LE PORTRAIT MAGAZINE MARCH-SEPTEMBER ISSUE | Page 66

The High Mountains of Portugal, Yann Martel
This is Yann Martel's fourth novel and it already has everyone buzzing.
It's not hard to understand why - he won the 2002 Man Booker Prize for
his breakthrough title Life of Pi, which became a Hollywood film.
Starting in Lisbon in 1904, The High Mountains of Portugal tells the
story of a young man called Tomas, who finds an old journal hinting at a
deep secret. The book weaves three different stories into a road-trip
across four centuries and two continents, exploring themes of love, loss
and heartbreak along the way. It could turn out to be a serious awards
contender – even those who weren't pleased with Martel's last book,
Beatrice and Virgil, are putting this on their must-read lists.
Out now
Thus Bad Begins, Javier Marias
In 1980s Spain, Juan de Vere, the assistant to famous film-maker
Eduardo Muriel, finds himself trapped in an unsettling love triangle. As
Muriel's wife flits in and out of the book -and other people's beds - Juan
is tasked by the jealous husband to find out all he can about one of her
mysterious old friends, who seems to be inexplicably linked to the
Franco regime. Javier Marias has a knack for exploring disquieting
relationships and this looks to be a similar affair.
Out now
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, Helen Oyeyemi
With five novels under her belt, as well as a Granta nomination for Best
Young British Novelist of 2013, Helen Oyeyemi is one of Britain's new
powerful voices. What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours is her first short-story
collection, inspired by fairy tales and dark secrets, all magically
reworked throughout the book.
Out on 8 March
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