The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

Eric Sanderson wakes up with no idea where he is or who he is.  He follows instructions from an envelope he finds on the hall table with the words THIS IS ADDRESSED TO YOU in black felt tip and meets the mysterious Dr Randle.  She tells him he has experienced memory loss caused by a dissociative condition and must under no circumstance read any letters sent by The First Eric Sanderson.  When an envelope is delivered, Eric's curiosity eventually gets the better of him and he ignores her advice.  The information posted by The First Eric Sanderson leads him and his cat Ian on a quest via Hull to ‘unspace' - the pockets of no-name-places in maintenance corridors and under manhole covers - to find Dr Trey Fidorous.  On the way there are encounters with the predatory Ludovicians: conceptual fish which swim in the flows of human interaction and feed on memories.  Can Eric find the doctor and discover what happened to his girlfriend Clio?

Recommended by Catriona Brown, Work placement

This is an amazing book unlike anything else I have read, a sort of Alice in Wonderland for adults.  Nothing is what it seems on the surface (or is it?) as Steven Hall's novel gives the brain a workout with his cerebral and slightly weird view of the world.  Eric slowly learns more about the Ludovicians and Dr Fidorous and these scraps of information keep the reader desperate to know more.  The graphics, particularly the flicker-book shark, are inspired.  This is a book that you will find yourself thinking about with fondness for months to come.