The Best New Novels to Devour This April

The return of Adeline Dieudonné and her cruel prose, a beautiful historical novel about a forgotten chapter of the war, Anne Guglielmetti’s latest tale, a family saga in the heart of 70s California, or the newest investigation from Pulixi’s heroines. We’re making the most of spring’s arrival to find a spot in the sun and devour the latest releases... April’s literary favorites are right here!

The good book: Donut Girl by Lauriane Bordenave

The pitch. We are in Milwaukee in 1942, just as the United States enters the war. At only 25, Jane Pearson makes a decision that will change her life: she wants to join the Red Cross and offer her help. She leaves her hometown, her family, and her friends for Washington. The mission of these volunteers? To boost troop morale before the landings. A brilliant yet simple idea takes shape: offering soldiers donuts and coffee.

Thus, the “Donut Dollies” are born. Aboard their food truck, armed with their rolling pins, they travel across military bases to offer a piece of America to all those feeling homesick. From Washington to the beaches of Normandy, via New York and a London ravaged by bombings, Jane has no idea she is about to make history.

Why you’ll love it? Lauriane Bordenave, author of Les coeurs pleins, an intimate story of a young woman in search of truth, delivers an audacious second novel. With Donut Girl, she weaves a luminous tale that places the “Donut Dollies”—those too-often-forgotten women who changed the course of World War II—back at the heart of history. The writer pays a well-deserved tribute to these women, symbols of hope and comfort.

In bookstores April 2

The good book: The Samuelson Family by Michelle Huneven

The pitch. Northern California, mid-70s, at the heart of the Samuelson family. Sally is only eight years old when her brother Ellis disappears. He resurfaces a few months after his college graduation in Bug Hollow, one of the last bucolic havens of the counter-culture. Their fate is shattered by the announcement of their beloved son's tragic death. The clan finally falters the day Julia, his ex-girlfriend, knocks on their door, heavily pregnant.

From then on, everyone tries to rebuild. Phil travels the world for work but remains an understanding and laid-back father, unlike his wife, Sybil, an unpleasant teacher who is increasingly short on patience. Katie, the brilliant youngest daughter, returns home to bury the hatchet with her mother. And then there’s Sally, who has become the guardian of Eva, the daughter Ellis never knew.

Why you’ll love it? Michelle Huneven, a bestselling author in the United States, has a gift for capturing the unpredictability of our lives. With The Samuelson Family, her first novel translated into French, she portrays the Samuelson clan with remarkable precision and deep empathy. The domestic comedy that seems to be unfolding is just the surface; the writer skillfully tracks grief within a bereaved family, giving everyone a voice. If you enjoyed The Cazalet Chronicles, which immersed us in 1930s England, you will take pleasure in following the life paths taken by the members of this American family.

In bookstores April 16

The good book: Dans la jungle by Adeline Dieudonné

The pitch. Arnaud killed his family—his wife and two children—before turning the gun on himself. If you are looking for the culprit, you can move along. However, if you are looking for the motive, you are in the right place. What leads a man to commit such an atrocious crime?

Let’s rewind… Aurélie comes from a well-to-do family with no history of trouble; a notary by trade, she is married to Arnaud, with whom she has built a dream life: two children, a lovely villa, holidays by the sea and in the mountains. And then, behind the dream, a somewhat banal bourgeois daily life, the gradual onset of unhealthy behaviors, control, and violence that roots itself even deeper.

Why you’ll love it? Reste, La vraie vie, Kérosène…. Adeline Dieudonné has already proven her talent for hard-hitting plots. With Dans la jungle, the author weaves the tale of a tragedy foretold; her raw and hypnotizing prose keeps us breathless until the very last words. Much more than the simple downfall of a couple, the writer analyzes this bourgeoisie and what these pretty facades hide. A precise text, a skillfully led descent into hell.

In bookstores April 2

The good book: The Silent Bride by Piergiorgio Pulixi

The pitch. Milan is the stage for a wave of femicides. Social and economic inequalities have transformed the city into a vast zone of insecurity. When Maria Donata is found dead, dressed in a wedding gown that does not belong to her, her father Italo is determined not to let the case be forgotten. Under pressure from the old farmer, Vito Strega takes over the case, which has been stalled for many months.

The deputy-commissioner soon makes the link with the wave of violence sweeping across Milan. The team then plunges into the meanders of hatred and obsession, from Milan to Sardinia, digging into Maria Donata’s past. But a woman, lurking in the shadows, is watching them, risking everything.

Why you’ll love it? Piergiorgio Pulixi needs no introduction, a major author of contemporary noir and detective fiction. After Le Chant des innocents, L’île des âmes, L’Illusion du mal, La Septième Lune, and Stella, the Italian author signs, with The Silent Bride, the great return of Eva and Mara. The duo of investigators, allies of Vito Strega, continue to explore Italy, from Sardinia to Milan, taking us on a journey with them. The writer weaves a strong link with current criminal events and denounces the calls to violence from anti-feminist extremists proliferating on social media.

