A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik

In a very different kind of boarding school story, the Scholomance is as far from kindly Hogwarts as it is possible to be. Constantly under attack from dark magical creatures, its students have the best incentive to learn and pass assignments – it is literally do or die. Galadriel ‘EL’ Higgins has been so well brought up by her hippy mother that she wouldn’t dream of using her considerable powers for evil. This is despite the fact that she has the potential to be the strongest dark sorcerer ever known and that it would make her life considerably easier and more secure. In her penultimate year at the Scholomance, El’s spiky personality makes it difficult to make friends or allies, which limits her chances of surviving to graduate. But incurable hero lifesaver Orion Lake changes the odds considerably when he realises El won’t use him or lie to him and he won’t leave her alone. El is often her own worst enemy, but her moral code shines through as she struggles to do the right thing regardless of her own best interests. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and a lot of exposition used to explain how the Scholomance works, which makes the story slow going in parts. But El and Orion are well realised and relatable against a backdrop of class and privilege in the magical world. There is a nice cliffhanger to whet the appetite for the sequel, which should be a bit zippier now that the scene has been set.

Summerland (2020), directed by Jessica Swale

During WWII in a small town on the south coast of England, academic Alice Lang is the town witch, taunted by children and ostracised by adults. Her reclusive and unpleasant demeanour doesn’t help her situation, but as we learn, she is lonely and miserable – mourning the parting from the love of her life years earlier. Her hardened heart softens when an evacuee child, Frank, is forced on her and she remembers how to love. A small and slow tale of dealing with grief and loss, the film offers some laughs and some beautiful moments. Gemma Arterton is wonderful as Alice and Penelope Wilton is well cast as older Alice. Lucas Bond does a great job of Frank.

The Survivors, by Jane Harper

A small coastal town in Tasmania hosts the action in Jane Harper’s latest murder mystery. Three young people died when a catastrophic storm hit Evelyn Bay more than a decade ago. Kieran Elliot moved to Sydney for Uni not long after and returning to his home town has always been bittersweet. Along with reunions with family and friends come memories, regrets, questions and long-held survivor guilt. Kieran’s father has dementia and this visit, with his partner and baby, is to help his parents pack up their house. The death of a young woman on the beach is shocking and painful for everyone, triggering a wave of suspicion and fear and dredging up old secrets, lies and resentments. Harper once again perfectly captures the light and shade of an insular Australian country town. Evelyn Bay’s population triples in the tourist season, bringing its own pressures, with insecure seasonal employment and inadequate infrastructure. Many satisfying layers reveal damaging family dynamics, convoluted dysfunctional relationships and an underlying culture of toxic masculinity that literally kills. This allows lots of fat and juicy red herrings as the novel rushes to a slightly anti-climactic ending that is tied up rather neatly for Kieran and his family.

The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams

Esme has been brought up in the scriptorium – the engine room of the new Oxford English Dictionary, where her kindly father is a senior editor. The huge undertaking is well behind deadline, taking decades to complete. Immersed in a world of words, Esme aspires to her father’s role, even though she is a girl. As she and the dictionary grow she starts to realise that the age, class and gender of the editors determine the words and definitions that are included or omitted. Influenced by the developing suffragist movement and a sense of justice, Esme collects many of the ‘lost’ words and secrets them away. Esme’s story is punctuated by social change at the turn of the 20th century and the First World War. Even though written in the first person, she remains a slightly shadowy personality, almost peripheral to the dictionary and events. This may be because she is one of the few fictional characters, so she exists as a vehicle for ideas and a representation of women overlooked. The book provides a clear and compelling illustration of how a dominant culture excludes and divides, in the process losing of a richness of thoughts and ideas and contributing to the misery and subjugation of ‘others’.

Promising Young Woman (2020), directed by Emerald Fennell

Turning 30, Cassie works in a coffee shop and has lived with her parents since dropping out of medical school some years earlier. Her life is seemingly aimless, but she actually has a clear focus and purpose. She regularly pretends to be pass-out drunk in clubs, and then turns the tables on the men who inevitably try to take advantage. Her behaviour is frighteningly risky – a reaction to a traumatic event in college, but it is an extreme method of education rather than revenge. A chance meeting with an old classmate puts Cassie at a crossroads – will she take a path of direct action or can she finally move on from the past and contemplate a brighter future. Carey Mulligan is never less than excellent and she is compelling in this role. The uniformly strong supporting cast includes Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Connie Britton and Chris Lowell. Bleakly funny and whip smart, the twists and turns provide unexpected tension, turning the film into a thriller. The music and production design are sublime. It has been described as a #MeToo film, but is actually one step beyond that, exploding the myth of the good guy and using examples from real life to clearly articulate that the standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Cassie deals savagely with enablers, but always gives them a chance to repent. Knowing the premise and the director you expect this film to pack a punch, you just don’t realise it will land such a hard blow as to leave you gasping. Confronting, shocking, funny and emotionally devastating, this is not a comfortable film but one that is very necessary.