Kate Weinberg Recommends
The author of ‘The Truants’ shares her reading recommendations
Kate Weinberg's The Truants expertly blends who-done-it with campus novel. A middle class girl at an East Anglian university is seduced into the world of a close-knit group of mavericks, learning the true cost of an extraordinary life.
The Truants is a coming of age story with the pace of a thriller; propulsive plotting worthy of Agatha Christie meets the moody charisma of Donna Tartt's The Secret History in one of the most memorable debuts of recent years.
Bad Blood
Lorna Sage
'My all-time literary heroine Lorna Sage wrote this partial memoir (her life, up to University) which was published, to huge acclaim, just before she died. It’s the most moving, witty and beautifully drawn memoir.'
This Must Be the Place
Maggie O'Farrell
'I’m a massive fan of Maggie O’Farrell and her obsession with vanishing people, and unusual love stories. She always makes me cry at least twice, and with its wonderfully appealing, wildly-flawed characters, this is my favourite.'
The Confessions of Frannie Langton
Sara Collins
'A story of slavery and its psychic aftermath, with echoes of Toni Morrison’s Beloved but an intense, lyrical power of its own, Sara Collins is my tip for a future Booker Prize winner. And yes, I’d put money on it.'
Strangers on a Train
Patricia Highsmith
'An absolute masterclass in the slow suffocation of psychological suspense, this book is the literary equivalent of the Jaws theme tune.'
For Esmé - with Love and Squalor
J. D. Salinger
'As a budding writer, Salinger was a disaster for me. His humour, voice and genius for characterisation haunted me to such an extent that I wasted years in bungled attempts at emulating him. As a reader - and especially in these exquisite short stories - no author has inspired me more.'