‘How to be Hopeful’ by Caitlin Moran
Hbk, Ebury Press, £22
The antidote to algorithmic induced anxiety in a slightly mad, chaotic world in which we are bombarded by one looming disaster after another.
Rather than run to the hills or dig a bunker and stuff it with panic supplies, how about enjoying the sunshine, gardening, reading, reconnecting and shifting perspective from drama to dharma (minus the religious connotations)?
The inimitable newspaper columnist, commentator, sitcom writer and all-round good egg, Caitlin Moran has done herself proud.
This is a joyful read; laugh out loud, cry into your coffee, get up and dance in the kitchen kind of book. Use it as a pick me up on gloomy days, gift it to a mate as a polite nudge to give their head a gentle wobble, share it far and wide and you never know we might all feel just a little more hopeful.
‘The Housekeeper’ by Rose Treman
Hbk, Chatto & Windus, £20
Lovers of Daphne Du Maurier, step this way, into the world behind her iconic writing and into the shoes of a character scorned and misrepresented.
This is the backstory to the famous ‘Rebecca’ the jealously filled, psychological thriller that has terrified generations. Based in the wilds of Cornwall, we discover the housekeeper, Mrs Danowski – known as Danni, as she meets Daphne who is researching for her new novel.
What follows is a clandestine and intoxicating affair, between the two women. For Danni, it is an all-consuming love; for Daphne, a submission to long-suppressed desires. But their fragile secret is vulnerable to prying eyes and destined for heartbreak.
When Daphne’s novel launches to triumphant success, Danni is distraught to find herself transformed into a malign and jealous character on the page. She seeks respite from the hurt by telling her own story: ‘The Housekeeper’.