10 New Book Tips

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (2014)

Certainly one of my favourite books of the last few years. I had heard about it when it won't he Pulitzer Prize for fiction, but I had never been a reader of Donna Tart, and somehow it wasn't an automatic must-read for me. When I saw the trailer for the film adaptation, I was intrigued and decided to give it a shot, despite it being a very long novel with more than 800 pages - it needs some determination. It is fully worth it, though. The Goldfinch tells the incredible story of a young boy in New York, whose life is changed forever by an attack on a museum he's visiting. He doesn't only lose his only close relative, but mysteriously ends up with a valuable painting. This determines the course of his life, in a story written beautifully by Donna Tart. I will definitely check out her other work after this experience.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (2019)

Colson Whitehead has become a household name with his novel The Underground Railroad, and has since become one of the most important voices in the African American literary community. His most recent novel The Nickel Boys has achieved something very unusual: it has won its author the second Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel itself is once again (like The Underground Railroad) related to important historical issues in the African American community, and inspired by true events. It tells the story of a young boy which great potential and aspirations, who is sent to a special school for boys after a stroke of bad luck. This institution is home to many crimes, and changes the lives of all boys who are sent there. The Nickel Boys is written in beautiful prose and evokes haunting images. For me personally, very reminiscent of James Baldwin’s work. 

Stoner by John Williams (1965)

Stoner is an older novel, which has recently been rediscovered and praised. It has thus also found its way into my reading list this year, after several recommendations. I must say, that it has been a very impressive novel which has been on my mind a lot since reading it. On the surface, it is a straightforward depiction of a man's life: William Stoner is living some kind of an American dream when he manages to get a higher education despite coming from very limited means. The novel details his education and career at the university, as well as his private life. Stoner is a very unusual protagonist, who is quiet and diligent, but who leaves a lasting impression. Williams's novel is a beautiful piece of storytelling about an ordinary life, that nevertheless less has some inspiring moments for its readers.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (2018)

Having read many novels dealing to some extent with World War II and the Holocaust, as well as seen countless films, I was not very keen on reading this novel at first. After some praise I changed my mind, having become curious about this true story, retold in the form of a novel. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is - like many tales of concentration camp survivors - a tale of extraordinary hardship, resourcefulness and endurance. It differs from most stories through the unusual and highly symbolical task that its protagonist, Lale Sokolov, was given: to tattoo a number onto every arriving prisoner's arm at Auschwitz. Through this task, Lale experiences unusual things, and his life and kindness touches those of many others. Not an easy tale to read, but one that is hopeful and inspiring as well as heartbreaking.

The Cockroach by Ian McEwan (2019)

A biting satire of a novella by British master McEwan, in his most political piece of writing to date. Inspired by The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, The Cockroach is a witty tale of a cockroach transformed into a human. Not just any human being, no, the British Prime Minister. It is not surprising that the novella is filled with sharp criticism of recent developments in the political world of Westminster. The novella is both funny and serious, and certainly gives a very unusual perspective of the events at Downing Street 10. Recommended for anyone interested in British politics.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014)

Novelist Celeste Ng has risen to fame especially with her novel Little Fires Everywhere (see review here), which has recently been made into a series. I also started with that one, and only afterwards read Ng's debut novel Everything I Never Told You. Both novels are set in suburban areas, dealing mainly with family issues. In her debut novel, Ng creates a tense world of a family held tightly together by parents with unfulfilled lives. Their three children suffer from the pressure created by their parents, who have been influenced by the experience of racism, discrimination and adherence to  gender roles. The novel is overall raising many important questions about society, and left me saddened but also impressed by this debut novel, which is interestingly written.

Harvard Square by André Aciman (2013)

One of my favorite contemporary writers, Aciman is a master in creating magic on a page. His novel Harvard Square is no different, even if it is among his less-known works. It is a novel about a student, who struggled not only with his studies but also with fitting in in his community on campus. He finds distraction in a taxi driver in town, who is easily one of the most memorable characters created by Aciman. An unusual friendship evolves, which opens up questions about the nature of friendship and dependence. An entertaining and thought-provoking reading experience, as always with Aciman full of magical moment and sentences that could be framed.

Olivia by Dorothy Strachey (1949)

A bit of an older novel in this year’s reading, which has come to my attention through André Aciman’s praise. He has also written the introduction for the newest Penguin edition, and sees Olivia as the inspiration for his masterpiece Call Me by Your Name. The novel by Dorothy Strachey tells a love story, set in a boarding school for girls in France. Fellow Brontë fans will agree with me that this alone bodes well. The protagonist Olivia is an English girl sent to France to school, and finds herself in a surrounding which is dominated by the two charismatic headmistresses. She becomes infatuated with one of the headmistresses in a moving story, which has become an influential inspiration to other writers. Olivia is Dorothy Strachey's only novel and was published anonymously at the time. 

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaithe (2018)

Braithwaithe is a young writer from Nigeria, who has become well-known in the literary world with this novel, after some previous publications. My Sister, the Serial Killer is an entertaining read with many funny and suspenseful elements. The protagonist Korede is a nurse who loves her glamourous sister, even though she certainly doesn't make her life easy. Having started to help her sister out in some shady situations, Korede is starting to get increasingly uncomfortable when the calls for help repeat themselves. This novel is written in an entertaining way that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. Recommended for a holiday or weekend read.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014)

Another Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel which I read after hearing some praise this year. All the Light We Cannot See is also one of the longer books I've read this year, and there is a good reason for it: it spans many years, places and historical events. I was mainly impressed by how they are all set up and then woven together, and by all the research that must have gone into it. The novel has two protagonists, a blind French girl, and a German boy, whose lives become connected in the years leading up to World War II and during the war. The innocence of the children involved in this war, and their astonishing destinies are some of the most beautifully explored things in this novel; while I personally was most moved by the depiction of the Nazi schools for boys and the events there. Overall impressive, especially in terms of storytelling.