One of the joys of running this blog is getting to read advance copies of books I’ve been looking forward to as well as titles from new writers being published in the first half of 2017. I’ve read a whole host of books, mostly fiction – novels, novellas, short stories, and I’ve selected ten I think are must reads.
All publication dates are correct as of 2nd January 2017 for UK publication.
Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
Effia Otcher and Esi are sisters, unaware of each other’s existence. In 1775, Effia’s mother, who beats her and is manipulative, conspires to marry her to one of the white slave traders. Effia goes to live with him in Cape Coast Castle, unaware that Esi is in the dungeon, packed tight with other women – alive and dead – waiting to be shipped to America. Gyasi then follows the two women’s timelines through to the present day. The story alternates between West Africa and America, each chapter told by one of the offspring of the previous character in that branch of the family tree and becoming a guide to the creation of black as a race. It’s an incredible piece of work. If you only read one book in 2017, make it this one.
Published 5th January 2017 by Viking
Homesick for Another World – Ottessa Moshfegh
If you thought the title character in Eileen was despicable, wait until you meet those who populate Moshfegh’s first short story collection. From a teacher who spends her summer break slumming it with drug addicts to the old white dude who tries to hit on his young neighbour to the girl who’s convinced she needs to kill a particular person in order to go to a better place, all of Moshfegh’s characters are unlikeable in some way. But that’s also because they’re real, their lives like ours. And that’s the beauty of her work. This is a brilliant collection; Moshfegh’s rapidly establishing herself as one of the best writers of her generation.
Published 12th January 2017 by Jonathan Cape
First Love – Gwendoline Riley
Neve, a writer in her mid-thirties, is married to Edwyn, an older man. She documents their turbulent relationship alongside an earlier reacquaintance with an ex-boyfriend and the relationships she had with her mother and father. All are manipulative and abusive in different ways and to varying degrees. Riley’s writing is razor sharp. She places the reader in Neve’s position and it never feels less than real. Packs a literal and metaphorical punch, leaving space for interpretation and discussion.
Published 2nd February 2017 by Granta
The End We Start From – Megan Hunter
As the sea-level rises around the UK, a woman gives birth to a boy her and her husband name Z. They leave for the mountains where her husband, R, grew up. Before long, queues are forming for food and basics and the family starts to disintegrate as R mistrusts the authorities and the unnamed narrator wants to protect Z. Taut, beautifully written, this tense novella will keep you gripped. I read it in one sitting and returned to it the following day.
Published 18th May 2017 by Picador
Little Deaths – Emma Flint
Queens, NYC, 1965. Ruth Malone’s in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband when her two children Frankie, five, and Cindy, four, go missing from her apartment and are later found murdered. When the police discover Malone drinks, dates and takes care of herself they’re determined to pin the murders on her. A page-turner which explores patriarchal attitudes to women who don’t play the angel. Rage-inducing but gripping.
Published 12th January 2017 by Picador.
Stay With Me – Ayòbámi Adébáyò
When Yejide fails to conceive, her husband, Akin, is convinced by his mother-in-law to take a second wife who will deliver the grandson she so desperately desires. Yejide is horrified at becoming a first wife and Akin feels little better about the arrangement but it will change both of their lives and their marriage for better and for worse. Told from alternating points of view Adébáyò explores the effect of patriarchal society on women and men with thriller-like pace and twists. Gripping and thoughtful.
Published 2nd March 2017 by Canongate.
Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life – Samantha Ellis
If you enjoyed the BBC’s To Walk Invisible over Christmas, or can only name two of the Brontë sisters and their work, or have long been a fan of Anne and are glad someone else gets it, then Samantha Ellis’ investigation into who Anne Brontë was, her work and why we know so little about her is one for you. Ellis examines Anne through those who were closest to her and her two novels Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The Anne Brontë reassessment/revival begins here.
Published 12th January 2017 by Chatto & Windus
Difficult Women – Roxane Gay
Third mention for the ‘p’ word but the women in Roxane Gay’s short story collection are only difficult because they break the rules the patriarchy imposes on them. Often they’re punished for it though – from the sisters who are kidnapped to the stripper followed home by a client – and question their worth to society. Written in clear, brutal prose, Gay shows how race, class, sexuality and gender affect average women every single day.
