

It was only when she started reading a book by her great-great uncle Richard Waters, a leading figure in early 20th-century cognitive therapy, that something began to click. A generous, often joyful tale of mortality, success and failure, the book is summed up by Calista’s line: “What he had to give, nobody really wanted any more.” Teach Yourself to SleepĪuthor and journalist Kate Mikhail spent years with chronic insomnia. She transcribes a remarkable mock screenplay of a movie in which he is the star and helps Wilder explore his past. On a Greek island, the director meets the fictional Calista, a composer invited to work on Wilder’s penultimate film. Mr Wilder & Meīilly Wilder’s star had faded somewhat by the late 1970s, when this deft novel is largely set. Black Water Sister tackles some big topics, but it is also a lot of fun. She leaves America for Malaysia after graduation and is plagued by the voice in her head of her late grandmother, bringing out the novelist’s wit.

While gods and gangsters provide the page-turning treats, what really impresses is heroine Jessamyn’s journey of self-discovery. In this fresh take on the ghost story set in modern-day Penang in Malaysia, London-based fantasy writer Zen Cho blends supernatural events with family trauma.