In bookstores April 8

The good book: Les chemins de Joseph by Anne Guglielmetti

The pitch. “Hope is a state of mind, not a state of the world.” The curtain rises as the small Norman village is bathed in morning light. Wassim, the local doctor, is pulled from his sleep by little Joseph, six years old, who has come knocking on his door to lead him to the farm. His sister Constance has lost a lot of blood after a back-alley abortion. Thus begins their shared story, a journey they embark upon through the Norman paths.

Three solitudes, three souls in search of themselves and a place they find within this nature. Wassim, who fled Turkey and is mourning a part of his existence; the solitary Joseph, a child of the paths who finds refuge in nature; Constance, who returns to her native countryside to rebuild herself. A narrative of great poetic strength.

Why you’ll love it? Anne Guglielmetti has the art and manner of turning "small nothings" into great wonders, and it always starts with a place. In Deux femmes et un jardin, the story began in a garden left to weeds; in Les pierres vives, it was at the heart of a Norman Benedictine abbey; with Les Chemins de Joseph, everything begins in a village in the Orne region. Her beautiful writing, sensitive and evocative, serves the vast theater of a life in which everyone is confronted with what lies beyond them.

The book to read: What Remains by Bernhard Schlink

The pitch.
Martin is 76 when he learns he has pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis leaves him speechless: he only has a few months left to live. A father who walks his young son to kindergarten every day and the husband of a wonderful woman, he begins to wonder what he will leave behind.

The time has come to choose his legacy—to carefully select the memories he wants to preserve, with one question in mind: what remains of our lives except the love we managed to give? Martin begins a long process of passing things on, writing short letters meant for his son in the future. Words become a way to transmit meaning—and to make the ordinary feel a little more precious.

Why you’ll love it.
Bernhard Schlink caused a sensation with his novel The Granddaughter, the story of Kaspar, a Berlin bookseller searching for his wife’s unknown daughter, only to discover she is married to a neo-Nazi. With What Remains, the German author once again explores family memory and transmission—what is left of our lives when everything stops. Seemingly simple, the story reveals a rare emotional accuracy. A delicate novel that is both sad and luminous.

The book to read: The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey

The pitch.
It’s 1979 in England, in a world where no one won the Second World War. Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last residents of an isolated house in the New Forest. The house is part of the government’s Sycamore system, overshadowed by the horrific experiments once carried out in death camps.

The boys know they are different. Every day the triplets complete their chores, play their games and take their medication under the watchful eyes of their three mothers. When they cross paths with Nancy, a thirteen-year-old girl living a secluded life with her loving parents, their perceptions are changed forever. Will they have to unite to survive?

Why you’ll love it.
Alert: a brilliant debut! With The Book of Guilt, her first novel translated into French, New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey plunges us into the heart of a sinister children’s home. Through carefully crafted alternative political realities, she delivers gripping psychological suspense that keeps readers breathless. Written in a clear, stripped-back style, this dystopian fiction unfolds like a hypnotic gothic fable.

The book to read: The Golden Age by Leo Giorda

The pitch.
After the media buzz surrounding their first investigation, Woodstock and Chiesa have hit rock bottom. The hippie schoolteacher—with deduction skills worthy of Sherlock Holmes—and the incorruptible cop have both lost their jobs and are drowning their sorrows in alcohol.

Until a tragedy leads them to Sperlonga, a jewel of the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the heart of Italy’s wealthy elite. The heiress of a powerful entrepreneurial dynasty has committed suicide. Despite her daughter’s ties to the mafia, the victim’s mother refuses to believe that version of events.

As the unlikely investigators search for the truth, they discover a wave of similar suicides haunting the golden youth of the Italian coast. Manipulation, secret initiation cults and fanaticism: how far will this new investigation take them?

Why you’ll love it.
As he already proved with his debut The Guardian Angel, Leo Giorda has a talent for crafting labyrinthine plots while maintaining a deep respect for human vulnerability, creating complex and deeply endearing characters. The Italian author blends the lightness of dark comedy with the tension of an esoteric thriller and the deductive precision of classic detective fiction, giving life to an unforgettable investigative duo—human, all too human.

The book to read: I’m Not Here for That by Iain Levison

The pitch.
Smooth talkers, freeloaders, petty thieves… Prahla has a talent for choosing increasingly disastrous boyfriends. A wealthy heiress, she seems determined to go against her father’s wishes.

At an upscale New York restaurant, she meets her best friend Ella to introduce Lucien, her latest flame. In a corner of the room, a hitman on stakeout watches closely—waiting for the chance to steal Lucien’s DNA.

As the meal comes to an end, an old man stands up and offers Ella a drawing: a portrait of her. Could it be an authentic Montrose, wonders Lucien, referring to the mysterious artist who disappeared years ago? If he could steal it and sell it, he might make a fortune and escape to Florida. That’s when the trouble really begins…

Why you’ll love it.
Iain Levison’s gift? Starting with an entirely ordinary situation and spinning it into increasingly surprising developments, imagining the absurd consequences of his characters’ decisions. Despite its short length, the novel never sacrifices narrative quality. With razor-sharp prose and wicked humor, the author dissects his characters and throws them into a series of deliciously uncomfortable situations. A diabolically clever and wildly entertaining plot that never lacks finesse.

Also discover: 12 romance novels everyone should read at least once in their life—and three gripping crime thrillers to devour.