Jonathan Coe is one of Britain’s greatest living novelists whose books shine a light on how we as a society see ourselves. From his hit 1994 book What a Carve Up, through The Rotters Club, Number 11 and Middle England, he has found a moving, funny and true way to tell the story of Britain. His new novel Bournville continues the theme, following a group of characters as they age from the Queen’s coronation, through the 1966 World Cup, Royal Weddings and deaths, to Brexit and Covid. Through it all, Coe’s characters post the question of whether the family – and the country – became closer together or further apart? He has created a social history of postwar Britain while it is still going on with a rare knack for spotting significant details and weaving them into hilariously well-observed plots. Do not miss this.