Top 10: Books of 2018
The good thing about books is that, on the whole, they don’t expire. So while you may wish to look elsewhere for up-to-the minute reviews and latest releases, I can continue my very sporadic recap of the best books I read in any given year, even if I’m five years behind in the recapping.
Fiona’s Top Ten Books of 2018
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
Becoming - Michelle Obama
The Gap Of Time - Jeanette Winterson
Educated - Tara Westover
Home Fire - Kamila Shamsie
This Must Be The Place - Maggie O’Farrell
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August - Claire North
The Heart’s Invisible Furies - John Boyne
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
You know that meme that goes something like “Here, read this book, it’s my favourite. It’ll rip your heart out and ruin your year. Enjoy!” I think the creator of that meme had just read A Little Life.
If you’ve not heard of it before, it’s a tale of four college friends growing up in New York. It recounts their lives, loves, careers and traumas. Oh, the trauma. So. Much. Trauma. The core character Jude is hugely damaged by an abusive childhood, and it affects his adulthood in every way possible.
And yet it genuinely is still one of the best books I have ever read. The fragile beauty of love and friendship stays with you. A lot of people feel very strongly about this book, for many different and valid reasons, and I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone - but if you can steel yourself then do give it a go.
Becoming - Michelle Obama
I loved Michelle when she was in the White House. I loved her when she left and was the driving force behind inclusive and progressive charitable ventures. I loved her when I read Becoming, and I love her now. She’s dignified but real, and relatable as a mother, wife, career woman and person in her own right.
The Gap Of Time - Jeanette Winterson
Winterson is a wonderful author, and The Gap Of Time - a ‘response’ to Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale - is one of her best. Mimi, Leo and Xeno bring the play’s premise up to date and the whirling para-reality is at once familiar and unsettling.
Educated - Tara Westover
Tara Westover grew up in a survivalist Mormon family, isolated from her peers. Educated tells the story of her gradual realisation of her captivity, and her eventual escape. It’s funny, and brave, and life-affirming. Hard recommend.
Home Fire - Kamila Shamsie
Apparently this year was a big one for re-tellings for me - Home Fire is a new look at the myth of Antigone. Forbidden love, political intrigue, and warring religions. This one stayed with me for some time,
This Must Be The Place - Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell, master of the craft. This Must Be The Place is her eighth book, the story of a famous woman who vacates her life and just … disappears. The book jumps around both geographically and temporally, yet somehow if still all hangs together. O’Farrell always creates characters I fully believe in, and I felt like Claudette was in the room with me.
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman doesn’t need much in the way of introduction. He is the modern master of fantasy with a strong side of social commentary. American Gods is incredible in its span and heft. The personification of so many gods was ingenious. Read this, then watch the Starz series. Absolutely brilliant.
The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
Perry’s second novel is a dark fantastical exploration of monsters and relationships, and the overlap between how we act versus how we want to be perceived. Recently created as a mini-series on Apple TV.
The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August - Claire North
An unexpected joy for me, this one. Harry August lives an unremarkable life - only to end up being re-born. And again, and again - the same start, the same life. With each re-living he makes different choices and accumulates more knowledge. For anyone who wishes they could get a do-over, this book raises interesting questions about how that may go.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies - John Boyne
John Boyne tackles the subjects that many other authors leave well alone. Adopted away from a young Irish mother, Cyril is told he’ll never truly be a member of their family. Struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality, he grows up in a rapidly changing world. Life is in turns terrifying and joyous for him, with occasional episodes of absurdity.
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