Both books this month have a serious purpose with a funny side? Or do they?

'The World According to Garp' by John Irving chronicles, according to one reviewer 'the life and times of T. S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields — a feminist leader ahead of her times. This is the life and death of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a world of sexual extremes — even of sexual assassinations. It is a novel rich with "lunacy and sorrow"; yet the dark, violent events of the story do not undermine a comedy both ribald and robust.'

The Other Hand by Chris Cleave is the story of Sara - an upper-middle class magazine editor living in a London suburb with her husband and young son - and a 16 year-old Nigerian refugee who calls herself Little Bee. The two meet on a Nigerian beach, and the tragic events that transpire link the women's lives together unalterably. As the story opens, Little Bee has spent two years in a detainment center in Great Britain, when she is suddenly released, without explanation, paperwork, or any form of aid. With nowhere to turn, Little Bee calls Sara and her husband, forcing all three to confront the consequences of the chance encounter that changed each of their lives.

Happy reading!