Villa Coco: ‘Set to be a staple on sun loungers' - BBC Culture, 40 most exciting books to look forward to in 2026

'Absolute joy' Sarah Winman 'The funniest of writers. . . Villa Coco is such a sunny book' Kate Atkinson 'Every sentence in this novel sings' David Sedaris 'Eccentric, funny, touching: I adored it' Nina Stibbe 'Sheer, riotous, unmitigated joy' Kiran Millwood Hargrave Broke and directionless, our young protagonist takes a job in the Italian countryside as the assistant to Lisabetta - better known to her friends as Coco - a strong-willed, wealthy aristocrat of great local renown. Trained as an archivist, he thinks he's been hired to catalogue the contents of the beautiful, crumbling mansion nestled in the green Tuscan hills. But what are his actual duties? Days are spent in a series of increasingly eccentric pursuits: entertaining an endless carousel of guests (from bohemian painters to elderly princesses to unnervingly handsome nephews), attending a funeral in order to make off with the urn, and aiding and abetting Coco's great and final plan - to reunite with the lost love of her life before it's too late. As summer turns into autumn and the Italian countryside begins to work its magic, the secrets of Villa Coco and its inhabitants are slowly brought to light - and with them, an unforgettable story of the enduring power of friendship. A 'charm novel' for our times, Villa Coco is a sun-drenched paean to youth, to age and to the fulfilment of love - filled with great wisdom and a spirit of unadulterated joy.