zoe lost a part of herself after a heartbreaking loss and when she returns to work, everyone is tiptoeing around her and hoping she is back to her old self. But she knows she’ll never be the same carefree party girl she was before.Then she meets Cian – her disarmingly charming colleague, who’s working from home after a climbing accident left him temporarily immobile. As they spend the summer hiding from the heatwave, arguing about Studio Ghibli, and sharing moments of vulnerability, their cautious friendship grows into something deeper. But with Cian grappling with his own restless spirit, and Zoe keeping everyone at arm’s length, there are a hundred reasons for them to hit the brakes.Zoe has a choice to make – retreat into her shell and cling to the safety of what she knows, or risk it all and take a leap of faith into the unknown? Between Yesterday and Tomorrow is a story of courage and connection, and examines the messy, beautiful ways we rebuild our lives when everything feels broken. It finds the humour in the darkest moments and reminds us of the ways we find hope. ***** Praise for Luan Goldie ‘Important and remarkable’ Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry‘Luan Goldie is one of the most important voices in contemporary British fiction … A story of resilience, family and community, it is finely wrought and unnervingly timely’ Kia Abdullah‘Intense and powerful novel’ Platinum‘A brilliant book written with warmth and sensitivity that I recommend most highly. I loved it unreservedly’ My Weekly

Set in Thailand from 1976 to the present, Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed is a haunting yet hopeful exploration of grief, motherhood, and cultural identity‘With pathos and swift, transporting prose, Natalie Gregory reveals a version of Thailand rich with counterculture, protest, and the lingering ghosts of those erased from collective memory’ Aube Rey Lescure, Women’s Prize shortlisted author of River East, River West‘Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed is a brilliant and richly imagined debut. Gregory writes beautifully about motherhood, loneliness and the clash of family and politics’ Luan Goldie, Women’s Prize longlisted author of Nightingale Point‘This book is not read, it is imbibed through gorgeous descriptions of food and rituals that bring Thailand's political and cultural history to the fore. Motherhood and grief are treated like the mysteries they are, as are repressed desires and their costs. This is an unforgettable read' Fauzia Musa, The Strangling Fig**** A single thread can unravel a web of secrets … Lin returns from England to Bangkok to care for her dying mother. In the city, pro-democracy protestors clash with the military government and ambitious new king. And among all this, Lin’s mother dies.Numbed at the wake and feeling like a stranger in her home country, Lin tries to cook her mother’s favourite dish, but her mother’s recipes are all missing, and in their place is an old political leaflet which everyone refuses to translate. Lonely and intrigued, Lin sets off with her baby to the Thai countryside in search of answers.As she discovers herself and her culture, Lin quickly finds that tugging at a single thread can unravel a web of secrets held for decades, driving away loved ones, breaking cultural taboos, and uncovering dreadful truths behind a devastating political past.****

Set in Thailand from 1976 to the present, Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed is a haunting yet hopeful exploration of grief, motherhood, and cultural identity‘With pathos and swift, transporting prose, Natalie Gregory reveals a version of Thailand rich with counterculture, protest, and the lingering ghosts of those erased from collective memory’ Aube Rey Lescure, Women’s Prize shortlisted author of River East, River West‘Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed is a brilliant and richly imagined debut. Gregory writes beautifully about motherhood, loneliness and the clash of family and politics’ Luan Goldie, Women’s Prize longlisted author of Nightingale Point‘This book is not read, it is imbibed through gorgeous descriptions of food and rituals that bring Thailand's political and cultural history to the fore. Motherhood and grief are treated like the mysteries they are, as are repressed desires and their costs. This is an unforgettable read' Fauzia Musa, The Strangling Fig**** A single thread can unravel a web of secrets … Lin returns from England to Bangkok to care for her dying mother. In the city, pro-democracy protestors clash with the military government and ambitious new king. And among all this, Lin’s mother dies.Numbed at the wake and feeling like a stranger in her home country, Lin tries to cook her mother’s favourite dish, but her mother’s recipes are all missing, and in their place is an old political leaflet which everyone refuses to translate. Lonely and intrigued, Lin sets off with her baby to the Thai countryside in search of answers.As she discovers herself and her culture, Lin quickly finds that tugging at a single thread can unravel a web of secrets held for decades, driving away loved ones, breaking cultural taboos, and uncovering dreadful truths behind a devastating political past.****

