Sweden, France, New Zealand: books from around the world

Cassie and Kate read Marie-Hélène Lafon’s The Son’s Story, a family story that spans the twentieth-century, full of melancholy beauty and secrets. Crime writer Hayley Scrivenor reads Geoff Parkes’ When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole, a story of small towns, envy and threat in New Zealand; and documentary maker Johan Gabrielsson reads Swedish bestseller The Group, by Sigge Eklund, in which art, sun, wealth and beautiful people meet and mingle in Madrid.

BOOKS

Marie-Hélène Lafon, The Son’s Story (translated from the French by Stephanie Smee), MLP

Geoff Parkes, When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole, Penguin Random House

Sigge Eklund, The Group (translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles), Ithaka Press

GUESTS

Hayley Scrivenor, crime writer whose books are Dirt Town and – her latest – Girl Falling

Johan Gabrielsson, documentary maker: longtime Australian resident, he was born in Sweden

OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED

Mary McCarthy, The Group

Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr Ripley

Ashley Kalagian Blunt, Cold Truth

Sara Foster, When She Was Gone

Samantha Byres, Dead Ends

James Bridle, Ways of Being

Slavoj Zizek, Too Late To Awaken 

CREDITS

• Presenter: Kate Evans, Cassie McCullagh
• Producer: Kate Evans, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Roi Huberman, Harvey O'Sullivan
• Executive producer, Rhiannon Brown