‘The Yacoubian Building’ by Alaa Al Aswany (2002) Another book set in an apartment block is… It’s an interesting concept for a book’s structure, but it works. It intertwines the stories of a cast of eccentric characters in a series of vignettes that are linked via alternate chapters told from the point of view of the building’s concierge. New York City truly comes to life in this remarkable novel set in an apartment block in downtown Manhattan. ‘Between Two Rivers’ by Nicholas Rinaldi (2006) Another novel that makes a city its central character is… This is a really immersive novel spanning 70 years about three different characters who live in Hong Kong, but the real character of the book is the city itself: Lanchester brings Hong Kong to life with rich descriptions as well as providing a strong sense of history, including its key political events. ‘Fragrant Harbour’ by John Lanchester (2003) The story charts what happens when she becomes torn between two lovers: a rich English banker who is older than her and a well-educated Chinese woman of the same age. This newly published novel is about a young Irishwoman who moves to Hong Kong to reinvent herself. Another book which has been compared favourably to Salley Rooney is…

It charts an on-off romance between two Millenials from the same Irish country town over the course of four years and won Rooney many plaudits and literary awards. This is a stylish novel that revolves around a series of set-pieces comprised almost entirely of dialogue. As ever, click the book titles to read my review of that book in full. The idea is then to create a chain by linking to six other books using common themes.

It’s the first Saturday of the month, which means it’s time to take part in Six Degrees of Separation, a book-themed meme hosted by Kate from booksaremyfavouriteandbest.Įvery month Kate chooses a particular book as a starting point.

Six degrees of separation books