Choosing a School Second Level Education in Ireland By Deirdre Raftery and Catherine Kilbride Mercier Press Euro17 287pp DIFFICULT thing to make a dull subject universally interesting. The book to hand, then, is aimed strictly at parents who want to empower themselves, make informed decisions. Parents know their children's talents best and that's where it starts. You find a school that matches a particular child, a school with a sound reputation for languages, music, technology, etc, how a particular school will bring out the best in a teenager. Pupils work best when happy in a school. It's about striking a balance. They must work hard but not to the point where their nerves are jangling.

Watch me Disappear By Jill Dawson Sceptre £8 260pp A WOMAN, Tina Humber, has a vision while swimming that triggers the memory of a drowning tragedy 30 years earlier. Her friend, Mandy, disappeared while swimming. Shortly after she has the vision, Tina returns home for a family wedding. It's hard to know why. She cannot bear to look at her mother. Her brothers all but ignore her since she refused to attend the funeral of her father, who killed himself. He fished the river where Mandy disappeared. A remark dropped by Tina's brother thrums the air: "Dad would have enjoyed eyeing up all the pretty girls gathered for the occasion." What follows is unsettling.

There is the possibility of incest between father and daughter, or maybe not. Ultimately it's about the precariousness of memory.

Seven Lies By James Lasdun Vintage £8 198pp LASDUN is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in poetry. It shows. The novel's sympathetic hero, Stefan Vogel, growing up in the former East Germany, is an abstracted figure. Stefan always expects the worst from life; everything he touches turns to dross.

He dreams of escape to the United States. His father works as a diplomat at the UN and there is a slight chance of the entire family moving to the States. But the father is also prone to cock-ups and when he bungles a simple job the US move for the family is withdrawn. Black cat, black kitten. Stefan is prone to lies. He recites 'his' poetry at a soiree. It turns out be Whitman. He meets a beautiful woman and tells her lies. He grew up in a country of lies, Lasdun seems to be saying. So what else can we expect?

The Pilo Family Circus By Will Elliott Quercus £11 3120pp OLD it might be, but the Pilo circus ain't traditional. This is a bizarre horror from a debutante. As he drives home one night, a clown emerges from the gloom, dressed in costume, red shoes, white facepaint, he stares at the car driver, Jamie, then turns away. Jamie will soon be stalked by a trio of menacing clowns who forward a terrifying ultimatum. The Pilo circus is recruiting, and like it or not, Jamie is being forced to audition. "You're joining the circus! Ain't that the best news you ever got?" On top of that, Jamie's missus wants increased alimony.

A murderous jest of a book.