English Literature Graduate Reveals Her Five Must-Read Novels of the Year
A lifelong passion for reading inspired me to study English Literature at university, and I remain a voracious reader today. This year, five books particularly captivated me, covering everything from non-fiction to science fiction.
Childhood Library Memories Sparked a Lifelong Love of Books
Some of my most cherished childhood memories involve weekly library visits with my mother. I would eagerly dash about selecting books at random, then settle onto a beanbag to immerse myself in the first book from my stack. Frequently, I would get halfway through before my mother announced it was time to leave.
That early love of reading stayed with me throughout my life, ultimately leading me to pursue English Literature at university. Although my reading during those years was predominantly academic, it never diminished my enthusiasm. Today, I will read virtually anything, but this year, five specific books truly stood out.
From science fiction worlds where time travel is embedded into the essence of existence, to a peculiar woman searching for the soul of an imaginary child in every infant she meets, these are my five favourite titles.
Monstrilio - Gerardo Sámano Córdova
This novel chronicles a mother overwhelmed by bereavement following her son's death. Struggling to accept the devastating loss, she preserves a fragment of his lung. Upon hearing an old folklore about reviving the departed, she attempts the ritual, yearning desperately for any trace of her cherished boy to emerge.
This remnant of her son subsequently develops into the tailed, clawed, imperfect yet deeply adored Monstrilio, eventually known as "M". Throughout the narrative, grief and love remain inextricably bound. The tale is divided into four sections, each featuring a distinct narrator.
Every storyteller proves profoundly flawed, overwhelmed by devotion and torment. Successive chapters reveal more, mirroring the growth of the eponymous creature. This work moved me profoundly, and upon reaching the conclusion, my sole desire was to erase it from memory purely to experience it afresh.
Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe
This was one of my rare non-fiction selections. The book captured my interest from the opening line and maintained its grip for the following 400 pages. This compelling and meticulously researched account of The Troubles begins with the kidnapping of Jean McConville, a mother of ten, before exposing the political upheaval, conflict and violence of that era.
Keefe seamlessly crafts the true narrative in a manner that feels like fiction and doesn't avoid any of the horrors perpetrated on either side of the Troubles. As somebody with minimal previous understanding of that period, this book delivered a relentless emotional blow. It is more extraordinary than fiction in certain sections and painfully familiar in others.
The First Bad Man - Miranda July
This debut novel is short but powerful, and totally weird. It chronicles Cheryl Glickman, an awkward, ungainly woman in her mid-40s who develops fixations on virtually anyone she encounters. She is particularly obsessed with her considerably older boss, whom she's convinced she's encountered throughout all her previous incarnations.
She's equally fixated on the essence of a child she names Kubelko Bondy, whom she initially encountered as an infant held by her friend's parents and has sought in every baby she's spotted thereafter. When Clee, her colleague's scruffy, trailer park-chic daughter, is imposed upon her and thrust into her obsessively minimalist household, Cheryl's existence transforms into a waking nightmare before evolving into something equally disturbing and oddly endearing.
The First Bad Man is such a peculiar novel it feels strange to be suggesting it, but the writing is captivating, and the characters are so bizarre that I couldn't set it aside. It's dreamlike without being completely detached from reality, and it will make you look twice at every unassuming woman you pass in the street.
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning - Keiran Goddard
Keiran Goddard is both a poet and novelist, and that lyricism permeates this book. It tracks Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli and Conor as they hit 30, with each receiving their own opportunity to be heard across the narrative. Rian has relocated after striking it rich whilst the remaining four are muddling through their existence as best they can after none of their ambitions materialised.
Oli deals drugs, Patrick parents two children with Shiv and attempts to scrape by delivering takeaways on his bicycle, and Conor teeters on the edge following a marriage collapse. This work examines what unfolds when childhood aspirations fade away, and life's tedium steps forward to fill the void. How much of our existence is determined by us and how much results from routine? And what happens when a long-buried secret surfaces, threatening to destroy everything?
This novel is understated, stark, sorrowful and lyrical. It's a brief read, merely 244 pages but an utterly absorbing one. Though the dialogue is minimal, you genuinely inhabit these characters whilst reading this book and their anxieties, aspirations and desires all become yours.
The Other Valley - Scott Alexander Howard
Sci-fi isn't typically my cup of tea, but I'm absolutely delighted I took a chance on The Other Valley. The story unfolds in a small, secluded town nestled amongst mountains. Flanking the main settlement are two neighbouring communities; one exists 20 years ahead in time, whilst the other sits 20 years behind.
Occasionally, residents are granted permission to journey between these towns to see a departed loved one from their own timeline. These "mourning tours" fall under the rigid supervision of the Conseil, and at 16, protagonist Odile is training to join this governing body. Yet when she notices one of these mourning tours in her town and identifies them as her classmate's parents, visiting him before his death in their timeline, she faces an agonising dilemma.
Should she attempt to stop the impending tragedy, despite not knowing how or when it will happen? Or ought she to let events unfold naturally? Beyond the primary conflict in the novel, this book delves into Odile's occasionally bitter and difficult relationship with her mother, the excruciating torment of adolescent love, and the perpetual fear that your life might not pan out as you had hoped.
Yes, it's science fiction, but it's also a work of literary fiction and despite the intricate concept, it flows seamlessly alongside. Time travel is as integral to this world as teenage romance, lack of aspiration, and attending school with a hangover. I devoured this book whilst on holiday with my family, then promptly handed it over to my mum to read; she was just as enamoured with it as I was, and I'm eager to revisit it.
