And the Stars Were Gold, by Gaye Hicyilmaz (Dolphin, £4.99 in UK)

When Richard is 13, his actress mother disappears, leaving him, his sister, brother and father to learn to live with this new development in their family. The account friendship between Richard and the elderly Stefan, who lives nearby. As a boy, some 50 years earlier, Stefan had set off on an arduous journey from his native Poland, fleeing the Russian occupation, across the Europe of the second World War. It is his memories of these travels, recounted in serialised form, to which Richard listens intently. As Stefan's tale of hardship, suffering and, ultimately, survival unfolds, Richard's perception of his mother's desertion of her family assumes a new and touching, perspective.