An Experiment in Love, by Hilary Mantel (Penguin, £5.99 in UK)

The heady horrors of young adulthood can rarely have been captured with such bittersweet poignancy as in this little gem of a novel.

Carmel, Karina and Julianne have escaped from dreary Lancashire to university in London; but as if the present were not confusing enough, Carmel finds herself swamped by images of the past as she retraces the steps by means of which she shifted her allegiance from her lumpen childhood companion Karina to the elegant, beautiful Julianne. Mantel's writing is elegant, too, and she has a wicked way with comic timing, though the prevailing tone of the book is profoundly sad.