SELECTED FOR BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME ‘[A] moving family drama … If you don't fall in love with Mr Sidhu, as I did, then I can't help you!’BBC News, 12 Books to Read in 2026‘I found Mr Sidhu’s story – through all its twists and turns – utterly compelling … a testament to the power of family, friendship, community, and love. It’s an absolute treasure’ Ruth Hogan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things'Entertaining, emotional and enraging! … Mr Sidhu is absolutely real and rounded' FIVE star reader review 'A tremendous debut, mixing both a love story and an honorable man caught up in the sub-postmaster scandal … I enjoyed it immensely' FIVE star reader review * * * *For years, Mr Sidhu’s post office has been a place of small rituals and quiet mercies: news exchanged, kindnesses remembered, a haven for all. Mr Sidhu is confidant, caretaker and witness to a community revealing itself in its loyalties and secrets.But Mr Sidhu is caught between the life he has inherited and the one he has scarcely allowed himself to imagine. When his ordered world begins to shift, he is drawn towards a new future and an unexpected love, forcing him to navigate family tensions, shifting identities and the question of who stands beside us when everything changes. And soon, the life Mr Sidhu tended so carefully may no longer be enough …Tender, wise and beautifully observed, Mr Sidhu’s Post Office is an unforgettable novel about love, duty and the communities that shape us – and save us.* * * * Praise for Amman Brar: ‘Mr Sidhu is a wonderful character – he’s someone you will remember and think about long after you’ve finished the book’ Sarah Morgan, number one Sunday Times bestselling author‘What a special debut … I couldn't put it down’ Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City‘Amman Brar’s storytelling is warm, funny, and culturally astute … As the story unfolds, Mr Sidhu’s dignified reserve is peeled back to reveal a big heart’ Natalie Gregory, author of Mother Ghost Mango Seed‘A powerful, heart-wrenching tribute to the immigrant journey … A standout debut that balances family, faith, and late-in life love’ Candid Book Club

SELECTED FOR BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME ‘[A] moving family drama … If you don't fall in love with Mr Sidhu, as I did, then I can't help you!’BBC News, 12 Books to Read in 2026‘I found Mr Sidhu’s story – through all its twists and turns – utterly compelling … a testament to the power of family, friendship, community, and love. It’s an absolute treasure’ Ruth Hogan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things'Entertaining, emotional and enraging! … Mr Sidhu is absolutely real and rounded' FIVE star reader review 'A tremendous debut, mixing both a love story and an honorable man caught up in the sub-postmaster scandal … I enjoyed it immensely' FIVE star reader review * * * *For years, Mr Sidhu’s post office has been a place of small rituals and quiet mercies: news exchanged, kindnesses remembered, a haven for all. Mr Sidhu is confidant, caretaker and witness to a community revealing itself in its loyalties and secrets.But Mr Sidhu is caught between the life he has inherited and the one he has scarcely allowed himself to imagine. When his ordered world begins to shift, he is drawn towards a new future and an unexpected love, forcing him to navigate family tensions, shifting identities and the question of who stands beside us when everything changes. And soon, the life Mr Sidhu tended so carefully may no longer be enough …Tender, wise and beautifully observed, Mr Sidhu’s Post Office is an unforgettable novel about love, duty and the communities that shape us – and save us.* * * * Praise for Amman Brar: ‘Mr Sidhu is a wonderful character – he’s someone you will remember and think about long after you’ve finished the book’ Sarah Morgan, number one Sunday Times bestselling author‘What a special debut … I couldn't put it down’ Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City‘Amman Brar’s storytelling is warm, funny, and culturally astute … As the story unfolds, Mr Sidhu’s dignified reserve is peeled back to reveal a big heart’ Natalie Gregory, author of Mother Ghost Mango Seed‘A powerful, heart-wrenching tribute to the immigrant journey … A standout debut that balances family, faith, and late-in life love’ Candid Book Club

