Spring

James drifts through life with the restlessness of someone who’s seen too many near-successes slip away. Once an almost-millionaire, a film producer, and a fleeting entrepreneur, he now lives alone in Bloomsbury, running a dubious horse-racing tip service. Katherine, meanwhile, manages a luxury hotel she meant to leave years ago—separated, weary, and caught between the safety of routine and the pull of desire.

When the two cross paths in 2006—the twilight of the easy-money years—their connection is hesitant, complicated, and never quite defined. “No” might mean “maybe,” and “yes” might dissolve in silence. As James chases both love and profit—dabbling in racehorses, side hustles, and city jobs—David Szalay crafts Spring, a novel of piercing insight and quiet ache. Its power lies in the unspoken: the stumbles, the pauses, the desperate human wish to make something last.