Published 3rd January by Corsair
The Things We Thought We Knew – Mahsuda Snaith
Ravine Roy has chronic pain syndrome and hasn’t left her mother’s council flat since her best friend, Marianne, disappeared ten years ago. Now she’s eighteen, her mum’s determined to get her out, starting with voting in the General Election. But Ravine’s got other things to worry about such as writing to Marianne, wondering who her mother’s companion is, and the noises coming from the unoccupied flat next door. If you loved The Trouble with Goats and Sheep or My Name Is Leon, The Things We Thought We Knew is your summer 2017 read.
Published 15th June 2017 by Doubleday
See What I Have Done – Sarah Schmidt
Schmidt takes the infamous case of Lizzie Borden and explores what might have happened on the days surrounding the murder of Borden’s father and stepmother. The narrative moves between Lizzie, her sister Emma, the maid Bridget and a young man called Benjamin, unknown to all but the Borden’s Uncle John, their late-mother’s brother. Schmidt creates a claustrophobic atmosphere placing the reader in the centre of a house stifling with heat and tensions. Gripping.
Published 2nd May by Tinder Press
Great selection of books Naomi. The Yaa Gyasi has been on my radar for a while, and I suspect it will find a slot in my reading calendar before the end of the year.
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Thank you. Hope you’ll find it as satisfying as I did: in keeping with your current plans, I found myself slowing down as I was reading it as I just wanted to savour the experience.
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Great list. I must read Homegoing and Difficult women this year.
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You’ve whetted my appetite for First Love which is sitting on my review shelves and I already have Homegoing and Little Deaths on my radar. See What I’ve Done has been all over Twitter for some time which often puts me off but it looks as if the hype may be justified after all.
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Please leave First Love soon: I need to discuss it with everyone. See What I Have Done is really engaging, very atmospheric.
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Homegoing is so wonderful; I can’t wait to have a proper copy and read it again. The same applies to Stay With Me; what a wonderful book. I need to get hold of some of the others here too.
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Wonderful selection, I’ve only read Homegoing (and loved it) so this is an excellent list of books for me to read in the future.
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Fab selection, lucky to already have 2 and preordered 2 … no doubt I’ll be seeking out the other six.
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Some really intriguing books here Naomi. I particuarly liked Eileen, so might try and get my hands on the stories.
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I enjoyed them so much I eeked them out for a fortnight; well worth getting hold of if you’re a fan.
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You tempt me with some I had not heard of, while a few are already on my ereader. I am trying to stick to books that I already own for the first three months of this year, but this is looking ahead to the whole of 2017, right?
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I had review copies up to mid-August so around then. Some of these aren’t published until May/June and the rest will still be here after March! I’m also trying to read more from my own shelves – so much I want to read that gets continually overlooked.
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Such a fascinating list. Am tempted by Homegoing and The Things We Thought We Knew.
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Woohoo! I have copies of the Riley, the Snaith and the Schmidt, read Roxane Gay’s book last week, and am SO keen to get my hands on Gyasi’s and Adebayo’s books. Little Deaths has cropped up repeatedly on my social media feeds since Christmas, so now I want that too.
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They’ll keep you busy! I read your review of the Roxane Gay – wet myself at the ‘sad women having sex’ comment.
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Hehehehehe. I enjoyed that too.
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I’m hugely impressed that you’ve managed to read 10+ 2017 books already. Despite my best intentions I rarely read books very far ahead. I like the sound of lots of the ones you feature.
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I started early because I really enjoy putting this together but like to have read enough that books justify their inclusion. I also wanted to get ahead because I want to spend more time reading things from my own shelves this year; looking forward to discovering some gems that have been sitting there for years!
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How did you hear about lots of these, let alone get them in your hands, so early?
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Mostly publicists emailing and sending early copies. I’ve built up a lot of good relationships over the past four years.
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Glad you included Stay With Me, I thought it was an impressive debut.
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