‘Both epic in its sweep and haunting in its intimacy, Musa weaves a profound tapestry of resilience, inheritance, and hope’ Riz Ahmed* * * * An extraordinary and beautiful novel about how understanding our past can pave the way for a hopeful future. Hyderabad, 1946 Ashraf is asleep in her mother’s bed when her father is murdered on the eve of Partition. She may as well have lost her mother that day too, and her fight to connect with her mother will follow her to America, seeping into who she is as a daughter, a lover, a mother, a wife, and be felt through the next generation of women. California, 2002 Seher is sixteen years old when she first sees her grandmother’s ghost. Feeling lost and abandoned by her own mother, Seher clings to Ashraf’s ghost, and it becomes the guiding presence she has always craved. But as Seher starts to move forward with her life, it becomes clear that Ashraf’s support comes at a cost. Elegantly woven and beautifully crafted, The Strangling Fig weaves together the lives and histories of women who are bound by blood and spirit. With a lyrical narrative that dances between memory and reality, it explores the delicate balance between love and loss, inviting readers to reflect on the legacies we inherit and the ghosts that shape our identities. * * * * Praise for The Strangling Fig ‘A sweeping, deeply moving, and propulsive debut that stunned me into silence and awe … Musa is a brilliant writer who pierces a wise truth: that a wound, once witnessed and traced to its origin, has the profound ability to heal and transform’ Fatima Mirza, A Place for Us‘An elegant and beautifully crafted debut that signals the arrival of a major new voice in fiction’ Sonia Faleiro, The Good Girls‘Vivid, imaginative, and magical … An engrossing, thought provoking and heart breaking read’ Natalie Gregory, Mother Ghost Mango Seed

‘Both epic in its sweep and haunting in its intimacy, Musa weaves a profound tapestry of resilience, inheritance, and hope’ Riz Ahmed* * * * An extraordinary and beautiful novel about how understanding our past can pave the way for a hopeful future. Hyderabad, 1946 Ashraf is asleep in her mother’s bed when her father is murdered on the eve of Partition. She may as well have lost her mother that day too, and her fight to connect with her mother will follow her to America, seeping into who she is as a daughter, a lover, a mother, a wife, and be felt through the next generation of women. California, 2002 Seher is sixteen years old when she first sees her grandmother’s ghost. Feeling lost and abandoned by her own mother, Seher clings to Ashraf’s ghost, and it becomes the guiding presence she has always craved. But as Seher starts to move forward with her life, it becomes clear that Ashraf’s support comes at a cost. Elegantly woven and beautifully crafted, The Strangling Fig weaves together the lives and histories of women who are bound by blood and spirit. With a lyrical narrative that dances between memory and reality, it explores the delicate balance between love and loss, inviting readers to reflect on the legacies we inherit and the ghosts that shape our identities. * * * * Praise for The Strangling Fig ‘A sweeping, deeply moving, and propulsive debut that stunned me into silence and awe … Musa is a brilliant writer who pierces a wise truth: that a wound, once witnessed and traced to its origin, has the profound ability to heal and transform’ Fatima Mirza, A Place for Us‘An elegant and beautifully crafted debut that signals the arrival of a major new voice in fiction’ Sonia Faleiro, The Good Girls‘Vivid, imaginative, and magical … An engrossing, thought provoking and heart breaking read’ Natalie Gregory, Mother Ghost Mango Seed

‘Heartwarming yet bittersweet… Wonderful on the power of friendship and how it’s your friends who know you best’ Daily Mail‘A truly great millennial novel’ New York Times Book Review newsletter‘A big, beautiful novel about what friendship means as we get older’ LitHub ‘A bracingly honest and exhilarating novel' Kimberly King Parsons, author of We Were the Universe ‘A big-hearted and daring novel from one of our finest creative and critical minds’ Jonathan Escoffery, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of If I Survive You ‘A powerfully intimate portrait of female friendship’ Kimberly King Parsons, author of We Were the Universe ‘White Lotus with more sincerity and heart’Los Angeles Times*****As undergrads, Gregg, Reba, Hillary, Bella, and Carson formed the kind of rare bond that university brochures promise – friendship that lasts a lifetime. Two decades later, the women are spread across the country but remain firmly linked through their ever-active group chat. They’ve made it through COVID and childbirth and midcareer challenges, but no one can anticipate what’s coming next.The five women converge on Palm Springs for a long overdue reunion: Gregg, a progressive Texas legislator, is facing a huge decision about her political future. Reba is deep in IVF treatments while caring for her aging parents and navigating a San Francisco she hardly recognizes. Hillary’s medical career is going great – but at home, her husband’s struggles with addiction have derailed their life. In New York City, Bella faces the biggest case in her career as a litigator while her home life crumbles around her, and across the river in Brooklyn, Carson is working on a new novel as well as forging a possible relationship with the father she’s never met.Twenty years into their shared friendship, the stakes are higher than ever. With wit, empathy and heart, Clutch asks how much we can give to our friends and our families, and what space we can save for ourselves.*****

