Author Anna Hope’s latest novel, Albion, explores family dynamics as multiple generations converge in the Sussex countryside over a long summer weekend, revealing simmering tensions among them, reports BritPanorama.
Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido
Trapido’s novel features the Goldmans, an intellectual family whose colourful members captivate Katherine, the protagonist, and the reader alike.
Initially read in her teens, Hope found the book resonant in her own quest for self-discovery. Upon revisiting it in her thirties, she recognized its depth as a narrative about recovering from personal loss.
Bloomsbury, £9.99
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Hope recalls being astounded by Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, written when Smith was only 24. The novel follows Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal’s families in Willesden over two decades, intertwining themes of humour, politics, and morality.
Penguin, £9.99
Wise Children by Angela Carter
Carter’s narrative starts with twins Dora and Nora Chance celebrating their 75th birthday alongside their father’s centenary. The novel traverses a century of history through Dora’s memories, demonstrating both the potential of fiction and its Shakespearean qualities.
Vintage Classics, £9.99
Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn
Hope’s appreciation for St Aubyn’s work grew from her first reading of Never Mind as a youth. It follows Patrick Melrose as he grapples with inherited trauma and addiction, offering a satirical lens on the experiences of the British elite.
Picador, £10.99
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
While not her favourite, Hope notes Woolf’s To the Lighthouse for its exploration of family dynamics through the Ramsay household on a Scottish holiday. The fluid narrative perspective captures the family’s essence remarkably, especially a poignant moment of silence in an empty house.
Penguin Modern Classics, £8.99
‘Albion’ by Anna Hope is published by Penguin in paperback, £9.99
