Brilliant Fiction

From Scotland we welcome back Andrew O’Hagan with his state of the nation novel Caledonian Road, shot through with his imitable wit and humour; and Lorraine Kelly (from the telly) is joining us with her debut novel The Island Swimmer. New novels from Graeme Macrae Burnet, Kate Atkinson, Louise Welsh, and a debut novel from comics legend Grant Morrison (and many more) show Scotland’s letters to be in a very healthy state indeed.

The extraordinary Rachel Cusk brings us the highly anticipated Parade, and we feature new books from award winners and Festival favourites including Elif Shafak, Colm Tóibín, Sarah Perry, David Nicholls, Kevin Barry, and 2023 Booker Prize-winner, Paul Lynch with Prophet Song, a devastating vision of an alternate Ireland at war.

At the Book Festival we pride ourselves on presenting the finest international fiction that truly allows readers to travel imaginatively and understand the world around us. This year, Adania Shibli’s Minor Detail and Chigozie Obioma’s The Road to the Country tackle war and its devastating outcomes, and we’re joined by Sámi-Swedish writer Linnea Axelsson, Indigenous Australian writers Tony Birch and Melissa Lucashenko, and writer and translator Anton Hur. We’ll also enjoy a very special visit from Itamar Vieira Junior, timed with the staging of After the Silence, a production based on his bestselling novel Torto Arado, at Edinburgh International Festival. And a dazzling line-up from the US includes short story pioneer Lorrie Moore, and the unmatchable Lauren Groff.

*If you’re interested in how your mind creates voices for characters, don’t miss our amazing ReaderBank project.