The Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout In a line: A high school history teacher feels adrift

in modern America, but when a secret emerges, he must face big questions about

his relationships and life choices. Emma from @readsby.emma says: Strout "manages to

say so much in so few pages, capturing the fear many of us feel about current

global affairs" through "tender prose and beautiful descriptions". Jord from @jordslibrary says: "I genuinely don't

understand how Elizabeth Strout understands people so well", adding that she

writes "about thoughts and feelings we all have but rarely voice, and

somehow makes you feel like she's been inside your head". John of John, by Douglas Stuart In a line: A fashion student is drawn back to his

home in a small, religious community in the Outer Hebrides in the mid-1990s,

where he and his father - both called John - nurse secrets. Sally from @whatsallyreadnext says: Stuart's writing

is "so atmospheric, it was easy for me to picture myself being there",

in a novel with brilliant characters. Jord from @jordslibrary says: The characters "feel

so painfully real that I honestly forgot I was reading fiction", adding

that it was "one of my favourite books of the year". Ryan from @library.of.ryan says: John of John was an "incredibly

tender tale" with the "most layered, three dimensional and flawed

character studies".