Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle

Paula Spencer is one of those novels that quietly sinks in and weeks later you find yourself remembering bits and pieces of it. I think I am liking it better as I continue to think about it. This follow-up to The Woman Who Walked Into Doors shows a now sober Paula, renegotiating the day-to-day struggle of her new life as a recovering alcoholic. She worries about her daughter, who seems to be following in her footsteps and tries to reconnect with her son, who is also a recovering addict.

This is another of those novels that I am sitting on for a while before I decide whether or not to nominate it.

The Rhythm Of The Road by Albyn Leah Hall

This is one of those books that I am going to have to sit on for a while to decide if I want to nominate it or not. Superbly written and full of twists and turns, it is an engrossing and thought provoking novel.

This is a very British, very modern, edgy tale of a young woman trying to escape from the grim reality of her life, only to find that ultimately she cannot escape. Jo, the daughter of a trucker, becomes obsessed with a young singer and her band. When her father disappears, her obsession spirals out of control and she finds herself becoming more and more desperate. Eventually her desperation leads her to drugs and violence.