DEBUTS

LOVE ORANGE by Natasha Randall (Riverrun £18.99, 368 pp)

LOVE ORANGE

by Natasha Randall (Riverrun £18.99, 368 pp)

The Tinkleys appear to be the ideal contemporary American family. But beneath the surface cracks are forming.

Jenny is a frustrated housewife, describing her life as having a 'marshmallow numbness'.

She guards her own secrets, among them her increasingly intimate correspondence with John, a convict serving time for manslaughter. But the orange glue on the letters he asks her to forward to his wife provides an unexpected antidote to her pain.

Hank, her husband, struggles with being a modern man, and has turned their suburban Contemporary Arts and Crafts house into a 'smart house' run by technology.

Their sons, meanwhile, resist his efforts to turn them from boys into men.

As the family unravels, Randall skewers contemporary society's issues with enjoyable clarity and a sharp wit.

SAD JANET by Lucie Britsch (W&N £14.99, 288 pp)

SAD JANET

by Lucie Britsch (W&N £14.99, 288 pp)

Janet has been happy in her sadness for most of her life.

A college graduate who has recently broken up with her boyfriend, she's working at a dog shelter run by equally depressed Deb, alongside the slightly cheerier Melissa.

The narrative revolves around her decision whether or not to take a new pill designed for 'holiday-specific depression' — in this case, Christmas.

This new anti-depressant will help people to discover the Yuletide spirit, screams the big pharma company.

Her mother, unhappy with the direction of her daughter's life, is pressing her to take it, but Janet is less certain.

She wants to retain her self-control. Will she?

Told in Janet's distinctive voice, I found this engaging satirical novel both very funny and, yes, sad.

THE DIVER AND THE LOVER by Jeremy Vine (Coronet £20, 368 pp)

THE DIVER AND THE LOVER

by Jeremy Vine (Coronet £20, 368 pp)

An intriguing premise drives broadcaster and journalist Jeremy Vine's debut novel.

In Spain's Port Lligat, in 1951, Salvador Dali prepares to paint what will be his masterpiece, Christ Of St John Of The Cross.

Two Scottish sisters, Meredith and Ginny, arrive in search of a way to bring the troubled Meredith out of herself.

They soon become embroiled in the melodrama surrounding the selection of a model for Dali's painting.

American stuntman Russell Saunders walks off set and a young waiter steps in. So far so promising.

The plot clips along at a neat lick but the writing is lacklustre and the characters thin. The author's assurance and charm are at play throughout — but sadly, in this instance, they are not enough.