Virginie Buhl Knihy

Shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, Shopping is a Lolita for our times set amidst the culture clash of modern Tokyo. Meadowlark is a lonely man. He pins portraits of the Prime Minister and the Queen to his apartment wall. Sent to work in the Tokyo office, he soon becomes lost and ill at ease in the world of besuited Englishmen who, slaves to the office by day, cruise the neonlit nightspots by night with their dispensable cash, fuelled on alcohol and the prospect of casual sex. It isn't long before Meadowlark undergoes an eerie change that shocks his colleagues: he falls in love with a fourteen-year-old Japanese girl. Gavin Kramer's first novel is the story of this relationship: a portrait of an obsession, a doomed love affair, an Englishman abroad and out of place, bemused and confused and ultimately beaten by an alien culture.

Standing on the sidelines of life, Mamah Borthwick Cheney yearns to immerse herself in its currents. In her diary, she reflects on her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright, which began after she and her husband commissioned him to design their home in 1903. As the house was built, a powerful attraction blossomed between Mamah and Frank, leading them, both married with children, into a relationship that would scandalize Chicago society and alter their lives forever. This debut novel intricately blends fact with fiction, giving Mamah the prominence often overlooked in historical accounts of America’s greatest architect. Author Nancy Horan draws on extensive research to craft a compelling narrative that highlights Mamah’s profound influence on Wright while exploring her internal conflicts. Caught between her roles as mother, wife, lover, and intellectual, Mamah embarks on a journey to discover her creative calling. Her story is marked by transformative choices that redefine her understanding of love and responsibility, culminating in a stunning conclusion. Elegantly written and rich in detail, this novel serves as a tribute to a courageous woman and her timeless love story.