It’s 1990 and the body of a three-year-old girl has been found in a London housing estate. Immediately, the finger is pointed at the Greens, an Irish family that has never belonged since immigrating ten years before. While the family lives out their worst nightmare, it’s a dream come true for Tom Hargreaves, a privileged and ambitious tabloid reporter determined to make their misery a career-defining scoop. Having read and loved Nolan’s debut novel, I was surprised to read the blurb of ‘Ordinary Human Failings’, as a crime novel seemed like such a departure. But this book is less a whodunnit than a moving character study of a fractured family, and the political and social circumstances that moulded them. While this novel may not be as timely and relatable as ‘Acts of Desperation’, it’s just as good, with Nolan showcasing once again her ability to write layered characters whose choices are both morally dubious and ultimately sympathetic. MG

Published by Vintage