Like last year, I’ve read a lot of books so I’ve decided to split my books of the year post into two – those published pre-2015 and those published in 2015 (UK dates where applicable). The latter will appear tomorrow, in the meantime, here’s my pick of the former. Clicking on the book cover will take you to my review.
The Country of Ice Cream Star – Sandra Newman
Not just a book of the year, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Set in the Nighted States sometime in the future and narrated by fifteen-year-old Ice Cream Star. White people are dead of a disease called WAKS. Black people die of something called Posies at eighteen/nineteen. Ice Cream Star’s brother, Driver, is dying and she sets out to find a cure. Written in a futuristic version of AAVE, the novel considers race, religion, politics, class, war and love and has one of the best heroines ever. Newman also gives good interview, you can read my interview with her here.
Prayers for the Stolen – Jennifer
Clement
Ladydi Garcia Martínez was dressed as a boy until she was eleven, as were all the girls in her village. This was to prevent drug traffickers kidnapping them. But Ladydi’s friend, Paula, was taken and – astonishingly – returned. Clement illustrates the way poor, brown skinned women in an exposed state in Mexico are treated by men. Fathers are feckless; brothers are dangerous. An unknown man entering the area is to be feared. Houses are peppered with bullet holes. Ladydi’s narration lifts this from being utterly bleak and Clement’s plot twists, often buried in a mid-paragraph sentence, are brilliant.
The Gypsy Goddess – Meena Kandesamy
The story of the Kilvanmani massacre and events leading up to it in 1968. A small village in Tamil Nadu, where the farm labourers haven’t had a pay rise for ten years and any insubordination against the landlords results in beatings. When Communism arrives, the local workers stand strong but their strength results in a massacre in which 42 villagers, mostly women and children, are killed. This is also a book about how you might tell the story of a massacre and the problems you might incur. Intelligent, layered, funny metafiction blending facts and storytelling.
how to be both either begins with George in the car with her recently deceased mother discussing a moral conundrum or it begins with a 550 year old painter returning (sort of) to see his painting in an art gallery and to tell us about his life. George’s section is about life after the death of her mother; Francescho’s is about his youth and becoming an artist. Smith considers what art is and what’s its value, as well as how to be two things at once – alive and dead, watched and watcher, male and female. One of the joys of reading the novel is spotting the connections between the two sections.
Every Kiss a War – Leesa Cross-Smith
A collection about our battle with love: to find it, to keep it, to get over it once it’s gone. Teenagers deal with abortions, parental arguments and first loves:your heart beating like two quick tick-tocking clocks, like two fists with their muffled punching. Adults negotiate beginnings, endings and whether to stay or go: And staying in love is like trying to catch a light. To hold it in my hand. Even when it looks like I have it, I don’t. Ranging from flash fiction to interlinked stories, this is a confident, beautifully written collection.
The story of the Binewski family. Crystal Lil and Aloysius Binewski created their own freaks, experimenting with ‘illicit and prescription drugs, insecticides, and eventually radioisotopes’.Five children survived: Arturo, known as Aqua Boy; Electra and Iphigenia, conjoined twins; Olympia, a hunchback, albino dwarf, and Fortunato, known as Chick, who appears to be ‘normal’ but is revealed to have telekinetic powers. Competition is fierce between them. The sub-plot, set in the future tells of Olympia and her daughter, Miranda, pursued by heiress, Mary Lick, who pays for women to be operated on so they’re less attractive/less likely to be exploited by men. A cult classic.
I Love Dick – Chris Kraus
My review of this was bumped to January 2016 due to #diversedecember but I love this book. Chris Kraus and her husband, Sylvère Lottringer, have dinner with Dick, a cultural critic and acquaintance of Sylvère’s. Chris falls for Dick and begins writing letters to him. The love is largely unrequited but she explores her feelings for him through the letters. The second half of the book, in particular, becomes much more than that, it’s filled with critical essays on art and theorists and explores the role of women in culture and life. A book you need to read with a pencil in hand. Should be described as ‘a classic’, rather than ‘a feminist classic’.
Quicksand and Passing – Nella Larsen
Two novellas packaged together. In Quicksand Helga Crane searches for happiness. It’s always fleeting and she moves on until she finds herself trapped. Passing, the stronger of the two stories, focuses on a rekindled friendship between Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Clare is passing as white to the extent that not even her racist husband knows she’s black. The tension comes from knowing she’s bound to be exposed but also the devastating consequences her reappearance has on Irene’s life too.
Blonde Roots – Bernadine Evaristo
A counterfactual slave narrative in which black people rule the world and whites are slaves. Divided into three sections, the first and third focus on Omorenomwara/Doris Scagglethorpe and her attempt to escape Chief Kaga Konata Katamba (KKK) and return to her family. The middle of the novel is the chief’s story of his involvement in the slave trade. His pronouncements about the inferiority of the Caucasoinid are supported by anthropology, ideas of savagery and a mission to save souls. Very funny in a horrifying sense. The reversal highlights the ludicrousness of the slide trade as well as reminding us of the barbarity of it.
How to Be a Heroine – Samantha
Ellis
On a visit to Top Withins, the house that inspired Wuthering Heights, Ellis has a revelation: My whole life, I’d been trying to be Cathy, when I should have been trying to be Jane. It leads her to revisit heroines from her formative years and consider others she didn’t read at the time. Part-memoir, part-literary criticism, fearlessly feminist, this will add to your TBR books you want to read and books you want to revisit. Part of the joy of this book is the space Ellis leaves for you to discuss and argue with her. I didn’t always agree with her points (#TeamCathy) but I was always engaged.