'Told with equal helpings of hilarity and wisdom' Bonnie Garmus, multi-million-copy-bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry Every ten years or so, Hazel Stein finds herself face to face with every version of herself she ever has been, and ever will be. There's Hazel Stein aged 8, making paper airplanes out of napkins; 18, with a catastrophic fringe and the insecurities to match; 28, undeniably a knockout; 39, flush with the responsibility of new motherhood; 49, terrifyingly bald (the other Hazels can't quite look her in the eye); 57, whose ring finger is suddenly, strangely bare; 68, who's had one too many Botox shots; and 77, with wiry white hair, a gash on her forehead, and a threadbare t-shirt.Together, they tell the story of one woman's life: from an unforgettable one-night stand at the turn of the millennium to friendships that span decades and continents, from the fierce, primal instincts of motherhood to moments of seismic, reality-warping grief. Together, they recount how a single life can add up to an unimaginable bounty: what we owe to the people we used to be, and those we will become.Funny, tender and devastating in turn, All Together Now is a joyous epic that crosses selves and decades to tell the story of one ordinary, extraordinary life, and a celebration of the endlessly surprising process of becoming ourselves.

'Told with equal helpings of hilarity and wisdom' Bonnie Garmus, multi-million-copy-bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry Every ten years or so, Hazel Stein finds herself face to face with every version of herself she ever has been, and ever will be. There's Hazel Stein aged 8, making paper airplanes out of napkins; 18, with a catastrophic fringe and the insecurities to match; 28, undeniably a knockout; 39, flush with the responsibility of new motherhood; 49, terrifyingly bald (the other Hazels can't quite look her in the eye); 57, whose ring finger is suddenly, strangely bare; 68, who's had one too many Botox shots; and 77, with wiry white hair, a gash on her forehead, and a threadbare t-shirt.Together, they tell the story of one woman's life: from an unforgettable one-night stand at the turn of the millennium to friendships that span decades and continents, from the fierce, primal instincts of motherhood to moments of seismic, reality-warping grief. Together, they recount how a single life can add up to an unimaginable bounty: what we owe to the people we used to be, and those we will become.Funny, tender and devastating in turn, All Together Now is a joyous epic that crosses selves and decades to tell the story of one ordinary, extraordinary life, and a celebration of the endlessly surprising process of becoming ourselves.

A New York Times Novel Everyone Will Be Talking About This Summer 'Is anything more dangerous than a fragile male ego?' New York Times 'Nerve-wrackingly fun' Vogue, Best Books of the Year So Far Steven Hammer was once a literary star. Now, his career is floundering, his marriage to high-powered banker Lucy is crumbling, and the only bright spot in his life is Astrid, the Norwegian au pair who cares for their children – and reveres his neglected novels. But what begins as a secret infatuation soon spirals into a scandal that makes them both infamous.As a headline-grabbing trial captivates the world with a salacious story of sex, power, and betrayal, Steven must confront the wreckage he’s created – and the deeper insecurities that fuelled it. Is Astrid an innocent young woman caught up in a case beyond her control, or a calculating femme fatale? And how far will he go, driven by desperation and obsession, for her professed love?With propulsive momentum, sharp wit and sly, lucid prose, The Au Pair is a sleek literary thriller about failure, desire, and the unravelling of a man as he grapples with his fading relevance – when the lies others spin pale beside the fictions we tell ourselves. Perfect for fans of The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair and Fleishman is in Trouble * * * * Praise for The Au Pair: 'Wayne, perhaps no surprise, is an expert guide into the complex psyche of an author. He is also a deft social satirist, no more than when skewering his characters' politically correct pretensions' Wall Street Journal‘The Au Pair is Teddy Wayne at his immensely readable best. The plot ratchets up in the creepiest, most chilling way while deliciously skewering the Brooklyn literary set. It’s a book you’ll tear through, one that leaves you guessing until the last page’ Maria Semple, author of Go Gentle‘This compulsive thriller gleefully and skilfully skewers both stereotypical tropes and the contemporary publishing landscape’ Boston Globe‘The reigning king of taut literary novels… Wayne knows how to write about men in a way that few modern writers are capable of pulling off… this is one you won’t be able to put down’ Men's Journal‘You may think you know where it’s going, this novel about a disappointed writer, his frosty wife, and a comely young nanny. You may be in for a surprise. Propulsive but also insightful – and funny, in its merciless skewering of midlife, marriage, and more – The Au Pair cements Teddy Wayne’s status as a master of the wicked little literary thriller’ Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind ‘A heart-pounding mystery that reads like a movie’ People ‘An ingenious dissection of marriage, masculinity, and privilege, propelled by a gimlet-eyed wit… A sly, unsettling hybrid of social satire and domestic thriller’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)‘[A] tightly constructed, endlessly exhilarating thriller’ Town & Country‘I could not put it down. I raced through it’ Jennifer Weiner‘Teddy Wayne has written a book about selling out that doesn’t—a guilty pleasure that earns its guilt. The Au Pair is a canny seduction wrapped in a page-turning thriller wrapped in an elegy for the literary novel: a threefold delight’ Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Homeland Elegies and The Radiance

