The Booksellers Association has today announced The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu, as Fiction Book of the Month, and Finn Jones Was Here by Simon James Green and Jennifer Jamieson as Children’s Book of the Month for May.
 
Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting The Funeral Cryer and Finn Jones Was Here throughout May on social media and in-store. The Booksellers Association will be supporting the promotion of the Indie Books of the Month through social media and promotional material.
 
Dark, moving, and wry, The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu is both an illuminating depiction of a 'left behind' society – and proof that it's never too late to change your life. An Yu's Braised Pork meets Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary in this unforgettable, tragi-comic tale of one woman's mid-life re-awakening in contemporary rural China.
 
The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job as a professional mourner and under-appreciated by The Husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, The Funeral Cryer takes a leap of faith – and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better… The Funeral Cryer is published by Allen & Unwin on 4 May 2023 and is available to order now.
 
Wenyan Lu said: “Independent bookshops are the life blood of literature, run by people with authentic passion and love for books. There is always a warm and trusting atmosphere in independent bookshops. You'll find something exciting and special each time you visit. Independent bookshops give you a strong sense of togetherness and shopping in them is a great way to support your local economy.”
 
Finn Jones Was Here by Simon James Green is a funny, punch-to-the-gut story about life and death, embracing every opportunity, and making every second count. Award-winning author Simon James Green tackles the theme of bereavement with his natural wit.
 
Eric's best friend, Finn Jones, was the world's biggest prankster. Now Eric can't believe Finn's not here anymore... Or is he? Eric seems to be getting messages from beyond the grave, and as he follows Finn's wild, cryptic instructions, his hope grows that he'll find Finn laughing at the end. The journey also brings memories - and a truth that seems impossible to accept. Finn Jones Was Here is published by Scholastic Fiction on 11 May 2023 and is available to pre-order now.
 
Simon James Green said: "Indie bookshops are champions of the unique and purveyors of the unusual. Diverse, inclusive, crammed with new discoveries and old favourites, they are gems on the high street, and the heart of their communities. I love their indomitable indie spirit; truly, they are a balm for the soul.”
 
The Indie Book of the Month titles are selected by panels of booksellers from publisher submissions. The Children’s panel for May comprised members from Read, Holmfirth; Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill; Rossiter Books and The Alligator’s Mouth. The Fiction panel were from Kemptown Bookshop; Nantwich Bookshop; Postscript Books and Hewson Books.
 
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