Rea – Palm House

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2026From the Womens Prize-shortlisted author of First Love, The Palm House is a sharply observed, slyly funny novel of enduring friendships and small mercies.This goes straight onto my list of favourite modern novelsThe TimesOne of our finest novelists of constrained fury: nobody writes betterThe ObserverMesmerising . . . confirms Riley as one of Britains bestThe TelegraphA slim, impeccably controlled story that contains multitudesThe GuardianLaura and Putnam have been friends for a long time. Theirs is a happy meeting of minds, with long evenings spent huddled in an ancient pub by the Thames, where they share office gossip, reflect on their teenage passions, and lament the state of the world.Recently, though, Putnam has been harder to reach: he has lost his father, and the magazine to which he has dedicated his life has been hijacked by an insufferable new editor, Simon call me Shove Halfpenny.Laura has her own problems: with a prickly mother and a tricky past, and in a beautiful and indifferent city, her day-to-day life is precarious. But as Putnam starts to sink into despondency, she must try to bring him back.The Palm House offers us Gwendoline Rileys trademark keen observation and wit, and leaves us – somehow – with a curious sense of possibility. It is a slender masterpiece from one of Britains finest prose stylists. I love this bookSarah Perry, award-winning author of The Essex SerpentOutstandingly brilliantClaire-Louise Bennett, award-winning author of Big Kiss, Bye-ByeRileys prose is so electric, so alive with humour and insight and passion, that by the end you will want to stand up and cheerPaul Murray, author of The Bee StingNamed a Most Anticipated Book for 2026 by: Financial Times, The Times, The Observer, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, New Statesman, Good Housekeeping, Country & Town House, Shortlist, The New York Times, Irish Times, Vulture, LitHub and BBC Culture.