Spare, haunting, topical with a dash of the fantastical. This is on everyone's best-of-the year lists for a reason. Don't miss it.
The book to get the person in your life who’s read everything, ‘cause they’ve probably missed this gem. Translated from the Kannada, this is a masterful novella-length, taut family drama with a delightfully twisted ending. The ants!
Hailed as the great Ugandan novel, and rightly so. Makumbi is clearly a masterful writer as she spins the story of a curse that has haunted Kintu's family for centuries. Quite possibly the best thing I read all year.
A well-written multi-generational family saga is my holy grail, and this year I was blessed to read two majestic examples of the type (see Kintu above). In telling the story of the Korean immigrant experience in Japan - from Korea in the early 1900s to recent years - Lee has created two of the strongest women characters in anything I've read this year. Dignified and poignant.
An old-fashioned historical fiction complete with a page-turning plot, beautifully crafted sentences, a WWII-era NYC setting, an engaging heroine, gangsters and nightclubs - what more could you want?
The master of suburban foibles is back … Sit back and let Perrotta’s characters entertain as they stumble on their paths to self-actualization.
An Italian teen comes of age in early 1990s Los Angeles. Edgy, raw and true. And the scene with the donkey on the island - unforgettable.
Somehow Kunzru manages to pull off a thriller/horror ghost story on historical distance, race, and power, all with a gut-punch ending.
I’m late to the party with this frothy number, but if you’re seeking a temporary escape from reality, look no further. The final book in the trilogy, Rich People Problems, was published this year so you have two more books to look forward to ... and look for the movie version in 2018.