Mân – Kim Thúy (translated by Sheila Fischman)
Mãn is raised by her third mother after the first dies and the second retreats from the world. Maman takes her to a big city and passes on the things her mother has taught her. Maman finds Mãn a husband and moves to Montreal to live with him, helping to run his restaurant. As it becomes more and more successful, Mãn travels to Paris where the cookbook she’s co-written has also been a success. There she meets another restaurant owner and falls in love. Told in first person narrated vignettes, this is a beautifully written and emotionally engaging book.
Great list. I have kept Ali Smith for next year, Meena Kandasmy’s Gypsy Goddess sounds interesting. I have not read it yet. But I adore her poems. Do you like them?
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Thank you. I’ve never read any of Kandasamy’s poetry. I wonder if the voice is similar…
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Try them, She has a fresh and different voice. She celebrates ‘Indianness’ in the color of skin, accents etc in her poetry.The poems are available online. She has done a reading at an African lit fest which is on Youtube
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I’ll definitely seek them out. Thank you.
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Delighted to see Thúy, Larsen and Clement on your list, Naomi. Geek Love is sitting on my TBR shelves thanks to your recommendation. Looking forward to part two!
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Oh, I’d love to know what you make of Geek Love…
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A very diverse list, Naomi. I really enjoyed the Ali Smith, too. It’s such a playful novel, full of interesting ideas and connections. Nella Larsen’s novellas are in my TBR – I’ve heard so many good things about them (especially Passing).
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Diverse without even trying too! It’s been interesting purposely changing my reading habits and finding new things I love. I think you’ll love Nella Larsen’s novellas.
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Lol! As you know there is one of those we ( violently) disagree over !!!!
I read Man just a couple of weeks ago and loved it ….altho Ru remains my fave.
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I thought we agreed you were wrong? 😉
Haven’t read Ru, I’ll add it to the list.
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From your list, I have only read “How to be both” by Ali Smith, that I absolutely loved. Thanks for sharing your list and will look forward for the part II.
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I read Thuy’s Ru years ago and it still stays with me – she’s a beautiful writer.
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You’re the second person to mention it, I should read it soon.
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Is it too late to send another letter to Santa? I’m about to start How to be Both tonight and looking forward to it.
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Right. That’s it. I’ve been threatening for two years, but 2016 will be the year I finally read Geek Love. Sounds so good!
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Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
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I’ve only read one on your list – The Country of Icecream Star and it will mske it onto my end of year list as well – wonderful book! It makes me think that I should explore the rest of your list.
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It’s an excellent one to have read though! I’d recommend Citizen by Claudia Rankine (which tops part two) as a great book in its own right but also an interesting companion to Ice Cream Star, if you haven’t read it.
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I haven’t heard of it – thanks for drawing it to my attention
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Thank you for introducing me to so many new-to-me books and writers, Naomi. You rock!
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Aw, thank you. Hope you enjoy them!
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Definitely going to look out for Geek Love, as well as Every Kiss A War (of course), and I’m wondering whether my mother would like Man, as well…
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Another blogger who has substantially influenced my book purchasing & reading this year… got Newman & Smith on the TBR, Geek Love, Man, Quicksand & Passing on the wishlist.. adding Every Kiss a War and really want to read How to be a Heroine, but ahem, must read WH first😄
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Fantastic! That’s lovely to hear, Poppy. Hope you enjoy them all.
You’ve never read Wuthering Heights? Wow! I read it as a teenager and I suspect have a very different view of it because of that. You don’t need to read it to read Ellis’ book though, there’s a few in there I’ve never read; they did get added to the pile though.
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I know – hard to believe I’ve not read it but yet it feels so familiar… it’s one of my NY resolutions to read it with my daughter – having read Jane Eyre sooooo many times can’t wait to see how it compares & matches my expectations.
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Oh, I feel a heated debate coming on 😉
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Haha… possibly! Much as I loved studying JE – served many essay & exam Qs well – can’t say it’s a favourite as Jane herself and certain elements of the plot drove me nuts! Definitely wondering how Cathy compares…
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I flipping hate Jane Eyre but adore Wuthering Heights. Although The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is actually better than both of them.
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One on the TBR too… always felt a bit guilty/frustrated about what I’ve not read but just been shored up by watching an excellent & inspiring interview with Andrea Levy who didn’t have a head full of ALL the books either when she started writing… her career was after a 50/50 choice of CW evening class or yoga😊
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By all the books do you mean the white, male heavy canon? 😉 I read a fair chunk of it on my undergrad. My writing’s got better (imo, of course) since I’ve been reading as broadly as possible. My ideas are more interesting; I’m more willing to take a risk with style and structure, and I can tell (to a point) whether it works or not. Reading the same sort of thing over and over doesn’t give you that.
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Yes… I assumed she was referring to mostly that ilk, which I merrily body swerved too until recently😆 Totally agree on the benefits of reading broadly … my writing goal this year is to shake off my self-imposed ‘academic’ shackles after studying lit & getting back to experimenting with & developing my own voice.
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Sounds like a plan.
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How does Villette fair? Heard it’s the better of CB’S?
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It’s on my shelf after Antonia Honeywell highly recommended it.
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I’ve been away and offline and am only just catching up with my reading of blog posts, so I missed this. A good choice you made to distinguish between books published in 2015 and those pre-dating it. I really want to read I Love Dick and of course you are the one who sent The Country of Ice Cream Star to me! I mean to read more of Kim Thuy – so far I’ve only read Ru, but she’s not easy to find in France (surprisingly, since she wouldn’t need translating).
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