This ambitious debut novel from Sara Taylor is made up of a series of interlocking stories that explore the lives of generations of women who live on The Shore, a group of islands off the coast of Virginia.

It’s a world of meth labs, unwanted pregnancies and weather magic; and it’s no wonder that the women are fierce and vengeful, as they’re facing down a rueful catalogue of disaster and domestic violence.

It’s a harsh world, but Taylor’s prose is lyrical and surprisingly lovely. A study in resilience.

The Shore by Sara Taylor, (William Heinemann, £12.99)