TOP CHOICE
Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
Truman Capote, a boy from Nowheresville, Alabama, scaled the heights of Manhattan high society. Then the author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s was cast out after he wrote a spiky, salacious account of his socialite friends, “the Swans”. Swan Song is a fictionalised version of Capote’s life, his friendship with these glamorous six swans, and his descent into isolation. This novel is funny (Capote’s waspishness is superbly captured) and tragic, and a world of cocktails, yachts and parties is brought to life.
Hutchinson, 472pp; £12.99
LITERARY LIONS
The Only Story by Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes has still got it. A 19-year-old student falls for a 48-year-old housewife he meets at a tennis club in their London suburb. He leaves