Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier, 1938
A gothic mystery novel about an unnamed young female narrator who marries a wealthy widower and moves with him into the grand manor that he once shared with his now-dead wife, Rebecca. The new Mrs de Winter soon finds that Rebecca’s presence continues to haunt the manor.
All Men are Mortal, Simone de Beauvoir, 1946
Having been cursed with immortality, Raymond Fosca recounts his life story to a young actress who is obsessed with the idea of living forever.
Lucky Jim, Kingsley Amis, 1954
Junior lecturer James Dixon flails through academia and romance while preparing to give a presentation on Merrie England.
Omon Ra, Victor Pelevin, 1992
Young Omon is chosen to take part in a top secret spaceflight to the moon as one of several young ‘heroes’. The novel describes the absurdity of the events surrounding this mission and the Soviet establishment’s obsession with heroism.
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov, 1973 (uncensored)
The Moscow literary scene is overturned by the arrival of the devil and his entourage. The novel is interspersed with sections from another novel about the trial and execution of Jesus Christ from the point of view of Pontius Pilate. Absurd supernatural events take place as the devil, disguised as a man called Woland, challenges the official atheism of the Soviet state.
The Silver Chair, C.S.Lewis, 1953
Eustace Scrubb and his new friend Jill Pole return to Narnia where they are tasked with finding the lost son of King Caspian X. They encounter the Mysterious Lady of the Green Kirtle and her black knight, but things are not all they appear.
The Sword in the Stone, T.H. White, 1938
The boyhood of king Arthur and the well-known story of how he pulled the sword from the stone.
Eleanor Frances 