A New York Times Novel Everyone Will Be Talking About This Summer 'Is anything more dangerous than a fragile male ego?' New York Times 'Nerve-wrackingly fun' Vogue, Best Books of the Year So Far Steven Hammer was once a literary star. Now, his career is floundering, his marriage to high-powered banker Lucy is crumbling, and the only bright spot in his life is Astrid, the Norwegian au pair who cares for their children – and reveres his neglected novels. But what begins as a secret infatuation soon spirals into a scandal that makes them both infamous.As a headline-grabbing trial captivates the world with a salacious story of sex, power, and betrayal, Steven must confront the wreckage he’s created – and the deeper insecurities that fuelled it. Is Astrid an innocent young woman caught up in a case beyond her control, or a calculating femme fatale? And how far will he go, driven by desperation and obsession, for her professed love?With propulsive momentum, sharp wit and sly, lucid prose, The Au Pair is a sleek literary thriller about failure, desire, and the unravelling of a man as he grapples with his fading relevance – when the lies others spin pale beside the fictions we tell ourselves. Perfect for fans of The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair and Fleishman is in Trouble * * * * Praise for The Au Pair: 'Wayne, perhaps no surprise, is an expert guide into the complex psyche of an author. He is also a deft social satirist, no more than when skewering his characters' politically correct pretensions' Wall Street Journal‘The Au Pair is Teddy Wayne at his immensely readable best. The plot ratchets up in the creepiest, most chilling way while deliciously skewering the Brooklyn literary set. It’s a book you’ll tear through, one that leaves you guessing until the last page’ Maria Semple, author of Go Gentle‘This compulsive thriller gleefully and skilfully skewers both stereotypical tropes and the contemporary publishing landscape’ Boston Globe‘The reigning king of taut literary novels… Wayne knows how to write about men in a way that few modern writers are capable of pulling off… this is one you won’t be able to put down’ Men's Journal‘You may think you know where it’s going, this novel about a disappointed writer, his frosty wife, and a comely young nanny. You may be in for a surprise. Propulsive but also insightful – and funny, in its merciless skewering of midlife, marriage, and more – The Au Pair cements Teddy Wayne’s status as a master of the wicked little literary thriller’ Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind ‘A heart-pounding mystery that reads like a movie’ People ‘An ingenious dissection of marriage, masculinity, and privilege, propelled by a gimlet-eyed wit… A sly, unsettling hybrid of social satire and domestic thriller’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)‘[A] tightly constructed, endlessly exhilarating thriller’ Town & Country‘I could not put it down. I raced through it’ Jennifer Weiner‘Teddy Wayne has written a book about selling out that doesn’t—a guilty pleasure that earns its guilt. The Au Pair is a canny seduction wrapped in a page-turning thriller wrapped in an elegy for the literary novel: a threefold delight’ Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Homeland Elegies and The Radiance

Elegant, intimate, nuanced and electric, Iris is alive to the powers of language and literature, probing desire, connection and the self with singular style and flair.When Iris and Bowen meet at an artists’ residency, the connection is immediate. Both are married to other people, but their long, riveting debates and stolen moments make Iris, an author struggling with writer’s block, feel newly alive.After they return to their lives in New York City, their spiky repartee continues with impassioned debates about books, reflections on a shared Chinese-American heritage and confessions of mutual attraction.When the ticking time bomb of a possible affair becomes impossible to ignore, they meet up for an epic, day-long date that will decide their future.