The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey.  Twice the winner of the Booker Prize, the author may be in line for another accolade. Set in contemporary London, a conservationist of automatonic robots, is drawn into the past by her work on mysterious containers and the written accounts that come with the project. Grieving for her dead lover, Catherine's heightened emotional state allows her to discover the past and the present for herself.

The Quality of Mercy by Barry Unsworth. Set in 18th century England the tale brings to light the serious nature of the slave trade and the coal mining practice of using young children. The characters, both men and women, are well drawn with human psychology and the possibility of change for the better.