October paperbacks span Pynchon’s noir, Spufford’s fantasy and an extinct sea cow
The article recommends new paperbacks across several genres, including Thomas Pynchon’s noir, Francis Spufford’s historical fantasy and Iida Turpeinen’s novel about the extinct Steller’s sea cow. It presents the books as varied reading choices, linking their stories to themes such as political extremism, wartime London and humanity’s impact on nature.
Pynchon’s *Shadow Ticket*, his first novel in 12 years, follows a detective in Prohibition-era Wisconsin amid conspiracies and political unrest. Spufford’s *Nonesuch* moves from London in 1939 into a time-travelling plot to assassinate Winston Churchill, while Turpeinen’s debut traces historical lives connected to the sea cow, hunted to extinction within 30 years of its discovery.
- Pynchon returns with a Prohibition-era noir novel.
- Spufford mixes wartime London with time travel.
- Turpeinen’s debut follows the legacy of an extinct sea cow.
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Thomas Pynchon, Francis Spufford and Iida Turpeinen write in very different genres, but their novels draw on real periods and events. Pynchon’s detective story is set in the United States during Prohibition, when alcohol was banned and political tensions were high; Spufford’s begins in London on the eve of the Second World War.
Turpeinen’s novel centres on the Steller’s sea cow, a large marine mammal first described by European naturalists in the 18th century. It was hunted to extinction within decades, and its story connects the books to questions about how human activity changes the natural world.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “The best books to read in October: new paperbacks from Zadie Smith, Thomas Pynchon and Francis Spufford”.