King of Rabbits weaves around Kai, a wee boy growing up among love, loss and chaos on a council estate in Somerset.
Kai pits his imagination against the realities of poverty, class and racism, as the world around him spirals.

Neblett has drawn a really interesting character in Kai, and he particularly shines in the parts of the story when he is a small child ... and there are other really strong characters throughout, too ... As Kai experiences a variety of emotional awakenings in the novel, we are dragged along with him and feel his pain at every turn. And a couple of the bigger events in the narrative are foreshadowed in a skillful manner. So there really is a lot to praise about King of Rabbits ... There is enough in this book to warrant a recommendation, for sure. Neblett's experience in previous roles is put to good use to bring a believable character and a believable circumstance to life, and there was never a point when I didn't want to keep reading to find out what would happen to Kai. And there are points in King of Rabbits that are extremely powerful.

Family breakdown is observed from a child's perspective in a novel about poverty, race and inherited trauma... Neblett is perceptive about the ways in which dysfunction is handed down through generations... [and] has a good ear for the vernacular of Kai and his circle: letters from school make his mother "aggy as fuck", and a self-important authority figure has "macky eyebrows and wobbles in his voice".... King of Rabbits is a heartfelt novel about poverty, race and inherited trauma.

When I was reading King of Rabbits, I was reminded of writers like Andrea Dunbar and Barry Hines, writers who clearly lived what they were writing about.

You won't be able to predict the outcome of King Of Rabbits. Told through the eyes of Kai, a mixed-race kid who grows up on a rural council estate in Somerset where he and his three older sisters have three different dads, he searches for solace in nature and the wild rabbits he finds there. But with his on and off again parents falling deeper into crack addiction, it seems his optimism and energy for life might not be enough to escape the limitations of poverty. It's a powerful and tragic read, making a profound statement about how important access to opportunities can be, and how much of an impact your childhood and background can have on your future. As the novel flips between the protagonist as a young boy and as a teenager, you are able to map the significant moments that fundamentally alter his course. It's a brilliantly crafted story about class and race, and the failure of society to catch children who fall through the cracks.

Karla Neblett's hugely impressive debut novel King of Rabbits is a vividly realised story about a resourceful, sensitive and imaginative boy from a mixed-race, blended family on a Somerset council estate ... It's a novel drawn from Karla's tender and acute perception of the people she was surrounded by growing up, and her subsequent work with troubled children and teenagers, and pulls no punches about the persistent perils in disadvantaged communities of becoming overwhelmed by money worries, substance abuse and thoughts of ending it all.

[T]he story is meticulously observed and beautifully told ... All the characters are vividly brought to life while the passages of natural description are authentic. A touching, witty yet tragic novel that asks whether a child can overcome his circumstances.

It's hard not to fall for the main character, Kai, in King of Rabbits ...The story, set on a council estate in rural Somerset alternates between young Kai, and 15 year-old-Kai. You can see the car crash coming, but you can't look away.

King of Rabbits is a brilliantly crafted story

It's a tremendous work, a vivid, propulsive, historical novel with a politically explosive backdrop that reverberates through our own

Jess Walter is a superb storyteller. As polished and hard as a diamond, The Cold Millions reminds us of America's tempestuous past and suggests that all this is anything but past

Walter marshals a motley, fascinating cast of characters so finely drawn that they lift from the page. I haven't encountered a more satisfying and moving novel about the struggle for workers' rights in America

A layered, multi-character panorama

It's often said that a novel contains the world; Walter brings new meaning to this phrase, peopling The Cold Millions with vaudeville stars, hobos, suffragists, tycoons, union agitators, policemen, and dozens of other vibrant characters. Warm and deeply humane, this transporting novel is a staggering achievement from a landmark writer

The fact that the same author has written books as wildly different and all as transporting as The Zero, The Financial Lives of the Poets, Beautiful Ruins, and now this latest tour de force is testimony to Walter's protean storytelling power and astounding ability to set a scene, any scene . . . We have heard that Jess Walter writes nonstop: Seven days a week, 365 days a year. Please, never stop.

Superb.... a splendid postmodern rendition of the social realist novels of the 1930s by Henry Roth, John Steinbeck, and John Dos Passos, updated with strong female characters and executed with pristine prose. This could well be Walter's best work yet.

A great tapestry of busy-ness . . . Walter's descriptive passage are marvellous

A powerful, beautiful debut

A multi-generational debut generating hype

You can't help but fall in love with this book

Utterly engrossing and full of twists, Black Cake is absolutely worth the calories

A testimony to how migration, memories and the life decisions of our elders can trickle down the generations and shape us. The careful cultural references to the Caribbean diaspora are deliciously nostalgic - I couldn't get enough!

A shining family saga . . . Readers will adore this highly accomplished effort from a talented new writer

A heartfelt story of loss, lies and reconciliation

Black Cake is such an engaging novel. The structure works brilliantly with its dual narrative and short, sharp chapters. As I read, I felt like I could taste the sweet and spice of the black cake that links generations of the same family. Wilkerson's Black Cake is filled with secrets, family ties and hidden desires. It is an extremely satisfying read that stays with you long after the final page. As moreish as its title. If you want to be transported, read this book

A family drama meets murdery mystery

The perfect recipe for an epic family drama . . . Feuds, grief, and a murder make Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake unputdownable

One of the most feverishly anticipated debuts of the year

A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents

I really savoured this rich, layered family saga ... Charmaine's writing is subtle and lyrical, pulling you into a powerful story of secrets, roots and identity. The flavour of it will linger long after you've finished

An extraordinary debut

A sweeping story, with Wilkerson masterfully bringing together all the different threads, making social history the backbone of everything

Completely blew me away ... I loved the brilliant writing, the characters and the clever and beautiful way the story melded together ... this is a stunning book

Delving into ideas around identity, familial bonds and lifelong secrets, Black Cake looks to be a wildly moreish page-turner

Touching on racism and acceptance, betrayal and loyalty, this emotional, heartfelt debut explores the meaning of home and the family that define it

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that's nothing short of masterful

This emotional, heartfelt debut explores the meaning of home and the family that define it

A skilful debut about family secrets - and food

A wonderful immersive experience

A beautiful read - a real pageturner

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that's nothing short of masterful.

A resonant story of identity, family and the meaning of home

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson masterfully weaves social history into the backbone of the story

Prepare to be hooked

Impressive

A rich story around immigration and identity ... the novel beautifully captures the struggles of family and identity and the liberation that comes from those struggles

Engrossing . . . Wilkerson's brilliant descriptions are positively sumptuous for the mind's eye

An incredible family saga spanning 60 years, jumping across continents and time, forming a multi-layered book about secrets and inheritance

A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents, turning everything the siblings think they know about themselves and their family on its head'

Lovable, funny. Doesn't disappoint

Keyes at the peak of her powers

Praise for Marian Keyes

Messy, tangled complex humans who reminded me that few of us ever really sort out our lives at all

A novel that is warm and witty but never afraid to tackle the big stuff

Magnificently messy lives, brilliantly untangled. Funny, tender and completely absorbing!

Keyes knows how to make serious issues relatable - and get a few grownup laughs, too

There should be a word to describe the sadness and satisfaction you feel when you read the last page of a Marian Keyes novel: the ending is perfect but you still want more, more, more

Charming, funny and poignant. But also profound, heartbreaking

Keyes at her best: capturing everyday voices with humour and empathy with writing that you'll devour in a weekend. Just pure and simple joy

Funny, thought-provoking and will get you right in the feels

Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching

Marian Keyes's gift for storytelling is utterly magnificent

Rachel Walsh is back with a bang. Wickedly shrewd and fun