Less

Less by Andrew Sean Greer is the story of Arthur Less, a failing writer about to turn fifty, whose boyfriend of nine years is getting married someone else. To avoid the humiliation of the wedding, Arthur pieces together a round the world book tour in order to be out of the country when it takes place.

Written with sharp wit, I found this book hilarious, wise and surprisingly moving. Even through all his mistakes and missteps, it was impossible not to root for Less. A great read.

Clever Girl

Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley tells the story of Stella, an ordinary Englishwoman whose life unfolds in snapshots in the novel, moving from the 60's to present day. Nothing extraordinary happens here, however it is Hadley's writing that elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary, deftly describing the ways in which Stella relates to the world and everyone around her.

A subtle, yet beautiful book.

Severance

Severance by Ling Ma is a post-apocalyptic novel set in NYC in the very near future. Candice Chen is so committed to the routine of her workday, she barely notices when Shen Fever sweeps the city and she is eventually left to survive alone.

Ma writes in a wonderfully satirical voice about the end of the world and her place in what is left of it. A funny, insightful and slightly eerie look at a path that is all too easily imaginable for our future. A great debut novel from a fresh new voice.

26a

26a is a semi-autobiographical novel by British author Diana Evans. In an attic room in London, two identical twins grow up together, sharing everything, and avoiding the unhappiness of their parents below. On a trip to Nigeria to visit their Mother's family, unexpected events lead to the first secrets between them, and their lives begin to slowly drift apart.

Beautifully written, Evans is a master of using language in new and creative ways. Poetic, full of humor, tragedy, and also hope. A stunning debut.

The Secrets Between Us

The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar revisits characters from her earlier novel A Space Between Us. Umrigar is one of my favorite Indian authors. Here she writes about the least visible of all people, a low caste illiterate woman who lives in a slum in Mumbai, and another who is homeless, both struggling to scrape by and hold on to their dignity.

The sights and sounds of Mumbai come alive, and the characters are so real I could not put this book down. It brings to light the most marginalized women in society, those with little chance to rise out of poverty, cast aside simply because of the circumstances of their birth . Yet through strength and perserverance and friendship coming from unlikely places, there is a glimmer of hope. A beautiful book.

Lost Children Archive

Lost Children Archive by Mexican author Valeria Luiselli is one of the most extraordinary books I’ve read in years. The characters remain unnamed, simply Ma, Pa, the boy, the girl. Told in alternating voices and filled with quotations, documents, polaroids, poems, musical references, the story becomes an incantation, a migration, a conversation with the past.

The family takes a road trip, searching for lost immigrant children, searching for their place in the world. They record sounds, language, birdsong, whispers of voices on the wind of people who no longer exist. Luiselli takes the reader on an incredible journey in this novel while exploring the experiences of Mexican immigrants and Native Americans. This is both a timely and important novel and a literary masterpiece.

The Dragonfly Sea

The Dragonfly Sea by Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is historical fiction based on the little known fact of Chinese sailors being shipwrecked on the small island of Pate on Kenya's eastern seaboard some 600 years ago. It is a coming of age story of Ayaana, a small girl growing up outcast and fatherless on Pate until she claims a sailor Muhidin, as her father. When dignitaries from China come to Pate and do DNA testing, Ayaana, now 21 is chosen to by the emissary between the two countries, called the Descendant. Her journey takes her far from home but ultimately this is a book about homecoming.

Adhiambo Owuor's writing is so delicious it reminded me of the first time I tasted a mango, something unique, extraordinary and indescribable. Filled with Kiswahili phrases, the lyrical, poetic language of the book washed over me like a warm tropical sea from which I did not want to emerge.