The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I’ll be honest, this was not a great book but this was a much-needed book for 2020. Stuck in our homes, with our own thoughts, some of us losing employment, we were at the same point as the main character of this book is at the beginning. And the ride that the book takes us along to is a comforting one and we can’t help but be hopeful for Nora and for ourselves – that even though this life might come with its problems and regrets, we will be able to make it through.
This is an easy read even though it kind of slows down in the middle. I would suggest this book to anyone who is feeling a bit down and has regrets about the past.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
One of the best books of the year, this one is not one to escape into as it is at its heart a tale of loss and grief. Not to mention the book features bubonic plague. For a historical book about Shakespeare, this book does not take the path you expect it to take. Moreover, unlike reading fiction about real people or incidents, you won’t be left wondering about which portions are real and which portions are made-up due to the inclusion of magic in the story. It’s kind of a cope out for giving Shakespeare’s wife a personality but it works to get you in the headspace where you stop questioning the facts surrounding the book.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
This book is a love letter, to the process of struggling and trying to be an artist. This book is about believing in yourself even when it gets hard to do so. This is such a sweet book with so much hope and optimism and happiness but that does not mean it’s not based in reality. The book is based in the late 90s but Casey’s problems are the same ones most of us are struggling with – minimum wage jobs, debilitating debt, harsh living conditions, poverty. But she struggles through all of it because she writes and is working on her novel.
This determination to live a creative life is what makes Casey such a loveable character. Frankly, I really did not even need that big of a happy ending for her, the fact that she finished the book made me so happy. I think even if she had suffered the fate of numerous struggling writers and had failed to get published, I would still think the ending of the book to be a happy one.
She does what she set out to do and I think she would have been strong enough to deal with her situation and got along life just fine – poverty, debts and all – because she knows herself and knows what kind of life she wants to live – a creative one.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
At last, we get the Final Girls that we wanted. The protagonists in this book are strong, smart, and take initiative to help others instead of just surviving themselves. This was the best horror book of the year and it wasn’t just the supernatural elements in the books that were scary.
I loved this book, I loved how it combines supernatural horror with murder mystery while alternating between two different timelines. The book does a great job of creating atmospheric suspense and manages to keep you on the edge throughout it all. The layout of the motel reception itself makes you uncomfortable as well, shows you how vulnerable the girls are there working along all night. I am eagerly looking forward to new books from this author.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
This is a #MeToo era book and is one of the best representations of it. It might be triggering for victims of sexual abuse and grooming and even for people who have been lucky enough not to have gone through such trauma, this is a hard book. This is an uncomfortable read but a necessary one.
The power dynamic in this situation explores the psychological impact that it can has on the victim. It shows how easy it is for a pedophile to convince the victim that she is not a victim at all. It’s infuriating to see Vanessa try to deal with the impact of the abuse without even acknowledging her situation.
It’s equally infuriating to see how people in power are not able to help her when she was a child – her school, her parents. Should they not carry the blame as well? This is one of the many questions that the book poses and makes you think about.
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
I would honestly refer this book to people just for the beautiful illustrations by Fumi Nakamura but this collection of essays is a delight to read. The essays pertain to the natural world and the author ties up the flora/fauna she is writing about to her own personal struggles/situation. I would like to warn you that not all of the essays work. The metaphors seem like a reach sometimes but boy when they work, they work. The last two essays are my personal favorite where she finally calls us to action to work against climate change and to give more interest to the natural world around us. She manages to do so without seeming preachy in any way.
But the best part of the book is that it will have you googling and learning more about the plants and animals she writes about because some of them do feel too unreal to be true.
The book, true to its name, talks about the astonishment of nature. If I had to summarize this book in one word it would be delightful and I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Intimations by Zadie Smith
We knew books like this would come – authors pondering about the pandemic, sharing their own struggles and inner lives during the period. Well, thank god it’s Zadie Smith, because I don’t think any other author would not have been able to write personal essays about the pandemic without sounding condescending, privileged, and tone-deaf.
But Smith writes such powerfully moving essays that they feel more like a gesture of connection extended towards the reader rather than just being about her experiences. It is a short collection but they are all very emotionally packed. “Talking to yourself can be useful. And writing means being overheard” Smith states and overhearing her is a treat.
AntKind by Charlie Kaufman
This is one of the funniest books of the year written by the well-known scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman. This is thon’s first novel and it is very clear that this is a field that he will excel in.
This book is just fucking insane and hilarious. However, I think you need to be familiar with Kaufman’s work to get the most out of it. Especially the satirical parts, you need to be aware of who Kaufman is criticizing – the kind of people who obsessively use PC language and show outwards appearances of being nice without actually working on themselves internally and not the minorities who are demanding those changes.
The book includes the same self-deprecating humour and is as intelligent as Kaufman’s screenplays. And I think Kaufman’s inexperience in the mechanics of writing a novel is both a pro and a con for the book. He’s more about exploring ideas rather than moving the plot forward but I am not a reader who minds it but it might not be palatable to everyone. To sum up, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for those who are already fans of Kaufman’s films, this is a must-read.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
This is the only fantasy book on my list which is a shame because I would have loved to see more fantasy and science fiction this year. But this book was great, it mixed classic Asian period drama with fantasy and does a great work of doing so.
This is a book that needs attention, you need to read between the lines to see where the plot is going. Similar to the protagonist Chih, we feel like we are overhearing the story rather than being actively immersed in the plot and I love how well-utilized this plot device is in this book. We just get to look at this small slice of this fantasy world and the main character’s story is not even being told from her own point-of-view. You just get a small glimpse at the story and it takes time to unravel the story the slow build-up and thrill really work with the writing.
A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier
This is a YA book, and I was not going to include this in the list as this was supposed to be a guilty pleasure of mine. But, you know what, I am done feeling guilty about anything that gives me pleasure, so here you have it, A Castle in the Clouds, one of the best books I’ve read in 2020.
This book is just the ultimate comfort read, apt for reading on a cold winter day, curled up in your blanket with a hot beverage in your hand. The premise is a grand hotel in the Swiss mountains past its golden days, very evocative of the Grand Budapest Hotel. And the main protagonist is Sophie a high school drop-out who works as an intern at the hotel. She can be daft at times, but you can’t help but feel for her.
This is not really a substantial book, but it is entertaining. Evocative of murder mysteries and whodunnits but without anything large at stake. This charming book even includes a few magical elements and was the ultimate comfort read of the year.
