New Autumn Book Releases 2022

There’s lots to be excited about as this new season rolls around: getting spooky for Halloween, wearing cosy clothes again, and of course, all the new fiction that will be released! We look at four hotly anticipated titles from prolific authors that are perfect autumn reading:

The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O'Farrell (6th September)

O’Farrell is the bestselling author of Hamnet, and she returns to a historical setting in her new offering, depicting life in Renaissance Italy. This story follows a young girl forced into marriage with a wealthy and powerful Duke, and her attempt to navigate a troubled court and politics. It offers a fascinating glimpse into a period of history we don’t often see in fiction.

Lessons - Ian McEwan (13th September)

Lessons takes place in the wake of the second world war, where a lonely schoolboy begins piano lessons that will change his life in ways he never expected. The book follows huge historical events, from the Cuban missile crisis to Covid, and is filled with melancholic musing on regret and love. Ian McEwan at his finest. 

Best of Friends - Kamila Shamsie (27th September)

This story follows two childhood female best friends in 80s Karachi, Pakistan. After an explosive moment changes their friendship drastically, the story jumps forward to 2019, where both women are working in London but haunted by what happened in their pasts. Nostalgic, sad and an ode to friendship.

Shrines of Gaiety - Kate Atkinson (27th September)

Kate Atkinson’s new offering takes place in roaring 20s London, following a rich cast of characters and an intricately woven plot. The different threads wrap around one another to come to a satisfying conclusion against the backdrop of flappers and Soho nightlife.