Let's be honest it was a pretty ordinary year for books last year but the three that stood out for me were:
Room by Emma Donoghue
Reading Room reminded me of when I read We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. That book and its confronting subject matter was something I avoided for months but once commenced I was unable to put it down until I was finished. Similarly many people fear this book due to its uncomfortable themes but I urge you to read it. The fact that the author can produce such a captivating story of the love between mother and child when they are being held captive for years in a tiny space is the mark of a truly fine writer. Worthy of all the accolades it received, I look forward to her next book with great anticipation.
Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood
I love quality teen fiction and not just because I am in denial about my age! For me last year this was the stand out, a debut by an Australian author.
It is the story of 14 year old Dan whose parents have just split up, the family business has gone bust, they have lost their home, his private school fees can no longer be afforded and to cap all this drama off his Dad announces he is gay.Dan develops a deep fascination for the girl next door and he is such a rich lovable character you can't help but cheer him on as he struggles with his teenage life. So good I read it twice.
It is the story of 14 year old Dan whose parents have just split up, the family business has gone bust, they have lost their home, his private school fees can no longer be afforded and to cap all this drama off his Dad announces he is gay.Dan develops a deep fascination for the girl next door and he is such a rich lovable character you can't help but cheer him on as he struggles with his teenage life. So good I read it twice.
Half a Life by Darin Strauss
I am a sucker for a book with recommendations from authors I admire so this book with quotes from Gary Shteyngart and Joyce Carol Oates was always going to make its way to my overcrowded bookshelves. It begins with the line Half my life ago, I killed a girl.
This memoir was staggering not only for his honesty and depth of emotion but because of the truly exceptional writing. Sometimes in a book a line or a passage hits you with such ferocity that you think, that is exactly how I feel and you continue reading to the exclusion of all other aspects of your life. This accident that opens this story happens as a teenager and is going to be with him for the rest of his life, I feel grateful that he had the courage to share it with us.
This memoir was staggering not only for his honesty and depth of emotion but because of the truly exceptional writing. Sometimes in a book a line or a passage hits you with such ferocity that you think, that is exactly how I feel and you continue reading to the exclusion of all other aspects of your life. This accident that opens this story happens as a teenager and is going to be with him for the rest of his life, I feel grateful that he had the courage to share it with us.
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