Ordinary Human Failings

It opens with the typical hook: a missing child. Tom Hargreaves, newbie tabloid hack, takes the bait and is formulating lurid headlines before he even gets to the scene. He plies the suspect’s family with money, alcohol and fake sympathy, but fails to elicit a tale black and white enough for newsprint. I won’t lie—I was reeled in too. But while Tom’s hopes of a scoop are dashed, readers are served something just as compelling and far more satisfying. Your fingers will itch to flip pages but slow down to absorb Nolan’s assured style and deep insight. Most impressive of all are her characters: ordinary—but very particular—people, who with just a few twitches of fate end up in out-of-the-ordinary circumstances. This remarkable second novel may be small, but it is dense with humanity—real human beings as well as all-embracing compassion. And it’s earned the first spot on my Top Ten of 2024. —Liz

P.S. It's also on the shortlist for one my favorite literary awards: the Gordon Burn Prize, winner to be announced on March 7!