Call Me Zebra
by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

The story revolves around a 22-year-old on a "Grand Tour" of her family's exile from Iran in the '90s. Her exploits are, by turns, hilarious and poignant, painting a magnetic portrait of a young woman you can't help but want to know more about.

All the Names They Used For God
by Anjali Sachdeva

While the nine short stories in the author’s debut collection don't necessarily belong to the horror genre, there's a merciless quality to them that will haunt readers long after the last page has turned. Spanning realism, science fiction, and much more, Sachdeva creates distinctive, persuasive, and often gut-wrenching worlds in each of her pieces.

Educated
by Tara Westover

Raised with no formal education by survivalist parents, the book’s author was an unlikely candidate to one day earn a PhD from Cambridge. Yet that's precisely the journey she details in her inspiring, hugely anticipated memoir, which is absolutely raw and thoughtful.

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death
by Maggie O’Farrell

Seventeen discrete encounters at different ages, in different locations, reveal a whole life in a series of tense, visceral snapshots. Anything by O’Farrell is well worth a read, but her memoir’s captivating premise – it’s told in near-death vignettes – makes it impossible to miss.

Happiness
by Aminatta Forna

Behaviour, both human and animal, is central to Forna's latest novel, which follows wildlife biologist Jean and psychiatrist Attila, as their paths intertwine after a chance meeting in London. Their stories unfold through an elegant, sometimes unsettling meditation on war, cruelty and fear – in nature and of man's own making.