Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (Viking £14.99)
Benjamin Wood has been quietly building a reputation for intricate yet impressively distinct novels, and Seascraper might be the most fully formed yet. His poetic rhythm suits this novella set in a 1960s-era northern coastal town, from which young musician Thomas dreams of escape. And escape becomes a possibility when an enigmatic American turns up, bringing a touch of Hollywood glamour. What Wood does brilliantly here is grapple with the push and pull of family duty, work, upbringing and the possibility of an entirely different life; you’re rooting for Thomas while completely empathising with his constraints.
Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse by Luke Kemp (Viking, £25)
In this excellent survey of human history through the collapses of Goliath-like kings, states and empires, Luke Kemp muses that every age has its extinction panics – and they’ve not all been bad. Yet now, because our systems are so interconnected and hierarchical, the risk is catastrophic. Still, Kemp sees a solution in the flashing warning lights; the collective means to rise up and slay the Goliaths of climate change, big tech and authoritarianism through true, progressive democracy.
History for Tomorrow by Roman Krznaric (WH Allen, £10.99)
In something of a companion piece to Goliath’s Curse – which offers a research-based look at civilisation to inform our future – Roman Krznaric here takes a more philosophical approach to confronting our challenges and big issues. That doesn’t mean he’s any less fascinated by history: there’s a great section on taming social media that starts with Cicero and moves on to Gutenberg’s printing press before tackling polarisation. And like Kemp, Krznaric is similarly clear that it’s not too late to be open to the “radical hope” that we can still change the world for the better.
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