Today, we have two novels that picked up major Fiction-writing Awards, plus the first novel from a former doctor who was behind a recent non-fiction bestseller. Happy hours of reading!

A historical thriller that won four major awards, including the 166th Naoki Prize and the 12th Futano Yamada Award; this novel’s action takes place in the Arioka Castle, during the winter of 1578. The main protagonist of this powerful novel would be Lord Araki Murashige, who is barricading himself within his Arioka Castle. Kuroda Kanbei, one of the premier strategists of the enemy forces of Oda, arrives at the castle and is imprisoned in the castle’s dungeon. It would seem that Araki was once allied with Oda, but has now betrayed him, and Oda’s forces are slowly moving towards Araki to extract vengeance for his traitorous actions. There’s a subplot that involves the mysterious death of a young boy of royal descent that Araki had placed in a storeroom/jail cell. One narrative strand is mystery-solving, as Araki seeks to determine who is behind, and the how, of the murder, with some instrumental help from Kuroda.

A second strand has to do with a nighttime raid on an encampment near the castle, and which of Araki’s lieutenants can be credited with the beheading of one of Oda’s junior military leaders. A murdered monk whom Araki had been employing as a messenger is the subject of the third case. In this string of strange incidents that make Lord Araki feel threatened and possibly duped, it is his conversations with Kuroda that put him on the right track and solving the cases. Thus, the novel becomes a wonderful example of detective fiction working also as historical fiction. This period of feudal Japan, with city-states, constant battles, and incessant realigning of alliances, comes to vivid life in this novel. That all this is superimposed by crime-solving is the cherry on the pie. It’s easy to understand why this novel took home so many fiction-writing prizes - it’s textured, engrossing, and fun.

The winner of France’s Prix Goncourt in 2023, here is the English translation of the novel, the French author’s love poem to Italy, to Art and sculpture, and to the 20th century. The story opens in an Italian monastery in 1986, where an 84-year-old man is on his deathbed. He’s not a monk, but has been allowed to live in the secluded hilltop monastery for forty years. He’s the sculptor Mimo, full name Michelangelo Vitaliani, and it’s his life, and that of Viola, daughter of the aristocratic Orsini family, that become the prisms through which a whole century is refracted and held up for our consideration. We learn that Mimo is the infamous dwarf sculptor, whose Pieta Vitaliani has been kept under wraps by the Vatican, and has been the subject of monographs and news articles, because of the extreme reactions people experience while viewing the statue.

Inspired by Viola his whole life, Mimo endures and rises above his diminutive physical stature and more than humble beginnings to become a celebrated artist. Viola, on the other hand, is a free-spirited young girl, claiming education and independence at a time when neither were given to her gender, no matter what social demographic they came from. The unrest of the 20th century operates as a backdrop to the life struggles of our two protagonists, and it makes for compelling, depthful reading. The two lose and then find each other again and again, and while the story can be epic in scope, one will appreciate how personal and intimate the narrative can be at the same time. It’s a writing gift of the author, and I’m happy that it was recognized at the Prix Goncourt, and so we have this now published in English. I recommend this novel; it’s the kind you don’t want to end, so you’ll slow down getting to the conclusion.

Kay is the author of This Is Going to Hurt, which was a Sunday Times number one bestseller/memoir for over a year, and was adapted into a BBC comedy-drama, starring Ben Whishaw. Nasty Case is his first novel, and as expected, given that he is a former doctor, it takes place in the world of medicine, of hospitals, and Pathology. It’s mystery, murder, and medicine, all mixed up in one potent cocktail. It’s vicious and funny, and it has Dr. Eitan Rose as its conflicted protagonist. When a toxic Medical Director dies of a heart attack, Eitan suspects foul play, and this is corroborated by the unlikely coincidence that the doctor who succeeds the first Medical Director also succumbs to a coronary episode. Along with the handsome porter named Cole, Eitan embarks on an investigation of his own, refusing the advice to desist from all those around him.

Labelled as a Medical Consultant with mental health issues, and having recently been on an extended leave of absence, this person insists that there is a killer on the loose, stalking the wards of St. Jude’s in London, and is met with sheer disbelief. Besides, the Coroner first said there was no foul play; when that opinion shifts, the police see Eitan as their main suspect. The relationship between Eitan and Cole has its own share of driving the narrative, and this relationship takes the prize for being both hilarious and doomed from the start. Eitan is often his own worst enemy, ready to self-destruct at the drop of a pin. So amidst the chaotic investigation, Eitan’s own life spirals out of control, and he’s even caught impersonating a police officer and not getting away with it, as the person they approach recognizes him as the doctor he once consulted with. It’s a case of ‘Physician, heal thyself’, and laughs galore.