Gift for MIL?

[SquirrelFan]

Would you please be so kind as to help me find a novel for my MIL? She reads more on the 'serious' side, think Olive Kitteridge rather than Eleanor Oliphant. She's from the States, so I'd like to give her a British book, one that maybe hasn't risen to popularity over there yet (to reduce the chance of her having read it!). So something newish. Not romance or fantasy. She likes history and science. Any ideas? Tia!

How about Still Life by Sarah Winman, or Maggie O"Farrell's new one, The Marriage Portrait ?

@highlandcoo Both look like great candidates, thanks. Still Life sounds familiar; I'll have to figure out if it's because she told me about it!

Something on British history would seem the obvious choice.

The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore?

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn or Super Infinite by Katherine Rundell.

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson is wonderful - it's her latest and a cracking read.

“Lady in Waiting” by Lady Glenconner, about her life growing up, and touching on her friendship with the royals.

Vaxxers - written by the women who developed one of the covid vaccines (in Uk), fascinating book.

Lots of great suggestions, thanks! I want them all for myself!

Think I'll get Shrines of Gaiety and The Whalebone Theatre - I'll read them both (very carefully) and give the one I like best to MIL - or both! The others will have to wait...