The best books to read in July: new paperbacks from Andrew O’Hagan, Miriam Toews and Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Guardian's July paperback recommendations round up a handful of notable new fiction releases, spanning family sagas, psychological horror and probing character studies. The selection highlights authors ranging from an established Nigerian-British novelist to first-time novelists making striking debuts.
Featured titles include Oyinkan Braithwaite's second novel following her 2018 breakout My Sister, the Serial Killer, plus debuts exploring adolescence, mental illness and male friendship. The piece also promises further picks from Andrew O'Hagan and Miriam Toews, though detail on those was cut off in the supplied text.
– Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite: a multigenerational family curse and dark secrets among women
– Pan by Michael Clune: a 15-year-old's possession by the god Pan explored as a metaphor for mental illness
– Among Friends by Hal Ebbott: a decades-long male friendship upended at a 52nd birthday weekend
– Further paperback picks trailed from Andrew O'Hagan and Miriam Toews
- Guardian rounds up best new July paperbacks including three notable novels
- Braithwaite's Cursed Daughters explores a family curse across generations
- Clune's Pan frames teenage mental illness as demonic possession