Much of 2024 has been a flurry of work to deliver my new novel, When There Are Wolves Again, and consequentially my top reads of the year feels a little shorter than usual. Nevertheless, I loved and would very much recommend all of the below.

My standout read was Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger. From documenting the author’s growing obsession over her frequent misidentification as ‘Other Naomi’ (Naomi Wolf), Doppelganger becomes a gripping exploration of what Klein comes to call the Mirror World, the smoke and mirror conspiracies of the ultra-right, and the polarisation of online discourse and politics. It is hard to think of another writer who articulates so clearly and compellingly the realities of this strange, dichotomous, broken world of late stage capitalism we occupy – but through truly looking, and seeing the things we would prefer to unsee, Klein suggests there is hope for a collective way forward.

I came late to discovering Carmen Maria Machado’s short story collection, Her Body & Other Parties, but what a marvellous discovery it was. Centring womanhood and queer experience, Machado effortlessly blends elements of science fiction, magical realism, crime, the weird and the surreal. Every story is exquisitely written and crafted. I particularly loved Inventory, a pandemic tale, the stages of societal collapse glimpsed through the lens of the narrator’s many lovers as the world slowly falls apart – proof of just how much you can convey in a few short pages.

Emilie Pine’s Notes to Self is an intensely personal collection of essays, meditating on episodes of Pine’s life as a daughter, a lecturer, a writer, the possibility of becoming a mother and the heartache of having to let some dreams go, and the challenges and prejudices faced as a woman within each of these spheres. The writing is fierce and brave and confronting and heartfelt, truly from the gut and one that I know will stay with me.

I hugely enjoyed Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake, a fusion of cynical undercover agent working to expose a group of eco-activists in southern France, alongside the musings of a cave recluse who believes the path to enlightenment lies in a new understanding of Neanderthal society. Kushner’s deft handling of philosophical meditations on the origins of humanity, to spy thriller, to the power of stories, and her ability to switch seamlessly between pathos and farce, made this an absolute treat.

The Jay, The Beech, and The Limpetshell by Richard Smyth was another delight. Through a series of treasures discovered alongside his young children, Smyth charts his appreciation and love for the natural world in all its glory, wonder, eccentricity, and downright weirdness. This was a fresh, charming and highly relatable perspective from a writer who has always been drawn to nature and finds new resonance in the more-than-human world through his hopes for the next generation.

As for my own writing – it’s been an intense twelve months to complete When There Are Wolves Again, which I delivered in the autumn. Along with the editorial process has come the joy of getting to geek out over birds with my brilliant editor, Anne Perry. I have copy-edits to complete in the new year, and Wolves is due to be published in October 2025.

Although there are no connections in terms of characters or story, I’ve come to think of this book as a companion novel to my last. The Coral Bones looks forward to how our world might look if urgent action is not taken on climate breakdown, whilst Wolves spans half a century in which real change begins. You can pre-order now through Waterstones, Amazon.co.uk and independent bookshops.

When There Are Wolves Again 

Decades from now, two women sit around a fire on Beltane, May Eve, and reflect on their life stories.

Activist Lucy’s earliest memories are of living with her grandparents during the 2020 pandemic, and discovering her grandmother’s love of birds. Filmmaker Hester, born on the day of the Chornobyl explosion, visits the plant in 2021 to film its feral dog population, and encounters the wilded Exclusion Zone – and a wolf-dog.

Over half a century, their journeys take them from London to Balmoral to Somerset, through protests, family rifts, and personal tragedy. Lucy’s path leads to the fight to restore Britain’s depleted natural habitats and bring back the species who once shared the island, whilst Hester strives to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. Both dream of a time when there are wolves again.

Happy new year everyone, and wishing you many happy hours of reading in 2025.