The Republic of Love, by Carol Shields (Fourth Estate, £6.99 in UK)

Any female fiction writer coming from Canada is bound to find themselves overshadowed by Margaret Atwood. And so it is with Carol Shields. She was born in Chicago but has lived most of her life in Canada and, from this side of the Atlantic at least, she appears to be in such a shady spot despite winning the Pulitzer and Orange prizes as well as being shortlisted for the Booker. In her latest novel, the aptly named Fay, a folklorist with a passion for mermaids, and the thrice married Tom, a late night DJ, meet and fall helplessly in love. Around them are other loving unions, some unlikely, some apparently story-book, but all complicated, true and tender and all touch on Tom and Fay's romance. It's a melancholy book that is so seductive you want to curl up on the sofa and read it until it's finished.